gust: one construct, many systems

In meteorology and wind engineering, a gust is a short-lived increase in wind speed above the mean, and gustiness is the fluctuating, turbulent part of the wind near the ground. Davenport's The spectrum of horizontal gustiness near the ground in high winds gave the statistical spectrum of these fluctuations that became the foundation for wind loading on structures. The referent is the turbulent variability of natural wind, described by gust spectra and gust factors, and it is the very same atmospheric phenomenon that an aircraft meets as a disturbance in flight.[1]

Unit

The fluctuating component of wind speed about the mean, as a spectrum

Recovery means

Not applicable

Measured by

Characterised by the gust spectrum, gust factor, and turbulence intensity from anemometer records

In aeronautics, a gust is the same atmospheric velocity fluctuation treated as an input that disturbs an aircraft, changing its angle of attack and imposing sudden aerodynamic loads the structure must withstand. Etkin and Reid's Dynamics of flight: Stability and control models the airframe's response to both discrete gusts and continuous atmospheric turbulence, the basis for ride quality and the gust-load cases in structural design. It is the identical construct as meteorological gustiness, viewed from the aircraft as a forcing that produces accelerations and loads, measured by the induced load factor and response spectra.[2]

Unit

The aerodynamic load factor and response an atmospheric gust induces on the aircraft

Recovery means

Not applicable

Measured by

Computed from discrete-gust and continuous-turbulence models as induced load factor and acceleration response