BETA: Winds Aloft Interpolator

dan · #1 10-11-2005, 05:13 AM

I just finished a beta version of my new "great circle winds aloft interpolator." This will show you the winds aloft at various altitudes and locations along a specified route. The goal is to help you pick an optimal altitude for a cross-country flight.

I emphasize the word BETA. But please give it a shot...go to:

http://www.rvproject.com/wx/

...and click on "Winds" at the top. Enter your departure and destination airports, and click Go.

Let me know if you see any funky behavior.

)_( Dan
RV-7 N714D
http://www.rvproject.com

Capflyer · #2 10-11-2005, 05:52 AM

Excellent.....

Jamie · #3 10-11-2005, 06:04 AM

Ok Dan, this has to end now. It was funny at first. Now you're starting to make the rest of us look like slackers!

Seriously though...awesome job!

Brian130 · #4 10-11-2005, 07:07 AM

Very impressive. How bout a "0" on the "Number of Midpoints"?

Fallguy · #5 10-11-2005, 07:14 AM

That certainly holds the potential for saving gas and time. Thanks

osxuser · #6 10-11-2005, 09:46 AM

Ok, when does your bid go in for operating the AFSS?

Alex · #7 10-11-2005, 10:08 AM

Dan-

Great tool!

Why not crosswind component too? While you're at it, why not have the user enter an airspeed, then calculate the required heading to fly the ground course and the expected ground speed?

Kahuna · #8 10-11-2005, 10:50 AM

No No. Dont do anything more complicated.
THere are plenty of complicated free wind calculators with free flight planning on the web. I use fltplan.com

I like the simplicity so I can use it on my PDA while at the hanger ready for launch.
Kahuna

mlw450802 · #9 10-11-2005, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian130

Very impressive. How bout a "0" on the "Number of Midpoints"?

Brian,
I think he has just snapped a string between your end points and gives you winds aloft for the number of equally spaced points between those.
If you pick one point and nothing changes there, then nothing changes.
Picking zero points would give you winds aloft only at the start and at the end, which you get anyway no matter how many points you pick.
Unless I am interpreting what he has done incorrectly.

-Mike

az_gila · #10 10-11-2005, 09:12 PM

Dan... great stuff and very useful.

Gave interesting numbers for altitudes for a flight from Tucson to Riverside.

One idea...

How about a field in between Origin and Destination for OPTIONAL way points - could still be airports. I find I often can't fly in much of a straight line due to restricted areas, mountains, swamps, Class B's etc..... This would help with dog leg flights. You could then divide each leg into the number of mid-points selected.

gil in Tucson

PS the 'swamps' bit was a joke - living in AZ....