Help An Idiot Understand Wind

[abaser]

Ill be the first to admit that I dont understand how half of the features in RF work. Ive never played with wind speed/directions much for this fact. I started messing around tonight to try to simulate conditions here at my house because Im thinking of getting back into RL flying and I need practice before play.

Anyway, average wind around my area is somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-12mph, so I set the wind at a high 14mph. First thing I noticed is at idle my top wind speed stays between 2 and 6 mph, but once I open the throttle to take off it jumps to anywhere from 25 to 40mph. Ive tried to adjust the wind speed manually while in the air and get very subtle changes. Once I land, at almost 0 ground speed, the wind drops back to the 2-6 range. I have not been able to achieve my 14mph windspeed goal at all. What am I not getting? I even went back to 5.5 to see if it was a 6 thing, but got very similar results there as well.

[mwilson914]

You probably need to reduce the amount of turbulance. If your average wind speed is between 8-12 mph, then it might be best to shoot for 10 mph with minimal turbulance.

Turbulance is default set to 100%. The insert key increases the amount of turbulance and delete decreases it. If you are shooting for a 4 mph average wind speed, then 100% turbulance might be fine, but when you are at 14 mph which is over 3 times faster, then the turbulance starts to get a storm front feel.

[abaser]

I'll give it a shot and see what happens. Thanks.

[abaser]

Worked like a charm. 10mph at 50% turbulence =14mph winds

Thanks again.

[Adam Taylor]

In real life, the wind is a bit more violent in the air than it is near the ground. RealFlight simulates this, so you'll have to fight the wind a bit more once you've taken off than you do when you're still on the runway.

[Madratter]

Originally Posted by Adam Taylor

In real life, the wind is a bit more violent in the air than it is near the ground. RealFlight simulates this, so you'll have to fight the wind a bit more once you've taken off than you do when you're still on the runway.

To drive this home, I got a weather station that includes an Anemometer for Christmas. I first mounted it about 3 to 4 feet off the ground, and the windspeeds were always very low even when I could see the trees getting blown around. I then mounted it up above my roof, perhaps 25 feet high and wind speeds are in much better agreement with the weather forecasts. The international standard for measuring is at 10 meters (33 feet).

[Hab]

Originally Posted by abaser

Ill be the first to admit that I dont understand how half of the features in RF work. Ive never played with wind speed/directions much for this fact. I started messing around tonight to try to simulate conditions here at my house because Im thinking of getting back into RL flying and I need practice before play.

Anyway, average wind around my area is somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-12mph, so I set the wind at a high 14mph. First thing I noticed is at idle my top wind speed stays between 2 and 6 mph, but once I open the throttle to take off it jumps to anywhere from 25 to 40mph. Ive tried to adjust the wind speed manually while in the air and get very subtle changes. Once I land, at almost 0 ground speed, the wind drops back to the 2-6 range. I have not been able to achieve my 14mph windspeed goal at all. What am I not getting? I even went back to 5.5 to see if it was a 6 thing, but got very similar results there as well.

Always fly with wind to simulate the real world. 10 -15 mph ? Sounds a little high. May be not. Always have turbulence though. Just a constantant blowing 10 mph ... think you'd be on a storm front...hurricane's coming.

Flagg / sock , would be standing out straight in real life. Might be staying home that day ... lol . I set at something reasonable. Like a 5 - 7 mph speed with turbulence. What I do is set mine for that, then turbulence + gradually. Take a look at the sock on the field .... ( if you've got one). Sock tells all. You'll be able to see what it's doing (wind) and if it's looking like a real wind speed, with slight turbulence. Wind speed - pg up / pg down. Turbulence is "delete"- "insert" for increasing / decreasing turbulence. Might want to try wind direction also .... think it's "home" - "end". It never blows right down the field perpendicular for perfect take offs and landings. Field I'm at is only cut north / south. A field you almost need to know how to "slip"at some days. Not saying you need to, but if its blowing strong enough.....it makes it easier . Hope this helps Abaser

[abaser]

Originally Posted by Hab

Always fly with wind to simulate the real world. 10 -15 mph ? Sounds a little high. May be not. Always have turbulence though. Just a constantant blowing 10 mph ... think you'd be on a storm front...hurricane's coming.

