Dealing with unfavourable GUSTY CROSSWINDS in a SMALL aircraft
Vložit
- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- As pilots of light aircraft, it seems we’re always battling the elements and when I see those really popular videos on CZcams showing airliners crabbing against strong crosswinds or being bounced around by gusty turbulence on final it makes me laugh because the pilots always get lorded for their skills, but for us, this is all pretty standard affair.
Join me today as we take a look at crosswind and bumpy approach techniques in a little aircraft.
If you are interested in the gear I used to film this video please follow the Amazon Affiliate links below, (if you do end up buying I get a teeny tiny bit of commission from Amazon which I can use to make the channel better and it costs you no more so I really appreciate it if you do use my links) thank you:
My iPhone mount for SkyDemon: amzn.to/39PddG8
My main GoPro Camera: amzn.to/2XWLvVw
My main GoPro Camera Media Mod: amzn.to/3F2umuj
My second GoPro Camera: amzn.to/3F2umuj
My little DJI Osmo handheld Camera: amzn.to/3kxIZ0e
My 360 Camera: amzn.to/3CN80v8
My stills camera: amzn.to/3ul9gCF
My name is Terry Kent and I am a General Aviation PPL private pilot operating out of North Weald EGSX about 12 miles to the north east of London in the UK. Short Field is my channel focused on the lighter side of General Aviation including flight and airfield reviews, equipment unboxing and review plus all things private pilot related. I use various cameras to record my videos including GoPro and Insta 360 and stills and edit them in Adobe Premiere Pro, I am an animator as well and often use animations to describe situations more clearly I use Blender and Adobe After Effects for these. I always attempt to post my videos in the highest possible quality, normally 4k.
I fly a 2011 Pipersport two seat single engine aircraft that is also known as the PS28 or SportCruiser in the USA (America) it is know under the FAA as an LSA or Light Sport Aircraft and can be flown on a very basic license. In the UK it is a Part 21 airplane which requires a full licence but it's generally cheap to run, affordable maintenance and great value for money. It cruises at 100 to 105 knots and has superb short take off and landing or STOL capabilities. I visit farm strips, back country and short airfields, some of them dangerous and I try not to crash :-), as well as international airports and try to learn something new every time I fly.
I fly VFR and IFR as well as visual and instrument approaches.
My videos may give helpful information to pilots but please remember these are just for entertainment, I am not an instructor nor should anything shown in my videos be used for real world aviation, also the airfields I visit may have totally changed or even closed since the making of the video so always consult the latest information for your country.
If you enjoyed this video, please give it a ‘thumbs up’ and leave me a comment in the box below, I love to read them and I also like to hear what you like or dislike about my video. Please share it with anyone you think would be interested and I'd so love it if you ticked SUBSCRIBE and DING THE NOTIFICATION BELL to be informed by CZcams when I upload my next video. Thank you so much.
If you are interested, my video content is available to purchase as stock footage, please contact me via my email address in the ABOUT section of my channel for more information.
If you like my content (I don't get any revenue from this channel at all) you could buy me a coffee but no worries if you don't want too, I'm just chuffed that you are even interested in my videos, and if you ever see me at any airfields please come over and say 'Hi' and I'll probably buy you a coffee.
www.buymeacoff...
If you see me around please don't be shy.
Planning Software: SkyDemon www.skydemon.a...
Here's a true story related to turbulence/winds/landings. While working for Beech Aircraft in Wichita, KS, a student pilot in a company aircraft landed so hard that he drove the right landing gear up through the wing. Normally, the daily winds at Beech Field were iffy and best, and mostly downright nasty. Pilots who learn to fly in this part of the country simply learn how to deal with it. But this particular morning, weather was benign . . . winds mere whispers. Of course, the crash racket emptied nearby office building and hangars, which included the office of Beech's chief production test pilot, a man named "Jelly" Phyler. He sauntered out, surveyed the carnage and shook his head. Another gawker standing nearby asked aloud, "Wonder what happened," to which Jelly replied, "Dunno . . . must have been the calm."
