Your Personal Crosswind Max.

kthompson2k

kthompson2k

Pre-takeoff checklist
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KT
I have been curious of what others thought on this subject?

What is your personal maximum crosswind that you are willing to make an attempt to land in. Looking for two answers direct/partial.

I know I have landed in xwinds as large as 30 knots but I had an instructor on board, solo the highest I remember is 20 gusting to 30.

Thanks,
KT
 
30 knots crosswind component? or a 30 knot wind that had a crosswind component?

Id take a 172 out in 15 kt crosswind component conditions. problem around here is the only time you get that is when the wind is something like 20G30 and thats no fun anyway.
 
I landed my Citabria with a direct crosswind component of 30 knots once. Will not do that again. In my Lance, a 20 knot crosswind component was easy. In my Pitts, well, I don't try that kind of stuff.
 
I did a 32 knot in a 172, direct crosswind. I would not do that again unless I had to. But 20-22 knots of direct crosswind is doable.
 
Well, I don't have all that much experience, but a PA28-161 in 15kt direct is as much as I've ever tried. Did it without too much trouble, but it's been awhile.
 
Well I landed in a 12 knot x/wind on my solo long x/c. I was rather nervous about that, but I did pretty well.
 
I don't know what my limit as far as taking off would be. It'd have to be a hell of a lot.

As far as landing a limit is just silly. You can set a limit but for all you know that limit might be too high and force you into a situation you don't want. Or it might be way low and you don't even know. How do you know when you have too much crosswind?

If you run out of rudder to keep the nose straight there is too much wind. Go to another airport. If that's not an option take a taxiway aligned with the wind better.
 
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jangell said:
If you run out of rudder to keep the nose straight there is too much wind. Go to another airport. If that's not an option take a taxiway aligned with the wind better.
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Yeah, but when it's gusty, all bets are off. When you're hanging on the ragged edge, a gust at the wrong time will cause you grief. On the other hand, you just might get a lull at the critical moment that allows you to slide on in.
 
I've landed with enough of a crosswind that I had no more rudder authority, and had to slip AND crab it in. It was a steady wind, so it wasn't that big of a deal.......the second time I came in. :)
 
I don't have a firm limit, but I'd say that for me the gust factor is more important than the mere crosswind.
 
24G40 direct crosswind in my old 172. Not something I would want to repeat. 25 knots is not a big issue with either the 172 or a 182. Not fun, but not impossible either.
 
steady 25kt direct in a 177B, 20ktG30 quartering left x-wind in a 182 have been my max so far. Airports only had one runway. The 182 took two tries.

I've watched 172's land at Norman, OK with higher x-winds.
 
I guess I'm just a wuss, but last weekend was my new personal best for xwind. 70 degrees 10G20, which makes it 9G19 xwind component. But, that landing went pretty well, so I'd try more next time.

What would I attempt? I'd attempt about anything < 25 now, just be ready to go around on short final if I didn't like what I see.
 
Bill Jennings said:
I guess I'm just a wuss, but last weekend was my new personal best for xwind. 70 degrees 10G20, which makes it 9G19 xwind component. But, that landing went pretty well, so I'd try more next time.

What would I attempt? I'd attempt about anything < 25 now, just be ready to go around on short final if I didn't like what I see.
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Being a wuss is fine. Saves bent birds. FWIW I didn't up my X-wind limits until I had over 500 hours under my belt.
 
Bill Jennings said:
What would I attempt? I'd attempt about anything < 25 now, just be ready to go around on short final if I didn't like what I see.
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I'd attempt quite a lot. As long as there is a nearby airport with a wind alighned runway that I can go to if needed. I was working on 20G30 direct crosswind one day... and never made it to an actual touchdown. A few attempts and it was back to the home airport with no x-wind component.

Missa
 
25G31, varying 30-more degrees off the runway in a 172. While my CFII friend in the right seat flew an ILS under the hood, I was in the left seat looking over the right hand side of the cowl at the runway.

It was a challenge, but I got it down OK the first time and I'd do it again. Looks like 17G26 for tomorrow morning's departure.
 
NC Pilot said:
Being a wuss is fine. Saves bent birds. FWIW I didn't up my X-wind limits until I had over 500 hours under my belt.
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I tried a similar landing right after PPL, maybe 80hrs, and had to abort and go to a different airport. Right after that, my aerobatic CFI told me in his experience most pilots don't really start to put together consistantly good xwind landings until 250hrs or so.

Interestingly, I'm knocking on 250 right now.
 
I don't have a set limit per se. It depends how much winds I've been playing in recently, and the spread of the gust factor with respect to a direct cross. It seems like gusty winds can be quite variable in direction, and if the report says a direct cross, I get goosy as I hate those gusts that sneak up on my tail.

So, if I haven't been playing in winds recently, I'm pretty much of a wuss. But if I'm feeling strong, I'll go outside of my comfort zone and give it a try knowing that if I don't like what I see, I won't land, and of course I didn't take off without having other options.

Kaye
 
Depends what I'm flying, but in my Tiger, I know from experience that a direct 45 knot crosswind is too much, although 35 knots is well within my skill, if not comfort, range. But that's a meaningless number to anyone but me -- the only one that counts is what you are comfortable with, and until you have a thousand hours or so, don't try to expand the envelope without an instructor already comfortable with that larger envelope in the right seat.
 
I personally feel safe flying an approach to a runway in high winds with the idea I won't make the absolute decision to touch down until...I touch down...planning the go-around if the plane or myself can't deal with the wind. This isn't a good idea if the turbulence is such that you might drop fifteen feet from shear, as when you are only ten feet above the runway. But absent that, it is ok. For me. I don't recommend anything in particular to anyone else, though I would not have done this when I had fifty hours. This is one of those operations that will depend on how well you know the airplane, your own experience, and so on.

If I have someone with me, and the landing will likely require me to touch down on one main, I have learned to very casually mention, and very briefly, as if it's no big deal, to the passenger that we will be doing so. Once, coming in with my wife [non-pilot], I told her this when I was landing a Baron in 48 knts, don't recall the angle but probably 35 or 40 degrees, maybe more. After we drove away toward home, she said that since I warned her it was a non-event for her. [I'm sure it helped that the landing was smooth and directional control was solid.]
 
Thanks Guys,
I was just curious, I have managed a lot of x wind landings and wanted to see what others thought.
the gusts/shear bothers me more than the straight line winds.
 
Crosswind? What's that? Can't you just turn into the wind and land? Oh yeah, you guys can't hover!

Don't need no stinkin' runway!!

:goofy:
 
ron - 35 knots direct!? Thats a lot. Do the tigers have really big rudders? or do the higher approach speeds allow you more rudder effectiveness? with castering nosewheels (right?) i suspect it took a lot of braking on the ground?
 
tonycondon said:
ron - 35 knots direct!? Thats a lot. Do the tigers have really big rudders?
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No.

or do the higher approach speeds allow you more rudder effectiveness?
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Approach speeds aren't significantly higher than other comparable types. Compare the Tiger's 69 knots to the Piper Archer or the Cheetah's 65 knots to the Cessna 172 -- no big difference.

with castering nosewheels (right?)
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Now that does help -- you can hold the opposite rudder input even when the nosewheel is touching down, which will give you a really interesting ride in a plane with a steerable nosewheel.

i suspect it took a lot of braking on the ground?
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That is a bit of an issue, as the plane does weather-vane quite a bit.

However, the big factors are the powerful ailerons and big dihedral, which allow a lot of bank angle on touchdown with precision control but without risking a wingtip.
 
interesting ron, you'll have to show me how cool it is at gastons ;)
 
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