Flagg / sock , would be standing out straight in real life. Might be staying home that day ... lol . I set at something reasonable. Like a 5 - 7 mph speed with turbulence. What I do is set mine for that, then turbulence + gradually. Take a look at the sock on the field .... ( if you've got one). Sock tells all. You'll be able to see what it's doing (wind) and if it's looking like a real wind speed, with slight turbulence. Wind speed - pg up / pg down. Turbulence is "delete"- "insert" for increasing / decreasing turbulence. Might want to try wind direction also .... think it's "home" - "end". It never blows right down the field perpendicular for perfect take offs and landings. Field I'm at is only cut north / south. A field you almost need to know how to "slip"at some days. Not saying you need to, but if its blowing strong enough.....it makes it easier . Hope this helps Abaser

I used to feel the same way as you, but then I realized just how much time my planes spent in the hangar. Im not sure what's going on, maybe it was just the way RF started up last night, but today, I treid to make a recording of the problem I was seeing, but its not doing it now. I set the wind at 10 and brought the turbulance back to 100% and top speed only reached 22 I think. Seems alot more reasonable. Thanks for all of the replies.

[jeffpn]

I'm not quite sure how you could get a picture to respond to wind. Photofields are still pictures. They can't be made to move.

[Hab]

Originally Posted by abaser

I used to feel the same way as you, but then I realized just how much time my planes spent in the hangar. Im not sure what's going on, maybe it was just the way RF started up last night, but today, I treid to make a recording of the problem I was seeing, but its not doing it now. I set the wind at 10 and brought the turbulance back to 100% and top speed only reached 22 I think. Seems alot more reasonable. Thanks for all of the replies.

Better in the hanger, then the garbage can

[Hab]

What would be another cool thing Real Flight could ad, in order to simulate real world settings.... would be to get the surroundings to function with wind ( grass and trees). My field, sock may just be hanging on the pole, but quick glance at tree tops tells whats going on at altitude.
I fly at photo fields. I know it can be done with non photo fields, but if the sun's inclination could be changed within photo fields, that would also be a major +. When I fly, its late afternoons into the early evening hours, or until the sun's down ... summer months.

[opjose]

Originally Posted by Hab

What would be another cool thing Real Flight could ad, in order to simulate real world settings.... would be to get the surroundings to function with wind ( grass and trees). My field, sock may just be hanging on the pole, but quick glance at tree tops tells whats going on at altitude.
I fly at photo fields. I know it can be done with non photo fields, but if the sun's inclination could be changed within photo fields, that would also be a major +. When I fly, its late afternoons into the early evening hours, or until the sun's down ... summer months.

Movement of trees and objects require 3D rendered items in the AP.

Realflight does just that with the 3D fields. If you crank up the wind, the trees, debris, etc. all react like you would expect.

As pointed out, photo fields are just that, a "photo" that is static and cannot be animated.

In a photo field we adjust the "virtual" sun angle to correspond to that of the photo. That primarily affects 3D rendered objects ( like your plane ) placed in the 2D airfield so that "self shadows" look appropriate for the sun position in the background photo.

Moving the sun in a Photofield is possible, but it merely throws everything off.

[Hab]

Originally Posted by abaser

Ill be the first to admit that I dont understand how half of the features in RF work. Ive never played with wind speed/directions much for this fact. I started messing around tonight to try to simulate conditions here at my house because Im thinking of getting back into RL flying and I need practice before play.

Anyway, average wind around my area is somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-12mph, so I set the wind at a high 14mph. First thing I noticed is at idle my top wind speed stays between 2 and 6 mph, but once I open the throttle to take off it jumps to anywhere from 25 to 40mph. Ive tried to adjust the wind speed manually while in the air and get very subtle changes. Once I land, at almost 0 ground speed, the wind drops back to the 2-6 range. I have not been able to achieve my 14mph windspeed goal at all. What am I not getting? I even went back to 5.5 to see if it was a 6 thing, but got very similar results there as well.

A few more things you can mess with Abaser .... Settings > Graphics> Wind. You can change wind variation % . Wind gust %. Thermals > simple or dynamic.
Try these also. Set mine for a 7 mph wind speed / 112 deg direction / 20 % turbulence. Under the settings / graphics .... wind variation @ 40 % , wind gusts at 2% ....Thermals - Dynamic. This is for Gold Co. AP Pretty much an open area. Not a lot of tree cover , but a few slight hills that can change things a little. Mess around with those for the field you've chosen to fly at. Like said, the sock will tell all at the ground.

[Maj. Numbskully]

Originally Posted by Hab

This is for Gold Co. AP Pretty much an open area. Not a lot of tree cover , but a few slight hills that can change things a little. .

Actually .........
hills, trees and objects have 0 effect on RFs wind ..............it blows through everything

[Hab]

Originally Posted by Maj. Numbskully

Actually .........
hills, trees and objects have 0 effect on RFs wind ..............it blows through everything

No.... but in real life they do. They're just a mear suggestion as to what
you can change in order to simulate a true experience, if that's what your
looking for. Think that's what Abaser was asking.