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5 Answers

Sense of direction and recognizing where the wind is all the time

Asked by: 2433 views
Student Pilot

OK, I'm female and not as young as I used to be, so let's just say I've got two counts against me.  What I have going for me is that I'm not giving up. 

I've read numerous times that a pilot needs to know from which direction the wind is coming at all times and I agree wholeheartedly.  I need to know on all legs of the pattern how the wind is going to affect me (closer/further/faster/slower from the runway).  Any advice in "learning" a sense of direction and recognizing wind direction?  

I spend time armchair flying, working through different legs of the pattern with winds from different directions, but I get very nervous when flying and my brain shrink to the size of a pea.  I realize this isn't helping the situation.  This may be a keep practicing and keep flying and you'll get there situation.

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5 Answers



  1. JCBaum on Apr 29, 2018

    While you are armchair flying, visualize the aircraft flying along a straight stretch of road. The aircraft’s nose is pointing straight down the road. So, in this case, it is either calm, or you have a headwind/tailwind. Now make a 90 degree turn in your air chair airplane and fly down the next road. Are you still pointed straight? Or are you having to point the aircraft’s nose left or right of the road to maintain a steady track? A correction (or crab) will need to be made into any crosswind. The amount of crab will indicate the strength of the crosswind. Combine the information presented by your aircraft’s heading along each road and you will see from which direction and approximate velocity the wind is blowing. This works well enroute. In the traffic pattern, combine what you are seeing with what the windsock is showing. You can also look for other surface wind indications; smoke, flags, wind on lakes/ponds, small children being blown along (I live in Wyoming). Next, go with your instructor and fly along real roads. Use the technique and try to visualize what the wind is actually doing to you. It will come with practice.

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  2. Bea on Apr 29, 2018

    I appreciate your response and will work on your suggestion. Hold on to those wee ones. Sounds like plenty of opportunity for cross wind work in Wyoming!

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  3. KDS on Apr 29, 2018

    When I was learning to fly, my instructor told me the easiest way was to watch the direction the laundry was blowing on the clothes line. Unfortunately, nowadays you’re sure to run out of fuel before you see that.

    Generally speaking, when you’re flying cross-country, there is plenty of time to think about it. However, the time it’s really important and the time you don’t have minutes to spare figuring it out is when the engine quits. What I’ve found helpful is to use the bug on the heading indicator if it has one and isn’t being used for something else (like an autopilot). Set the bug on where the wind is coming from, then should the engine decide to call it a day you can at least be assured that you’re turning in the general direction of the wind.

    Also, in that regard, I had an instructor who insisted on writing the best glide speed on my kneeboard. As he correctly said, when the engine quits, your brain may turn to much and that note on your kneeboard is more likely to be accurate than your memory.

    In the pattern, as you mentioned in your question, can benefit from that “bug on the wind” technique too.

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  4. Bea on Apr 30, 2018

    KDS, thank you for your response. Oh how I wish the heading indicator in the plane I rent had a bug! If I ever buy a plane, it’s going to have one for sure. Thanks for the tip on writing down the best glide speed on my kneeboard. I will include that from now on.

    And I really need to put a clothes line up. Sheets dried on the clothes line are awesome.

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  5. KDS on Apr 30, 2018

    Maybe we could go into the business of selling “Solar Powered Clothes Dryers” to young folks.

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