Wind Storm Wind Gusts 35 MPH Wind Too Strong For a DH8(30passenger plane)?

Question

What are the wind limits for flying in a wind storm? Who says if a plane should or should not take off? Can the pilots avoid some of the turbulance and wind? What MPH in a wind storm is too dangerous for flying on a small plane?

Once I was on a Horizon Airplane in a wind storm of 50mph gusts and the plane dropped so many times. it also almost turned upside down.

I am flying tomorrow, in a snow and wind storm, and am worried the wind will do this again.

Answer 1

anything above 35-50 kts is no-no and the FAA or flight control for the airport does that stopping of flights. As for being able to avoid the winds, well that is different story, You need the winds to help maintain the airplane in the air, and it is very hard to avoid wind shears because you can't see them, it is wind(transparent)

Answer 2

I am not an expert on flying in wind storms. But, I think flying against the wind gusts at 35-50 mph, on a small plane is dangerous. It seems like the flight would be delayed or canceled.

Answer 3

What you experienced in your earlier flight is called turbulence, it is created by windshear, it is a draft of air that travels in a different direction than normal air..... In your case was downdraft, the air mass usually travels in a horizontal direction.
The airplane is flying into the wind(headwind) while landing or attempting to land, it is done so the wind acts as a brake to slow it down. the only time when wind and wind gusts are considered critical is if as (crosswind) or perpendicular to the airframe of the airplane.
The reason it is critical, is because the airplane rudder (vertical tail) has crosswind limits, if the wind gusts exceed those limits, rudder pressure is overcome and the airplane would be blown off the runway. Each airplane small or big has its own crosswind limitations and will never be exceeded by the pilots attempting to land if crosswinds are above the limits.

Answer 4

30% of all aviation accidents are due to the weather(Google reference). So high winds AND snow don't sound great. I would go with my gut. If it feels dangerous..., it probably is dangerous. I wouldn't fly if planes are iffy about taking off or flights start to get cancelled. Maybe you can travel another day when the weather forecast is better.
To answer the other question: Air Traffic Controllers in the airport's tower make the call on if planes take off or land at any airport facility. My Father was an Air Force combat pilot and he told me almost all aviation accidents are 'pilot error,' so keep that in mind. He had more than 11,000 hours flying in 3 wars.