Mike Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 My strip is 600mtrs long and 20mtrs wide and is always crosswind :>) with a hedge and trees both sides doesn't give me a lot of room for error Sorry should have been 20 mtrs wide its my big fingers :>) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 What a beautiful place to fly into and out of, Mike! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 Thanks Andy its a good airfield but can be wet and windy What a beautiful place to fly into and out of, Mike! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coppercity Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 My strip is 600mtrs long and 20mtrs wide and is always crosswind :>) with a hedge and trees both sides doesn't give me a lot of room for error Sorry should have been 20 mtrs wide its my big fingers :>) Gotta love landing on grass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 Thanks Andy its a good airfield but can be wet and windy So basically like the whole of the UK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opticsguy Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 I flew into EDC (Austin Exec) last spring and the ATIS said 200 at 8 kt. I was on base to 13 and the Dynon was saying 31 kt headwind. On final with 70 kt and 0 flaps I was crabbing about 30 degrees. "8 knots my ass", I was thinking. I've done some 20+ kt x-wind landings but this one was taking the cake. I couldn't straighten it out in a slip, even with the rudder floored. About 2 feet off the ground with the rudder floored I decided to cut power and see what happens. A decent wheelie, but my upwind wing was about 2 feet off the ground. When I got to the terminal, a lineman ran out and said "we thought you crashed". I asked him where the anemometer was. He pointed to a ravine a couple hundred yards away. It was so windy I could hardly stand, but not in the ditch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Kent Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 I flew into EDC (Austin Exec) last spring and the ATIS said 200 at 8 kt. I was on base to 13 and the Dynon was saying 31 kt headwind. On final with 70 kt and 0 flaps I was crabbing about 30 degrees. "8 knots my ass", I was thinking. I've done some 20+ kt x-wind landings but this one was taking the cake. I couldn't straighten it out in a slip, even with the rudder floored. About 2 feet off the ground with the rudder floored I decided to cut power and see what happens. A decent wheelie, but my upwind wing was about 2 feet off the ground. When I got to the terminal, a lineman ran out and said "we thought you crashed". I asked him where the anemometer was. He pointed to a ravine a couple hundred yards away. It was so windy I could hardly stand, but not in the ditch. I've flown over Austin Exec a couple of time but never landed there - good to know though thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opticsguy Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 a lot of small jets have run into crosswind issues there. There is a short strip more into the wind, which I've used on occasion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GravityKnight Posted October 17, 2013 Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 Managed to make several in a 12k gusting 16k direct 90 deg crosswind. Went in with 0 flaps some extra speed and just kept working it as I bled speed off. Works fine with a long runway but would have been more challenging on a short strip for sure. The other day I landed in a 26knot wind, 30 deg of the nose or so, and that actually wasn't bad. Crosswind was 13-15knots but the headwind kept ground speed down which is nice. I think I could handle closer to 20 knots x-wind if it's not gusting too badly, but with the bad gusts I'd probably go somewhere else! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Cesnalis Posted October 17, 2013 Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 Engineering specs? Impressive, but I hope your not doing 20 kt xwind in a CT. That is both a violation of placard, and exceeds engineering specs for the aircraft. Engineering specs? Making things up again? My POH is imprecise it lists 16 knots as max demonstrated crosswind. You have to consider the crosswind component to address the limit. Many of us have landed with crosswinds above 20kts but I don't think we have enough rudder to land with a 20kt crosswind component. It is the crosswind component that counts. Automated weather reporting can report big crosswinds that are not necessarily present when you land. A demonstrated crosswind is not the same thing as a limitation is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GravityKnight Posted October 17, 2013 Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 Impressive, but I hope your not doing 20 kt xwind in a CT. That is both a violation of placard, and exceeds engineering specs for the aircraft. I said I "think" I could handle closer to 20, since I was able to handle 16 and gusting 16+ type conditions. This is a discussion about pilot ability, not what the placard says... I think we all know the plane will physically "handle" more than what the POH states... how much more? who knows, there is no guarantees anymore, and obviously pilot ability is going to play the largest factor in these types of situations. If you have enough rudder authority, and can keep the upwind wing off the ground, the plane would be physically capable of landing. Doesn't mean it's a good idea. And taxiing in those conditions may very well ruin that winning feeling of doing battle with a heavy x-wind after you put a wing in the ground trying to get back to the hanger... