What are the wind limits for the AH64?

[FalcoGer]

I know that rotor start max windspeed is 45 knots. But what is the maximum wind speed for operations? I couldn't find any such limits anywhere. Surely you can't fly into hurricanes and such limits exist, right?

[Raptor9]

There is no such thing as wind limits for any powered aircraft during flight. Once they leave the ground, they are operating in the air mass. Regardless of the direction and speed that air mass is moving relative to the surface, the aircraft is flying through it. What does affect aircraft is various forms of turbulence, and such limits are based on their gross weight, structural limits, and margins of control.

Any form of "wind limits" are only in regard to ground operations or takeoff/landing (such as crosswinds), because in these environments the aircraft movement and orientation is relative to the surface, not the air mass.

[runer]

Not entirely correct, you could easily exceed the Apache’s vne in a hurricane for example. Hovering would also be extremely dangerous in certain orientations with high enough winds. 

[Raptor9]

6 hours ago, runer said:

Not entirely correct, you could easily exceed the Apache’s vne in a hurricane for example. 

Vne is not a wind limitation, it is an airspeed limitation, based on the movement through the air mass.

6 hours ago, runer said:

Hovering would also be extremely dangerous in certain orientations with high enough winds. 

Hovering at zero airspeed would not be, because you are stationary within the air mass. The turbulence would be hazardous, not the airspeed.

Hovering at zero ground speed would not be a wind limitation either, because you would then be at an extremely high airspeed through the air mass.

If you tried to hover with the heading not aligned with the airspeed direction with zero ground speed, that would be sideways or backwards flight through the air mass. Again, these are not wind limitations, these are airspeed and turbulence limitations.

[runer]

Vaft is not the same as vne and hovering in certain orientations could easily push you over it. 

Vaft and Vne are not a wind limitation, but wind affects your true airspeed. You can’t tell me that there aren’t wind conditions that ground helos that aren’t related to takeoff. Not that any of this really matters in the context of dcs. 

[Raptor9]

2 hours ago, runer said:

You can’t tell me that there aren’t wind conditions that ground helos that aren’t related to takeoff.

I never said any such thing. I said the only wind limitations that exist are related to ground operations or when taking off and landing, in my very first reply in this thread.

The OP asked about wind limitations when flying, such as in a hurricane, to which I replied there is no such thing as wind limitations in flight. Wind limitations within an air mass is antithesis to powered flight since airfoils must operate in relative wind to generate lift. There are airspeed limits for sideways and rearwards flight, just as there is a Vne, but these are not wind limitations. The concept of wind limitations in powered flight through an air mass is non-sensical.

[admiki]

7 hours ago, runer said:

Vaft and Vne are not a wind limitation, but wind affects your true airspeed.

Wind can affect your groundspeed, but an aircraft does not know whether the air mass is moving or not, nor does it care. One thing that might affect you is your penetration speed due to turbulence caused by wind. The other is windshear, but that is momentary condition.

Edited October 25, 2023 by admiki