Gust Load Factors vary
depending on altitude, mass/weight,speed
and the slope of the CL-alpha curve.
With increasing altitude and increasing mass/weight the gust load factor will
decrease. Wing loading is the ratio of all-up weight/wing area, so like mass/weight
this will also result in a reduced gust load factor.
Conversely if speed is increased then the effect of an upgust
will be more severe and lead to an increased gust load factor. The slope of a Cl-alpha curve also has a direct bearing on the gust load
factor. For example a wing of high aspect ratio (straight wing) compared to a
wing of low aspect ratio (sweptback wing) will have a higher gradient. A small
increase in alpha will therefore have more effect on the straight wing than the
sweptback wing and will result in an increased gust load factor.