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Shoutout to the old timer who told me to always check the wind at 300 feet, not ground level, before a big lift.
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lopez.jennifer2mo ago
Learned that the hard way when a gust tried to redecorate my hair with a tree branch.
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abby_chen2mo ago
That advice can get you in trouble on some days. The wind up high matters, but so does what it's doing right at the surface. A calm launch with a big shear at 300 is a recipe for a nasty surprise. Gotta read the whole column, not just pick one spot.
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cameron_chen11d ago
300 feet is a pretty specific number to throw out there. Shear can happen at way different altitudes depending on the day, I've seen it hit hard at 200 or even lower on a gusty afternoon. You're right that you gotta read the whole column, but saying 300 like it's some magic number might give someone the wrong idea. Really depends on the local setup more than any fixed height.
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