Crosswind rental limits?

A relative is working on a PPL using a Diamond DA20. The FBO has a
policy of no student solos with more than 5 knots crosswind component.
Do other FBOs do this? As a result he is having trouble scheduling his
solo cross countries.

"nrp" wrote in message
ps.com...
A relative is working on a PPL using a Diamond DA20. The FBO has a
policy of no student solos with more than 5 knots crosswind component.
Do other FBOs do this? As a result he is having trouble scheduling his
solo cross countries.

A limit of 5 knots might be unusual, but the general idea of imposing limits
of that sort on students isn't. FBOs and instructors both do regularly
place restrictions on their students, especially with respect to weather
conditions.

In my experience though, a 5 knot limit is a bit on the low side. Perhaps
the FBO would be willing to up the limit a bit (even getting it up to 7 or 8
knots would put it more in line with what I've seen at some other FBOs) if
the student were to spend some extra time on crosswind practice with his
instructor. If the weather conditions are such that a 5 knot limit is
causing problems flying solo XC flights (I assume you mean "flying", and not
"scheduling"...weather shouldn't affect scheduling, unless the student is
waiting until an hour or so before the flight to schedule ), then it
should not be hard for the student and instructor to go out and find some
good crosswinds to practice in.

Of course, there is also the possibility of just being patient and trying to
work around the existing limit. This could mean keeping one's schedule
open, so that when good conditions show up the student is ready to fly. Or
it could be adjusting the XC plan so that the intended airports of landing
have prevailing winds that are more commonly straight (or at least
straighter) down the runway, so that the crosswind component is minimized.

Pete

In article om,
"nrp" wrote:

A relative is working on a PPL using a Diamond DA20. The FBO has a
policy of no student solos with more than 5 knots crosswind component.
Do other FBOs do this? As a result he is having trouble scheduling his
solo cross countries.

A college buddy of mine might not have had a fatal solo if the FBO had, and
enforced, a crosswind limit.

--
Bob Noel
Looking for a sig the
lawyers will hate

Nrp,

The FBO has a
policy of no student solos with more than 5 knots crosswind component.
Do other FBOs do this? As a result he is having trouble scheduling his
solo cross countries.


5 knots is low, the tpye of limit not. How is the limit determined? By
forecast? Seems to me there's a ton of ways to fudge around it.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

"Bob Noel" wrote in message
...
A college buddy of mine might not have had a fatal solo if the FBO had,
and
enforced, a crosswind limit.

Did the instructor's solo endorsement impose such a limit?

--Gary

nrp wrote:
A relative is working on a PPL using a Diamond DA20. The FBO has a
policy of no student solos with more than 5 knots crosswind component.
Do other FBOs do this?

Typically, your instructor sets crosswind limits. The student will
usually start out @ 5, and the instructor should gradually increase the
limit as the student nears the check ride.

I trained at a single runway field that almost always had crosswinds.
My original solo limit was 5 knots, it reached 10 for cross-countries,
then 15, then I took my ride. The airplanes I fly have typical max.
demonstrated crosswind components of 17-18 knots.

The instructor will typically set endorsed limits even if the student
owns the plane, as the instructor is also on the hook for student accidents.

nrp wrote:
A relative is working on a PPL using a Diamond DA20. The FBO has a
policy of no student solos with more than 5 knots crosswind component.
Do other FBOs do this? As a result he is having trouble scheduling his
solo cross countries.

We had a limit of 20 knots surface wind and 10 knots crosswind component,
at both origin and destination. That seemed reasonable to me.

.... Alan

--
Alan Gerber
PP-ASEL
gerber AT panix DOT com

10 seems more common, do they have insurance issues?

nrp wrote:
A relative is working on a PPL using a Diamond DA20. The FBO has a
policy of no student solos with more than 5 knots crosswind component.
Do other FBOs do this? As a result he is having trouble scheduling his
solo cross countries.

On Nov 6, 9:21 am, The Visitor
wrote:
10 seems more common, do they have insurance issues?

I understand it is an insurance issue. I agree it is very restrictive.
Is the Diamond extra sensitive to crosswinds?

nrp

A silly policy, better to be sure the routes allowed for
students have good alternates and airports within close
proximity with runways on different headings.

The CFI should be allowed to do his job.

Many FBOs are just money-men and know nothing about
airplanes or pilots.



"nrp" wrote in message
ps.com...
|A relative is working on a PPL using a Diamond DA20. The
FBO has a
| policy of no student solos with more than 5 knots
crosswind component.
| Do other FBOs do this? As a result he is having trouble
scheduling his
| solo cross countries.
|