"Interesting" wind yesterday

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:OUZWd.42901$r55.23167@attbi_s52...
As many may know, we set records here in Iowa yesterday, hitting 73
degrees in Iowa City. It felt great!

The winds in the afternoon started to kick up pretty good, as a cold front
approached from the northwest. On our way back from brunch in Lone Rock,
WI (where we ran into this group's own Jim Burns, figuratively speaking.
We actually passed on the taxiway...) the wind was humming along at about
40 knots, right on the nose. It was smooth at 6500 feet, though, so Mary
and the kids were content to nap all the way home.

Iowa City AWOS was reporting 20 gusts to 26, but right down Rwy 25. As I
entered the pattern, however, it became very apparent that the winds at
pattern altitude were markedly different from the reported surface winds,
with a very strong southerly component that was pushing me in too close on
downwind.

As I turned from base to final, the unexpectedly strong wind had me bent
out of shape pretty good, but I managed to wrestle the runway back into
alignment without entering the coffin-corner of cross controlling.
Nevertheless, I was amazed to find that it was taking full left aileron
and right rudder to keep the runway in the windshield. This wind was
clearly NOT down the runway.

Asking Mary to get AWOS for me, the mechanical man was still reporting
winds at 240 -- perfect for Rwy 25. As I cursed the stupid AWOS
equipment -- which was clearly malfunctioning (or so I thought) -- I told
the kids to hang on for a wild ride.

They weren't disappointed. On short final, it felt as if someone had
kicked up on the left wing from below with all their might, and we banked
hard (toward our hotel!) away from the runway. We were low, and slow, and
things didn't look good, but just as quickly as you can say it, I was able
to right us, and the wind was suddenly and instantly right down the
runway.

Surprisingly, despite the wild approach, I continued my unexplained streak
of perfect landings, causing nary a squeak. Only difference was, this
time I was slightly out of breath, and I had a death-grip on the yoke...
;-)

Talk about wind shear. There was a nearly 90 degree difference in the
wind direction at MAYBE 500 feet (or less) off the ground. And both wind
"streams" were whistling right along, too.

Now today it's 35 degrees, and dropping like a stone -- with winds of well
over 30 knots.

Gotta love the Midwest in late winter!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"


In NV, I remember flying along in smooth air with 130kts of wind at 19,000'
and hearing the AWOS saying "wind calm". You knew you were probably in for
a beating somewhere during the descent. The area had frequent inversions at
night and the wind would go from high speed to dead calm in a few hundred
vertical feet. I also experienced (over UT) winds from the east at 120kts
at FL290 and from the west at 25kts at FL250. I reported this and it wasn't
long before all the eastbound airliners were down at FL250. I wouldn't have
thought it possible before seeing it for myself. I always thought that
winds just filled low pressure areas from high pressure areas but
apparently, it is more complicated.

Mike
MU-2