Crosswind landings...

ASpilot2be

ASpilot2be

Qbicle seat warmer
...nearly killed me today.:( I was up doing touch and goes with the instructor today, and the wind was calm. He jumps out and during the engine run up the wind picked. I do a normal crosswind takeoff(albeit not very good;)) and just in my loop in the pattern the wind picked up more. First landing goes OK, certainly not smooth or on the center line. The second landing I touch down and bounce. The wind caught me, and nearly threw me off the runway. I finally recovered and taxiied back and parked.

Any tips for crosswind landings? I am not very coordinated between hands and feet, so that makes it kind of hard at the moment.
 
ASpilot2be said:
Any tips for crosswind landings?
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1. Don't be afraid to step on that rudder hard enough to keep it lined up with and pointed down the centerline.

2. Steer the yoke into the wind so that you have that wing down to keep you on the centerline.

3. Touch down with the windward wheel first and then the leeward wheel second. Keep that wind correction in and hold that nose off.

4. Watch your airspeed and plan on using a bit more power than normal probably.

5. Keep practicing and bring that CFI along until you feel totally comfortable.

6. Know your limits when you are solo.
 
Yeah, and with the slow flight, add in a 500 fpm descent too instead of just always maintaining a certain altitude +/-100'.
 
I never figured out crosswind landings either. Relax, they will become easier as you do more of them. That's what my FOs keep telling me.:)
 
Timbuff10 said:
I forgot the best tip of all.

Pick another runway where the wind is lined up with it better. :)
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If able!

For the most part, the active is the active and you've pretty much got to land.

When the winds are favoring 31L and they're landing 13R, but you request 31L, well they may or may not grant the request.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I am going to go practice them more tomorrow.
And Tim, about the limits. I stepped out of my comfort zone too far on the last one, thus I stopped.
Timbuff10 said:
I forgot the best tip of all.

Pick another runway where the wind is lined up with it better. :)
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I would if they werent tearing it up:)
 
Doug Taylor said:
If able!

For the most part, the active is the active and you've pretty much got to land.

When the winds are favoring 31L and they're landing 13R, but you request 31L, well they may or may not grant the request.
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Not if there is an emergency, just land where you want then :) Well, unless you are an American 757 going into DFW with inop fuel gauges trying to get down asap.

I just mean, ideally, if you give it a shot on one runway and it is just too much to handle, do your go around and divert to another airport that is more favorable or tell tower you need to try runway 20 instead of 29.

I think there are two different philosophies on this in the GA world as compared to the 121 world.
 
"Delta lifeguard jet with the fuel emergency, standby... American 114, are you parking westside or eastside and which runway are you requesting?"
 
The hardest thing to get used to if you're doing the wing low method is handling the cross control situation. Your instructor has been screaming at you to maintain coordinated flight, but now you're going to deliberately uncoordinate your flight.

Throw in the need for a little more power and less flaps and it's going to take a little getting used to.
 
I had the same issues with crosswind landings and posted here for help several months ago. A lot of great advice was given. Consistently, I was told not to worry because it takes most people many hours, if not hundreds, to master the X-Wind landing. I was also told to practice them often. Since then, I have been practicing them every chance I get, always picking the unfavorable runway when my local airport is quiet. It has really helped. I am still no master by any means, but I am confident enough to try them on my own and have safely landed each so far.
 
I found it easier to simplify the hell out of it. Keep yourself over the runway using bank (ailerons) and keep yourself aligned with it using the rudder. When I started to over think it is when I would get in trouble "ok, wind is coming from the left, so I need ailerons into the wind, blahblahblah" Instead its "hmm, I'm drifting right a bit, need more bank, uh oh, the nose is swinging to the left, more right rudder". Just dont forget to continue the ailerons into the wind as you roll out, that'll help your directional control.
 
If the wind "caught you and nearly threw you off the runway" it has nothing to do with anything you did before touchdown. Keep the ailerons into the wind until you exit the runway. Remember fly the plane until it's in the chalks.
 
I think CapnJim (and maybe others) had the best way to visualize it. Your left hand is keeping you lined up with the runway and your feet are keeping the nose where straight.
 
Screaming_Emu said:
I found it easier to simplify the hell out of it. Keep yourself over the runway using bank (ailerons) and keep yourself aligned with it using the rudder. When I started to over think it is when I would get in trouble "ok, wind is coming from the left, so I need ailerons into the wind, blahblahblah" Instead its "hmm, I'm drifting right a bit, need more bank, uh oh, the nose is swinging to the left, more right rudder". Just dont forget to continue the ailerons into the wind as you roll out, that'll help your directional control.
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:yeahthat:

Exactly the way that I learned. Ailerons to stop the sideways drift, rudder to point the nose.
 
Does anyone do low passes over the runway without touching down? I thought this might be a good way to practice staying lined up with the runway in a X-wind for the length of the runway, but I wasn't sure if the tower would grant such a request. Guess I could go to an uncontrolled field and have onlookers assume I can't land the plane.
 
SteveC said:
:yeahthat:

Exactly the way that I learned. Ailerons to stop the sideways drift, rudder to point the nose.
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Steve, that is the best way to put I think. I always got confused when I was told to use ailerons to stay "lined" up, because that kind of makes you think you use them to keep the nose pointed at the runway. My instructor said exactly what you just typed finally and it clicked.

Does anyone do low passes over the runway without touching down? I thought this might be a good way to practice staying lined up with the runway in a X-wind for the length of the runway, but I wasn't sure if the tower would grant such a request. Guess I could go to an uncontrolled field and have onlookers assume I can't land the plane.
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One time there was a crosswind component of 18kts G 20 down one of the runways. I could have switched runways and gone for an almost all headwind, but this seemed like a good time to practice in NASTY weather. The max demonstrated Xwind for my plane is 15kts, so I had no plan to land, just to practice approaches in gusty conditions. I went around at about 50 feet each time, but it REALLY helped in less wind with real X-wind landings.
 
I was having a tough time getting down crosswind landings up until about 200TT.

I finally decided to buy CH Products' yoke and rudder pedals for Flight Simulator 2004. I read a few online articles about crosswind landing technique (this is a good one), and with those fresh in my mind, jumped into Flight Simulator 2004 for several hours and applied what I'd learned.

I was finally able to visualize what I was supposed to do, using the different camera options. I was able able to pause at any time, and didn't have to feeling overwhelmed by "reality." This method did wonders for my understanding of the theoreticals, as well as improving my eye-hand-foot coordination, and confidence in cross-controls.
 
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