| There are two ways to know if a crosswind is too | | | | wing go down and that the pilot press - sometimes |
| strong. One is to land and see if you skid off the side | | | | vigorously - on the downwind rudder pedal. Suddenly |
| of the runway or ground loop. The other is to cross | | | | the floor tilts and the seat sits at an angle. This is all |
| control the airplane before landing to see if you can | | | | very upsetting to the passengers. What to do? |
| align the airplane with the runway. I prefer the | | | | I recommend practicing entering the cross controlled |
| second technique. | | | | state just as you start to raise the nose to land. This |
| When you use your rudder to align the airplane with | | | | is the optimal technique and only requires slightly |
| the runway and the ailerons to move the airplane | | | | more skill than the procedure I describe a little further |
| laterally over the runway, you are cross controlling | | | | on. The wing loses lift when it is cross controlled, |
| the airplane. This is a technique not used often in | | | | raising the airplane's stall speed a little. If the airplane |
| flight, but a very useful one to master. | | | | cannot be cross controlled enough to get the airplane |
| Some pilots advocate flying wings level in a crosswind | | | | properly aligned, applying power immediately and |
| and kicking the rudder pedal vigorously the instant | | | | returning to a wings-level, coordinated flying condition |
| before touchdown to get the airplane pointed in the | | | | will lower the stall speed again and get the airplane |
| right direction. I have even seen this technique | | | | climbing. With the wheels now pointed off the side of |
| described in how-to-fly books. This seems to be one | | | | the runway, a botched go-around could be disastrous. |
| of those ideas that sound good but does not hold up. | | | | This technique minimizes the passengers' exposure to |
| With this technique, you just don't know if you can | | | | cross controlled flight. Nevertheless, it is better to |
| get the nose pointed down the runway until you land, | | | | have a disconcerted passenger than a bent airplane. |
| nor do you know if the crosswind will blow you off | | | | So if you are not the compete master of the cross |
| the runway before you're on the surface and under | | | | control at the last minute technique, cross control |
| control. So if your life insurance is paid up and you | | | | while you are still in your pre-landing glide. |
| don't have an aviation exclusion clause, you might try | | | | If you cross control when you are a hundred feet |
| the old kick-and-hope trick. | | | | above the surface, you have enough time to see if |
| There is an exception. If you are flying a nose wheel | | | | the airplane can be aligned with the runway before |
| equipped airplane with lift-killing spoilers - which means | | | | you have to start concentrating on the landing itself. |
| you are flying a heavy airplane, not a light plane - | | | | If not, then you have enough time to smoothly |
| then you can deploy the spoilers fully the instant you | | | | transition back to wings level and execute an |
| touch down and let the plane swivel toward the far | | | | un-hurried go-around. This technique is the easiest |
| end of the runway. I would refer you to that now | | | | and safest. But it is the most disconcerting to the |
| famous Lufthansa crosswind landing. Its URL is | | | | uninitiated. So let your passengers know before you |
| youtube.com/watch?v=z42fchrzhHY. As you can see, | | | | do it, that this is a quite necessary and safe |
| even that technique requires some rather precise | | | | procedure. |
| timing. I have seen some videos of the A380 and | | | | An important point here is that you should keep |
| some B474s successfully using this technique. They | | | | cross controlled all the way through the landing and |
| were flown by multi-thousand hour test pilots. I | | | | during the roll out. |
| cannot recommend the technique for someone flying | | | | A lot has been said and written over the years about |
| a light plane. | | | | crosswind landings. It all boils down to having your |
| Passengers find cross controlling disconcerting. All of | | | | wheels pointed in the same direction you are |
| us like the floor to be directly beneath us and the | | | | traveling before you touch down and knowing if you |
| seat to feel level. Cross controlling to align the wheels | | | | can while you have enough time, altitude and |
| with their direction of travel requires that the upwind | | | | airspeed to easily make a safe go-around. |