High altitude winds - Northern Colorado Rocketry

This topic has 33 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 4 months ago by SCOTT EVANS.

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May 24, 2011 at 8:47 pm #41277
Chris LaPanse
Anyone else notice the jetstream forecast for Mayhem?

http://beta.weather.com/maps/activity/aviation/saturdayusjetstream_large.html?clip=undefined&region=undefined&collection=localwxforecast&presname=undefined

(Granted, this only matters for those of us planning high altitude flights, but it looks like ~80 knot winds at 28k AGL for Saturday)
May 24, 2011 at 9:00 pm #54368
SCOTT EVANS
Get a new set of Sneakers!
May 25, 2011 at 5:48 am #54369
Christopher Dreher
This is my preferred website for winds aloft, and what I use for flight planning.

http://aviationweather.gov/adds/winds/

Just put in the date and altitude (flight levels for cjl’s N5800)… 😯
As i write, you can only get a forecast out to Saturday 12:00 UTC, (6:00 local) but it will keep getting better as the launch approaches.
May 25, 2011 at 6:17 am #54370
Chris LaPanse
Yep – I’ve been using both that site and weather.com, and they both seem to agree that on Saturday, we’ll be on the edge of the jet stream. Oh well – as long as I don’t dump the main at apogee, I should be OK…

(I’ve been mainly looking at FL240-360, since FL360 is just a hair below my expected apogee)

On a side note, are you going to be there at Mayhem?
May 25, 2011 at 7:12 am #54371
Chad
GFS model today shows tornado potential for Monday in NE Colorado! Still too far out to plan for at this point, but keep an eye out.
May 25, 2011 at 3:04 pm #54372
Christopher Dreher
Yep – I’ve been using both that site and weather.com, and they both seem to agree that on Saturday, we’ll be on the edge of the jet stream. Oh well – as long as I don’t dump the main at apogee, I should be OK…

(I’ve been mainly looking at FL240-360, since FL360 is just a hair below my expected apogee)

On a side note, are you going to be there at Mayhem?

Unfortunately not… I’m really going to try to get to the July 10-11 launch. My Intimidator 5 still needs its maden flight
May 25, 2011 at 11:03 pm #54373
John A. Wilke
Participant
80 knots is not bad (seriously). I’d forego the drogue chute, just breaking in half… which is how I always do it anyway.

We need to stay off the private property this year…
May 26, 2011 at 2:12 am #54374
Warren B. Musselman
Moderator
I want to reiterate what John has said. Jet stream or no, we must make every effort to keep our birds within the waiver cylinder (3m radius w/high alt windows) and to absolutely not end up on private land. IF your bird does – you MUST ask permission AND receive it before you go onto private land to look. Now that we have a real land use permit from USFS, complaints could well lose us our launch site – particularly after our little fire in 09. We have been told we have no more freebies – another major fire or significant complaints from adjoining landowners and we’re history.
May 26, 2011 at 2:13 am #54375
Jeffrey Joe Hinton
Moderator
Sorry, can’t manipulate the Jet Stream. Done everything I can to keep it moist and available for flights. Upper reaches are beyond my control.

It’s a 5 nautical mile radius but that crosses property lines. Waiver protection only goes so far. Keep it close on the down and all’s good.
May 26, 2011 at 2:50 am #54376
SCOTT EVANS
80 knots is not bad (seriously). I’d forego the drogue chute, just breaking in half… which is how I always do it anyway.

We need to stay off the private property this year…

Thats the way I like it.
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