"Peter R." wrote in message
...
Last week during the climb-out, I encountered clear-air windsheer (as
opposed to thunderstorm-induced windsheer) at about 4,500 feet above the
ground.
The airspeed indicator dropped 15 knots while my groundspeed increased.
After a minute or so, the airspeed indicator returned to its previous
value.
It took you a full minute to recover 15 knots? That doesn't sound right.
Once I leveled off, I called flight service and reported it. However,
is this really report-worthy? The reason for my question is the
relatively higher altitude at which I encountered the windsheer.
Sure, it's report-worthy. Wind shear (please note spelling) at any altitude
is important to know about. Higher-altitude shear is not quite the safety
problem that low-level wind shear is, but it can still result in, at a
minimum, passenger discomfort or possibly even aircraft upset (imagine a
Commercial Pilot candidate practicing chandelles, climbing through 4500' at
just above stall speed, for example).
It might also wind up being useful information for the weather briefers in
terms of interpreting the forecast. I don't think the weather service
itself looks at PIREPs, but if they did, knowing about the wind shear would
be helpful to them too.
You did the right thing...there's no such thing as too many PIREPs.
Pete