Wind speed and taking off...
Dec 8, 2006, 8:04 am
#16
Join Date: Dec 2005
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Our book says operations are suspended when winds (sustained or gusts) exceed 50kts. Doesn't matter if the wind is right down the runway. For most airplanes, max crosswind components are around 30kts
Dec 8, 2006, 8:17 am
#17
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Cross-wind landings can be a real "trip"! But I'm sure all the AA pilots have plenty of training as well as experience doing this.
The Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas was one of the primary training spots for air craft carrier pilots, even back to WWII and the reason was, we have strong constant winds (we tie Chicago as the "windy city") and many times have cross winds. The saying goes "If you can learn to fly in Corpus Christi, you can fly, takeoff, and land anywhere in the world!"
I am a private pilot and yep, learned right here in Corpus Christi. Over 50% of my take-off and landings during training was in high crosswinds (purposely) for the obvious reason that if I had a plane here, I needed to know how to land/take the thing off here!
I actually enjoyed most of the cross-wind landings (read MOST)... you do have to crab into the wind, but then snap it out straight, if possible, at the last minute.
But believe me... if the wind is too strong, and/or cross wind too brutal, the pilot is going elsewhere to land. Pilots want to get on the ground in one piece too ya know!
Probably the scariest part to the passengers is during the crabbing process. Your mind just KNOWS that plane isn't lining up straight down the runway. But that is part of the process, so sit back and try to relax!
The Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas was one of the primary training spots for air craft carrier pilots, even back to WWII and the reason was, we have strong constant winds (we tie Chicago as the "windy city") and many times have cross winds. The saying goes "If you can learn to fly in Corpus Christi, you can fly, takeoff, and land anywhere in the world!"
I am a private pilot and yep, learned right here in Corpus Christi. Over 50% of my take-off and landings during training was in high crosswinds (purposely) for the obvious reason that if I had a plane here, I needed to know how to land/take the thing off here!
I actually enjoyed most of the cross-wind landings (read MOST)... you do have to crab into the wind, but then snap it out straight, if possible, at the last minute.
But believe me... if the wind is too strong, and/or cross wind too brutal, the pilot is going elsewhere to land. Pilots want to get on the ground in one piece too ya know!
Probably the scariest part to the passengers is during the crabbing process. Your mind just KNOWS that plane isn't lining up straight down the runway. But that is part of the process, so sit back and try to relax!
Dec 8, 2006, 8:33 am
#18
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 106
I second JDiver's comments on the difficulty of precisely predicting wind directions and speed. Once, on NW from DTW-AMS, we ended up landing WITH the wind (as could be seen by flags pointing in our direction). It was a rough landing. I asked the pilot on the way out. He said that they were prepared for a cross-wind and have the usual early arrival congestion. The wind switched to the same direction as the landing. Wow, that was fun! You can see why they like to land FACING the wind.
Dec 8, 2006, 8:53 am
#19
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Dec 8, 2006, 9:27 am
#20
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Dec 8, 2006, 10:00 am
#22
Moderator: American AAdvantage
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I've watched many a B-52 moving on the crab, with drag chutes deployed on landing to boot. Very weird looking, particularly from the perspective of the precision approach trailer or runwayside and it looks like the eight-engined monster is headed right at you . In the end, I think we'd much prefer the Mad Dog to the BUFF for our travels. 
. In the end, I think we'd much prefer the Mad Dog to the BUFF for our travels. Too bad commercial airliners can't be like B-52s... with landing gear that will "crab" so that last minute snap isn't necessary. Hmmm... I wonder how passengers would take going down the RUNWAY with the nose pointed off to one side or the other? Could be an interesting sight if you were seated on the side of the plane facing down the runway.
Dec 8, 2006, 11:27 am
#23
Join Date: Apr 2002
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it's also the transition from airspeed to groundspeed. say an airplane is going to land at an airspeed of 125 kts. if there's a 25 kt headwind, it's going to hit the ground at a groundspeed of 100 kts. if there's a 25 kt tailwind, it's going to hit the ground at a groundspeed of 150 kts. they're going to waste thousands of feet of runway just getting down to the 100 kts they'd be doing if they'd landed into the wind.... the ultimate goal is a groundspeed of zero.
Dec 8, 2006, 11:33 am
#24
Join Date: Dec 2005
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it's also the transition from airspeed to groundspeed. say an airplane is going to land at an airspeed of 125 kts. if there's a 25 kt headwind, it's going to hit the ground at a groundspeed of 100 kts. if there's a 25 kt tailwind, it's going to hit the ground at a groundspeed of 150 kts. they're going to waste thousands of feet of runway just getting down to the 100 kts they'd be doing if they'd landed into the wind.... the ultimate goal is a groundspeed of zero.
Dec 8, 2006, 1:24 pm
#27
Join Date: Jun 2000
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If you have Microsoft Flight Simulator, configure the 172 with full flaps and a 70 kt headwind. You can it fly "backwards".
Dec 8, 2006, 1:38 pm
#28
Suspended
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Dec 8, 2006, 4:22 pm
#29
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Dec 8, 2006, 4:38 pm
#30
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