My instructor left town for the week and encouraged me to keep flying while he was gone. Well, I had the plan scheduled for 5:30 tonight but when I went out the wind was straight out of the East and gusting to 15 knots. My limitations are for only 10 knot crosswind landings. So I checked the forcast and it showed the winds should be letting up soon.

At 7:00 pm I went back out and the winds were less but the windsock was still showing a wind out of the east with the 'sock half extended. I watched it a while and thought "It's marginal but I should be OK." With that I went ahead and did a preflight and prepared to go. One last check of the 'sock, still showed the crosswind. So I fired her'up and taxied out.

The take off was ok but as soon as she was airborne it weather vaned into the wind about 10-15 degrees. Hmmmm, maybe this is more than I want.

Well, I went off and practiced some stalls. The haze was very thick, resulting in visabilty to the west of only 5 miles. This was not good with the low sun and I felt that other planes may not be able to see me as well as I would like. So I called it a day and went back to the airport.

Again the haze was very thick and made spotting the runway difficult. Made the pattern and set her down smoothly with some minor challenges from the wind. Thought that wasn't so bad so I tried one more.

On take off the wind gusted more and shoved the plane around a bit. Now I'm thinking this IS the last one. Made final and the wind did not cooperate at all on this one. Got her down with only a few more chirps than usual, left of center but down and went and put it up.

What I learned? A lot. The wind always wins. If you have doubts, then call it off. I think I would've done better with the wind but the setting sun and the horrible haze were bothering me enough that there were just too many things going on that were not helping me at all.

The entire flight lasted only half an hour.

 

 

Dan,
I'm no pilot but I was once on a flight in a two-engine prop-job to Wichita Falls, TX that the pilot was attempting a landing while there were tornadoes in the area! Not at the airport, but around.

The wind was incredible! He must have tried it about three times before he finally got it down.

I WAS TERRIFIED to say the least. I was white knucles into the armrest. However there were two old ladies across the aisle from me playing GO FISH! Go figure.

No, thanks. I'll pre-flight her with you but you can keep the flying!lol.

Sounds like you did a fine job! Congrats!

Chuck

 

Pity it wasn't a B-52.

The landing gear can be rotated from the center line to compensate for the aircrafts actual heading.

(take a look at boeing.com)

 

Let's see... landing speed of a Cessna 172 with full flaps is less than 50 mph.

A B 52 will land at nearly the Cessna's max speed. :P

The Cessna has a wingspan less than 50 feet.

The wingspan on the B-52 is nearly long enough for the 172 to take off from. A little bit short but in the right conditions - possible.

No :-X23 , I just don't feel ready to fly a B-52. Although I appreciate the vote of confidence.

The pilot that went around 3 times was good. I know that you can get fixed on making the landing but if you can say "Hell No" and apply power to go around. You stand a better chance of talking about it tommorrow.

I had to do one go around today. Really ticked me off when the cross wind caught it and shoved it over to the right. But, it wasn't right. So, apply power, turn off carb heat and slowly raise flaps.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 09-Aug-02 AT 07:53 PM (EST)] i love crosswind landings. its all about the challenge. ive done my share of "crabbin' till the numbers", bouncing off the runway, fire-wallin' the the go lever and going around for another try!

i had a REALLY nasty crosswind experiance on a USair 737-200 a few years ago.....the kind where everybody on the plane is so glad to still be there, they clap when the aircraft comes to a "full stop" and thank the pilots(through the closed cockpit door) as they exit!

 

I used to own a Cessna 170 with cross wind landing gear. You would make the approach with wings level, nose into the wind, touch down crooked and roll out crooked, then align the gear and it would pop into detents and look normal. It was really wierd until you made a few landings.

I landed at an airpot in S. Carolina onece and pulled up to the gas pump, the wheels cocked to the side. This 'ole guy with tobacco juice dripping off his chin looked at the wheels and said "Your tars are broke, ain't they"? Got a funny from that one.

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'94 E-150 Conversion Van 4.9 / C-6 -- '89 Mustang LX 5.0

 

On my first solo cross wind landing I touched down with the left wheel, got it pointed in the right direction, applied power and took off for another. My instructor, who was watching, said that the right wheel never touched the runway. That was the only time I was ever scared in an airplane.
Dono

 

I did my crosswinds fine, but the D.E. was going to demonstrate a little bit, on my checkride, and damn near killed us.
The only bad part about crosswinds that I ever felt bad or scared of was getting the Tail into the wind and getting flipped.
After awhile crosswinds are no more difficult than those flat dull no-wind balmy night landings.

Keep flying...I told my wife that if we won the Lotto some morning, I'd have a C-172 by that afternoon.

 

"I used to own a Cessna 170 with cross wind landing gear."

Huh. I didn't know they had that for light planes.
But it sorta figures Cessna would have done it.

I can't decide whether Cessna or Piper is the FORD TRUCK of airplanes...

 

I learned to fly out of 20GA - Stockmar in Villa Rica, GA. One of the goofiest runways I have ever been on. Always had 10 to 25 knot crosswinds, 150 foot pine trees, streets about 100 feet from the numbers when you come in on 10. I would practice touch/goes there, then go over to Charlie Brown and bounce my tail off. You get used to those small town runways, then go somewhere large enough and flat enough for Airforce One to land - and screw it up.

Just always try to remember that confirmation to the tower is "Roger" - not "10-4".
CFI got a pretty good laugh out of that...


About the worst scare I have had was doing touch/go's when the oil cap came off in a Cessna 172. The guys on the ground only had a handheld and it was breaking up - "...David...land...cowling..."
Since the mechanic there was a 3 tool guy (small hmmer, large hammer, sledge hammer), I just knew the plane was coming apart. With a half runway landing and high heart rate, found out there was only 1 quart left in the engine before I really had a bad day... :-X23

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 13-Aug-02 AT 08:03 PM (EST)]Ultramagdan,

What have you learned???? Pilots learn through experience and the good ones don't get killed by it. I guarantee that one of these days you will be out flying and the crosswind will exceed the demonstrated crosswind component for the airplane. You may or may not know it, but you'll give it a shot. Maybe you will land or maybe you will go somewhere else to land, but you will learn your absolute limits in that aircraft. Crosswind is an interesting thing because aircraft manufacturers list a maximum demonstrated xwind component. The "demonstrated" means absolutely nothing, it isn't a limitation of the aircraft. My aircrafts demonstrated crosswind is 30kts, but we will attempt more when it is required. Sometimes it might take a try or two or even three, but we don't push it until it's just right. When that rudder hits its stop there's still assymetrical thrust available! Giddyup, yeeha! Your experiences mean you are progressing and becoming a better pilot. You are doing the best thing by second guessing yourself, fly a little scared-fly safe! That go-around is always there to save your butt. Don't be afraid to use it, I know I have.

Out of curiosity, do you receive Flight Training magazine? The last issue discussed go-arounds and wrote about airline pilots reciting the procedure outloud if anything was weird with the approach. It couldn't be closer to the truth. If things are tight, or not standard on approach I start reciting the procedure. FP Set max power flaps 9. NFP Pos rate. FP gear up etc...