Wind check!

[English]

I just read somewhere that AA has it in their FOM that they are required to ask for wind checks.

Is that true?

I'm trying to figure out why some pilots always ask for wind checks, even on calm wind days. I don't mean the occasional squirrelly approach where you can tell something is off. I mean every single leg. Can't they tell what the wind is by the way the plane is flying? And if not, can't they see the windsock?

 

[91100 100 set]

Sure, do what it takes with the controls to get the plane straight and on the centerline, but sometimes you might have some kind of abnormal limitation to comply with? Can't land with more than 15 knots of crosswind with inop nosewheel steering (ie. Dash-8)? Wind fluttering around and you just might end up being on short final with more than 10 knots on the tail?

Don't work for American, so I don't know about any of their specific procedures.

 

[TonyC]

Perhaps they can't see the windsock?


Perhaps they do it out of habit?


Perhaps they want to know if they should expect the wind to change in the last 200 feet?


Perhaps they're doing a Check Cat II or III and they need to record the actual winds in the Maintenance record?


Perhaps they like to hear themselves talk on the radio, and the radio call's free?


Perhaps they just are curious to know what the winds are?


I've run out of ideas...












.

 

[SSDD]

As I understand it, what you get at most airports when you ask for a wind check is the centerfield wind, which may, or may not be the same as the approach end. Every runway that I can think of, has a wind sock somewhere close to the approach end, that's the best way to find wind direction and speed.

 

[Pedro]

If you are in IAH you don't have to ask, you can count (that was close!!) on a 8-10 tailwind!

 

[Eagle-ista]

I like the pilots that ask for a wind check while a blimp is parked on the field. I heard a controller at MYF respond to a wind-check request with a blimp parked on the field with: "look at the blimp!"

Perhaps it's a good habit, but I trust my rudder more than a controller reading a gauge that checks the wrong end of the runway...

 

[FN FAL]

I like the pilots that ask for a wind check while a blimp is parked on the field. I heard a controller at MYF respond to a wind-check request with a blimp parked on the field with: "look at the blimp!"

Perhaps it's a good habit, but I trust my rudder more than a controller reading a gauge that checks the wrong end of the runway...

I'd trust a controller or a windsock more than an AWOS.

 

[Vector4fun]

The problem with asking for the "wind check" is; depending on the equipment on the field, it may not reflect the wind at the approach end at all. At facilities with the old LLWAS systems, our displays showed the 2 min average centerfield wind, and that was what we were supposed to give. But we also had 30 sec average winds available at the boundry sensors to issue. I don't know how the newest LLWAS systems display. My facility has WSP, (Doppler Lite), and our Only wind display now is the two minute centerfield average. There are NO more real-time wind displays in any cab I've been to in 15 years....

 

[Diesel]

I never asked for a windcheck in my life. All the planes i flew would handle any crosswind possible without any effort.

Since I moved to the X it has been a totally different story. That thing is literally trying to kill me. On takeoff and landing if you don't know where the wind is you're going to drag a wingtip down the whole runway.

In the X a 5 degree pitch up with a 3 degree bank will drag a wingtip and can be even less if you have more fuel on board. (wingtips are hanging down even more)

So know the wind on the ground even though it shows it on the MFD is really really important. I am getting used to looking at the terminal when touching down in a strong crosswind and the runway through the FO's side window.

 

[91100 100 set]

In the X a 5 degree pitch up with a 3 degree bank will drag a wingtip and can be even less if you have more fuel on board. (wingtips are hanging down even more)

Thats interesting stuff, I guess all that crazy wing sweep is to blame? I remember years ago seeing a chart detailing the pitch and bank angles that would drag various parts of the airplane for a 727. I thought it was interesting that in some cases, the leading edge flaps would drag first, but I don't remember what the specific numbers were.

Regarding the wind on the MFD (or whatever NAV display you have), about much delay would you say exists there? I would think that it oughta be pretty much instantaneous, or at least as fast as the GPS/AHRS can figure it out, but I've seen some pretty out of whack numbers displayed there coming over the fence, as much as 20 knots when the visual cues seem to indicate something way less. I understand the last 15 to 20 seconds before landing can be a very dynamic time making it very tough for the black boxes to crunch all the numbers, and if your AHRS is even a degree or two off, that could make all the calculations very incorrect.