HI there, I have a flight this saturday March 22 to Denver and this is the weather they are forecasting:

High of 48 degrees
NNW wind at 14 MPH
Partly Cloudy 20% precip

I was just curious if a pilot or someone who flies a lot can tell me if this means it is going be be fairly bumpy coming into Denver? I know it's possible because of the mountains but with this weather added, especially that wind, what can I expect. You predictions or guesses are greatly appreciated.

Daniel

Never flown into Denver, but I've flown plenty into mountain airports during windy weather. You will have a bumpy ride for sure. Are you flying the plane or is this an airline flight?

If you're the pilot, try to keep your speed a bit higher than a normal approach to counteract the upsy-downsy a bit. (That's a technical term meaning upsy-downsy) Don't try to fight the buffeting. Just like in a car, just ride over it.

If it's an airline flight, take solace in the fact that the pilot is a pro and will be the one with the soiled trousers.

What do you mean? Wouldn't that get me above or below the Glideslope? Could you explain to me on how to fly an approach with turbulence or shear?

Thanks Glenn!

Cheers

Hi there,I'm not the pilot. I'll be flying Frontier Airlines. Thanks for the heads up. I figured it'd be bumpy. I'll just listen to my MP3 player and hope for the best.

I loved that answer Glenn. I am flying on the 5th of April to Portugal and will be keeping a close eye on the weather at Prestwick and Faro although to be fair it is usually quite a smooth flight from Prestwick. Glasgow does tend to be a bit bumpier.

It's all relative. Corrections are sometimes needed and a good thing. Over-corrections are unnecessary. Over-corrections to the point of divergence can be downright dangerous. Avoid the last two and you should do OK.

(And what are you doing flying in windshear?)

OK, I got the other part of the info. Thanks...

And about the question...is not that I intentionally fly in windshears, but sometimes in the afternoon at my home airport when it is really windy and because of the topography, sometimes there are some windshears on short final. Wind comes from several different directions and converge in one point, which, as mentioned, is on the short final. They're not so hard, though. lol

Mr. Ranger, the Master Baiter, taught us...


Exactly what I meant to say. (hehehe...) I've been with guys who pull it up hard everytime they hit a small dip, or push it down everytime they hit a little bump. They are constantly pushing and yankin' and crankin' the yoke.

I prefer to watch at least a ten second overall trend when in turbulence, sometimes it's a five second clock. If it's still there after ten seconds, correct it. This is "In General" and other conditions may require alternate actions.

I know you've already been on your flight but I have an idea.

If you're really curious about potential turbulence, before you leave to go to the airport... go to an aviation weather website and look at the current airmets. Look up Pireps as well... usually turbulence is a result of a steep wind gradient. If you know how to read low-level and mid-level prognostic charts you can also find turbulence on those. High speed winds (usually above 30 knots) in mountainous areas will usually lead to low level turbulence because the wind will have enough speed to hit the mountain, travel up it and around it... then it will oscillate up and down like waves... sometimes these waves will crest and create eddies, which in turn create the turbulence you will feel.

Hope that helps.