> (in my case I’m familiar with ODE).
As an alternate physics engine, Bullet Physics seems to be a lot more active than ODE ( http://bulletphysics.org )
Havok Physics is also free to use on Windows etc.
Even if you are adding your own "wind physics’, having the ability to let a third party physics engine handle the dynamics, and especially collisions, will be a big win as you add more and more features to your app.
Mal