SamiK

Just noticed I posted this in the wrong section. Maybe a mod can switch this in to the meteorology thread.

1 hour ago, Hann__ said:

There are videos out there of PPG`s doing 70, 80, 90mph + with a significant tailwind so it`s perfectly feasable to fly in strong wind.

I probably wouldn`t fly if the wind was 60mph at surface level, though...

Personally i think twice if the wind aloft is greater than 10mph - not because it`s any more risky or turbulent but due to the type of flying i do - XC`s of 2 - 3 hours, i find crawling along at anything less than 20mph a little tedious, unless of course i haven`t flown for a few weeks and then i will just accept that i won`t be going very far and i`ll probably opt for some high altitude stuff instead. "If you can`t get by, go high"..

Yeah, I know higher winds don't necessarily make it unsafe, but I'm thinking more about the wind gradient and the possible risks it imposes. For example you can get wind shear when there's a strong gradient. 

If the winds are high at altitude, there's the obvious reason for not going flying if you're not going to penetrate, but when does it actually become unsafe?

What kind of limits do you impose on yourself generally on winds aloft?

Lets say the wind is 7mph at ground level but doubles at 300 feet.  Do you fly and just accept that it's going to be a slow flight or do you stay grounded? 

Not a lot of info about this out there. Hope to get some general idea what people find acceptable.

16 hours ago, simonhunny said:

does it flip the same way every time? If so, then favour the A riser on one side, eg if it flips left wingtip over to the right (as you are facing it), then try just using the right A & let the left A just find its own way up, you need a delay on the left side to stop the left side overtaking & flipping

Don't remember which side it flips to.  Something is off center, but not sure what.

7 hours ago, asquaddie said:

Best option is to take a video of your wing flipping!

Thousand words and all that

Yeah thats true. If I had a video of it, I think I'd figure it out myself. 

I'll put a camera up sometime and see what I get.  I'm a new pilot so my priority is always getting off the ground every chance I get and everything else is just a distraction at this point   

8 hours ago, simonhunny said:

so you are talking about reverse launching?

Just kiting, not launching. Basically a reverse with out being clipped in and holding the riser in my hands. I do this every time to check the lines and setup the wing. 

Ever since I started ground handling to this very day I get the flip from time to time and every time I ask myself "Why, what am I doing wrong?"

I get my mistake if it just falls to the side, stalls, overshoots etc, but never figured out the "flip". 

Could it be just a case of sudden wind direction change / gust? I've had this happen so many times I don't think it's likely.  As I said, I always have streamers with me so I shouldn't be off more than 10-15 degrees at most to the prevailing wind.

33 minutes ago, alan_k said:

Sounds like wind gusting to me. Do you have a wind sock or streamer?

I have a streamer with 3 metres of ribbon that shows gust and direction change very well.

With A's and D's you need to move the D's away from the tip that is climbing, not just towards you. If the left tip is climbing move the D's smartly to the right and vice versa.

Yes, I always have a fishing pole with streamers on it. Too many down wind launch attemps that I"ve learned it's a must. On calm days its impossible to tell what the wind is doing without streamers. 

Yes, thats what Im doing with the D's. A's I pull to the opposite side.

18 minutes ago, alan_k said:

Wing towards the wind?

Do you mean the wind is towards the wing? If one tip is climbing then you need to pull the brake on that side.

Sorry, english isn't my first language. What I mean is the wing is setup into the wind, as you would normally launch as opposed to say 90 degrees which would cause it to roll.

When im kiting (not clipped in) I hold A's and D's and controll it that way. Works just fine but with these "flips' it doesn't do much as it so violent.

8

Hey,

Kinda embarrassed to ask since I'm already a year old ppg pilot but haven't figured this one out.

I like to pre kite every time before setting up my wing and every now and I still get the annoying "wing flip and nose down to the ground" scenario. I'm sure all pilots are familiar with this.  

I haven't really figure out what I'm doing wrong here. I'm centered to the wing and the wing is towards the wind. No amount of correction ever fixes it. When it starts going, it's gone.  Granted, my reactions, or rather reading the wing isn't the best yet. Still need to work on that.  But yeah, it's annoying as hell to always start flipping it back and and most importantly smacking the leading edge to the ground isn't good for the wing.

So, what causes this almost violent flip of the wing?