It's An Ill Wind That Blows No Good

It seems as though it has been more windy than normal so far this year. Many days the

wind has blown in excess of 20 knots. And I’ve had maybe one occurrence where it has blown

directly down the runway. As pilots we’re always assessing the wind. A prudent pilot will

consciously make a decision every time he flies if the winds are within his personal minimums.

The two main factors when deciding about how much wind to fly in are the airplane and the

pilot.

Ask most pilots how much crosswind their airplane can handle and they’ll tell you the

number listed in the Pilot’s Operating Handbook. That’s...