We got a question inquiring about our use of the wind meters... I think Kestral is trying to market more towards HG/PG Pilots. See below
Perhaps if you won one of the wind meters at a recent raffle, I'm sure they would love a picture of one in use by us, as they currently don't have any pictures that represent the pilot community.
Hi David,
Thanks again for contacting us to support your organization. I was wondering if you could provide a quote on how the Kestrel 1000 is used by the Hang gliding/Paragliding community. It would be fantastic to use in our literature. Thanks so much!
Monica
To start, I think that some of us 2s could benefit from the conversation... This is something that's talked about alot: the importance of understanding the conditions on launch when evaluating whether to fly. How long should you take readings and whats a good way to determine turbulence/gust factor vs good thermals that you should be launching into?
Or chime in if you're a wannabe that is good at soundbites. (see the question)
The windmeter is most useful for two cases: training new pilots how to judge windspeed, and eliminating ambiguity when conditions are borderline too strong. When the wind is blowing above 15 but not obviously too strong, there's a tendency to be hesitant at first, but as you stand there for a while you get used to it. Then you begin to convince yourself it's really not that bad and maybe you should fly. The wind meter snaps you back to reality.
Not in the mood right now to turn that into pithy quotes, but it may get the ball rolling.
You're standing around all day at Woodstock as the freight trains roll through on a cold day... and you are convinced it won't become flyable. Then you pull out the windmeter only to discover that it's blowing 10-12 with gust to 15. You climb the fire tower and find peak gust there are only 15. It's time to fly!!!!
ah yes, when you are used to the whisper of wind through dead branches which barely move in the late fall and winter, the roar and thrash of wind through leafy branches in spring causes nail biting. Wind meter helps you readjust.
David, here are some pics of me using my Kestral at The Pulpit. They are useful!
I have one for sale still in the package if someone needs one. Peace, Shawn.
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Last edited by hepcat1989 on Thu Oct 30, 2008 6:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The range of conditions in which it is both safe and fun to fly an aircraft that fits in a backpack (paraglider) or in a bag on top of your car (hang glider) is fairly narrow: too much wind and you’re flying backwards, too little wind and you drove two hours for a two minute flight. Considering what’s at stake, your safety and your precious time, do you want to trust your intuition on what the wind speed feels like on your face, or do you want to take out a windmeter and actually measure it? I prefer the latter and the Kestrel is by far the instrument of choice in the paragliding and hang gliding community.
Hang gliding and paragliding pilots are not just concerned about the maximum wind speed on a flying day, we also want to know how quickly the velocity picks up from trough to peak in a gust. A sudden wind speed decrease of just 10 miles per hour can put a hang glider or a paraglider into a stall and that can be dangerous close to the ground. For that reason, smart hang gliding and paragliding pilots use Kestrel windmeters to measure the gust duration before flying. With that information they can make intelligent decisions on whether it is safe to fly for pilots of different experience levels and how they should plan to adjust their airspeed for the conditions they can expect to experience.
Daniel Broxterman
Hang gliding and paragliding pilot
Washington, DC
Just to add my two cents, wind meters are great but winds on the ground are often lighter than the winds where we fly. If you are trying to see if winds are too strong, measurements of wind speed at six feet is useful info but learning to read wind on the trees or by watching birds is more useful. Next time you get to fly near a vulture, try observing your air speed compared with how far his wings are tucked. Next time on launch, watching vultures may give you a better read on winds aloft. I also go to the tower at woodstock a lot, but winds are sheltered there. The best reason for going there is to have a better view of birds and wind direction.
