Maybe this is routine...But not for me - pucker factor would be pretty high!

I was thinking of these kind of landings a day or two back, watching from afar, aircraft coming into CVG north Kentucky in constant west to east wind. Approach from the south. That must take some high skills and knowledge of the aircraft.

I'll be that guy, I guess. You can obviously do it that way, but my instructors and check-airmen would kick my ass if I did that in their presence.

I may not land perfectly down the runway, but I could do better than that. It doesn't look like he even tried to straighten out. I haven't landed a jet in 40 kts crosswind. My best is 37.

OK, I'm done, I'll keep my rant brief. [/killjoy]

Imagine being a passenger sitting in a window seat on the right side of the plane. Looking straight down the runway as the plane is supposedly making a landing. Barf bag time or just close the shade?

I did one of those once, the dreaded night raining ILS in gusting quartering tailwind approach in a Mooney.

After porpoising 3 times and having the tail come around my left shoulder so that I came to a stop facing the direction from whence I came, still on the runway, mind you, the tower asked if I needed assistance. I told them not to talk to me while I was saying my prayers.

That what it looks like though. When you break out and see the runway out your left side window, you know you are being tested.

That guy is a pro. I wasn’t! I should have gone missed and off to a better airport for landing, and there was one. Sometimes you get away with being dumb.

The thing is, there is so much mass moving forward, that the plane instinctively wants to "straighten" itself on touchdown. A friend of mine who is a Coast Guard pilot explained this to me, and this video is a perfect illustration of what he was talking about.

quote:

Originally posted by Otto Pilot:

I'll be that guy, I guess. You can obviously do it that way, but my instructors and check-airmen would kick my ass if I did that in their presence.

I was thinking the same thing. I watched a landing gear strut torn off a turbo Commander, landing like that.

quote:

Originally posted by Yellow Jacket:
Imagine being a passenger sitting in a window seat on the right side of the plane. Looking straight down the runway as the plane is supposedly making a landing. Barf bag time or just close the shade?

I was in a CRJ sitting at the back of the wing landing at EVV, I was able to align the straight wing with the lines on the runway as we came in. One of the smoothest landings I've ever been through, but my butt was puckered.

It probably wasn't 40knots, I know there were 45mph gusts rolling through about an hour before.

Looked perfect to me. Exactly the way I would have done it. Reminds me of "drifting" in an automobile.

That pilot knows his plane.

So what do you think his ground speed was?

quote:

Originally posted by Otto Pilot:
I'll be that guy, I guess. You can obviously do it that way, but my instructors and check-airmen would kick my ass if I did that in their presence.

I may not land perfectly down the runway, but I could do better than that. It doesn't look like he even tried to straighten out. I haven't landed a jet in 40 kts crosswind. My best is 37.

OK, I'm done, I'll keep my rant brief. [/killjoy]

I have to admit I watched it several times, looking for the crosswind gear. I’d guess if that was a dry runway it might not have worked out so well. I get that with big turbo fans under the wing a big gnarly side slip to keep the airplane lined up with the runway is a no go, but that is the first time I’ve seen someone without crosswind gear not kick it out before touchdown.

Any landing you walk away from.....

Stylish and sketchy.

quote:

Originally posted by Otto Pilot:
I'll be that guy, I guess. You can obviously do it that way, but my instructors and check-airmen would kick my ass if I did that in their presence.

I may not land perfectly down the runway, but I could do better than that. It doesn't look like he even tried to straighten out. I haven't landed a jet in 40 kts crosswind. My best is 37.

OK, I'm done, I'll keep my rant brief. [/killjoy]

Straightening it out, or transitioning side slip to forward slip, the kick-out method, can present problems with underslung engines on a swept wing; as little as five degrees bank can result in an engine or pod strike on the runway.

Boeing is currently promoting crabbed landings in strong crosswinds especially in certain types. In large aircraft, particularly in strong gusty crosswinds, aligning with the runway is a mass management issue that's not at all the same as landing a Cessna.

Landing crabbed into the wind isn't demanding or high on the skill-set; the angle of the airplane driving into the wind is offset by the wind, and in a strong crosswind on an instrument approach, it's wise to brief where to expect to see the runway when breaking out of the overcast or weather; with a crosswind it won't be in front of the cockpit, but offset one or two o'clock to the right or left.

Our guidance, recently circulated by the CP, is to perform a crabbed landing, rather than kicking it out to align, in a stiff crosswind, and that guidance came directly from Boeing.

Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope.

As a passenger, that would scare the absolute living daylights out of me.

It did look like his speed over ground was pretty slow when he did touch down though.

Sure seems like a lot of side stress on the nose gear.

quote:

Originally posted by Georgeair:
Bristol where?

I dunno. From the grey weather and green grass, I assumed Bristol, UK, just off the A38, but I’ve been wrong many times before...

quote:

Originally posted by sns3guppy:
Our guidance, recently circulated by the CP, is to perform a crabbed landing, rather than kicking it out to align, in a stiff crosswind, and that guidance came directly from Boeing.

Thanks guppy, I would not have guessed that on a/c not equipped with crosswind gear. I learn something new every day.