In article ,
Judah wrote:

"Guy Elden Jr" wrote in news:1162142286.380093.150600
@f16g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

Today is without a doubt the windiest day we've seen up here in the
northeast in quite a few months... METARs all around NYC are reporting
anywhere from 15 - 25 kts, gusting anywhere from 30 - 40 kts. Some of
the spreads between standing winds and gusts are around 20 - 25 kts, so
a typical C-172 pilot would have to adjust approach speed by around 10
- 13 kts using the half gust factor method.

Me personally, today is a day I stay nice and safely on the ground. Yet
I've noticed a lot of PIREPs in the vicinity - C-172s, Mooneys, etc,
reporting low-level windshear, urgent pireps for moderate to severe
turbulence, and one guy even reported he whacked his head in some bumps
at 6000 feet:

PIREP 15:57Z 10/29/06
ABE UUA /OV FJC360010/TM 1557/FL060/TP M20P/TB SVR/RM HIT HEAD ON
CIELING

My question to you all: why would anyone in a spam can even attempt
flight on a day like this?

--
Guy


Depends on your reasons for flying... If I'm flying to see a customer, I
will deal with some turbulence as long as I know I won't have cross-wind
issues. If I hadn't flown in a couple of weeks and today was my only chance
to get up because of other life commitments (work, wife, kids, whatever) I
might still go... It's just wind ("potholes in the sky", I like to say).

Besides, the pirep doesn't say how tall the pilot is - I'm 5'11" and I bet
I would hit my head on the ceiling in moderate turbulence in a Mooney.

It also depends on where you are. Flat terrain is far more benign than
mountainous terrain. I recall a few years ago when, allegedly, three
airplanes were lost in the Sierra Foothills on a day that had high
winds. A C150 lost control due to turbulence and a Bonanza and a C210
came apart in flight.