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acensor Posted January 16, 2014 Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 Remember that you can land at an angle across the runway to substantially reduce the ..... FWIW I second that. Don't get fixated on the deeply drummed in normally correct and instructed idea that you should ALWAYS be trying lined up tracking the runway centerline and trying to touch down exactly at the center of the runway. With, for example, a 150 foot wide runway, with say a wind of 30 knots 40 degrees from the right , if I touch down diagonal on the extreme left side at an angle such that the wind is now only 20 degrees off my right not only am I dealing with significantly lower crosswind component but also now have a stronger headwind component and will be touching down real slow . Did the calcs on a couple of those scenarios and despite it looking visually like my diagonal landing could have me roll off the runway on the upwind side the gain in headwind works in my favor. Besides, assuming nothing really nasty of the runway on upwind side, rather risk rolling off there at low speed on the diagonal than flipping high speed on the conventional track. Decades ago in a nasty crosswind in a Cub (I was just an unofficial untrained copilot back then) with a low hours pilot, we just said screw the runway and landed into the wind on the grass. Rolled about 20 feet on touchdown . Likely saved at least bad damage by not fixating on standard landing practice. Recently, with blessings of the FBO and other aircraft present, used the ramp directly into the wind at 30 knots instead of the runway with 30 knots almost directly across. LSA's strengths include low touchdown speed (short landing roll). Weakness is not great crosswind capability. Diagonal landing avoids the weakness and takes advantage of the strength. My two cents. Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMonkey Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 I'd suggest to other traffic the wind was favoring the other runway and they should switch. If they refused I'd climb out and loiter over the field until the traffic cleared before landing with a 20kt tailwind. Many pilots have come to grief landing in tailwinds. Did you approach at your customary 62 knots indicated? If so your actual approach speed was 82 knots (95mph!), a lot faster than I would want to land a CT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runtoeat Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 Throw in some elevation at the airport and ground speed can be dangerously high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Cesnalis Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 We used to set up a beer cooler and lawn chairs at the numbers and hold up signs 1-10 to rate the landings on gusty days. Not only great fun but you can really learn something. Best case would be if you could set up a wind sock where you can see it from your office and listen to the automated weather. This teaches me 1st that the AWOS gives me a false picture much of the time as well as teaching me the nature of different winds. Velocity and gust factor are only part of the picture. I find the wind varies 360 degrees and either snaps or changes direction in a more laminar way. If it is snapping from a headwind to behind my wing I am quite cautious and use a lot of extra speed. I will concede that CTLSi operates in the Eastern Sierra and that downwind landings can be quite hard to avoid with only 1 runway and variable wind direction and other traffic often using the downwind runway. Here at Mammoth we now have a lot of commuter flights and these guys land and take-off downwind about 1/2 of the time even if traffic is generally flowing the other way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandpiper Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Numerous airports are one way in, one way out. And, they aren't necessarily in the mountains. Maybe it is a shorter strip, clear on one end but obstacles on the other. Maybe with a noticeable gradient. Every pilot should be familiar with and occasionally practice down wind take offs and landings in their plane, at a safe location, with supervision if they are not comfortable. Better to know how your plane will react while practicing at a safe location as opposed to having a nasty surprise during the real deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acensor Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 We used to set up a beer cooler and lawn chairs at the numbers and hold up signs 1-10 to rate the landings on gusty days. Not only great fun but you can really learn something...... Awwww. I thought I was the only person who thought of the hold up 1-10 placards trick.......and hadn't even thought of the beer and lawn chairs.... Bet I can now get more interest in that with your beer and lawn chairs LOD. ;-) Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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