Brilliant Dick :-)
Musta been the ole 80’ flare?
Remember, it's only a crosswind at the point at which you want to transition from the air to the ground, otherwise it's just wind. There is no 'punching through' crosswind, as relative to the aircraft when airborne the incoming wind is and has always been straight on the nose. If a crosswind is very strong, it does make sense to come in a little faster, however this is for the additional control authority this give you if you're crabbing and need to correct. When it's gusty, it's really no different, your ground speed will vary, but unless the gust is changing the angle of attack of the wind over the wings, your airspeed will not change.
Turbulent conditions however, with a variance to the vertical direction of the wind are a different problem and where most pilots actually come unstuck. If in gusty conditions, the relative wind changes the angle of attack of the wing, then yes, you end up slowing down (or speeding up). A lot of people conflate the two, crosswind and turbulence and therefore erroneously start applying flap limitations or airspeed differences when simply flying into a calm crosswind. Given that crosswind often results in rotor from trees/hangars etc. It is understandable that the two conditions are often conflated together, but really they should be thought about as two distinctly different problems to solve on approach.
My crosswind limit is 3 bean burritos. No seriously, great explanation. It's like skidding a car in a way.
🤣🤣 yep, spicy burrito should do it. Exactly if you can 'donut' a car you can land in a crosswind 🙂
Nice video Terry, thanks for posting. I’ve yet to push the demonstrated crosswind limit in our group’s PS28, but good to remember that a demonstrated limit is just that - the aircraft (and you) could be capable of a higher one, but practice makes perfect!
Thank you for the kind comment. As you know in a sub 600kg aircraft being thrown around on even the meekest of weather days is pretty normal, but they are surprisingly very capable and with experience can be operated safely in some crazy weather. Saying that I prefer it when it's calm 🙂
I’m fairly low hours and have recently moved from a Cessna 150 to a 172. It took a fair while to get a feel in the 172 with heavier rudder pedals to become happier in crosswinds, though I still don’t like gusty days. Great videos, really enjoying them!
Hi Nick, you can teach theory and watch hundreds of videos but I think the key thing to take away from this totally non-instructional video is....experience, just keep practicing at any opportunity and your limits will naturally rise. Thank you so much for your watch and comment.
@@ShortField absolutely and I love watching seeing others experience. Nothing beats doing/feeling it for yourself. Thanks again, look forward to the next one 😁
Great video Terry!
6:09 was really key for me on my Skills Test. Stiffest X-wind I ever saw pitched up to the airfield on the day. Examiner concluded by saying:
“you’re the first Pilot I’m examining whose flapless landing is better than landing with flaps…when the CAA receive your paperwork…”
That’s how I knew I had passed!
Thanks Dollar, great job on the Skills Test as well. As you know practice makes perfect.
To give we-the-lowly-line-pilots our due for these nasty landings ;-) we are also dealing with aircraft having significant mass, which makes them much more susceptible to wind-shears. Our actual landing weight can vary each time by a huge range, meaning each approach feels differently and is flown at a different speed with carefully controlled additives for headwinds, shears, gusts, etc.; and the aircraft responsiveness varies accordingly. We are landing at two, or three times the speed of typical light aircraft, which makes the tires susceptible to hydroplaning. We land at a variety of airports with Density Altitudes varying by thousands of feet, also affecting performance. Our rollout times/speeds (when we are still very susceptible to gusts, weather vaning, steering issues) is longer. The runways are more often "short fields" for our aircraft with little room for inaccuracies and dangerous over-runs. The runways are not much wider than our wingtips. Our aircraft often have significant limitations on the bank/pitch attitudes available during the flare to avoid expensive ground contact with tails, wing-tips or engines... and we are doing this according to a schedule, day-in, day-out, in constantly changing weather situations, traffic situations ... and so on - and constantly being judged and "graded" by our passengers and others ha ha. So - hey! - maybe a few Congrats! for surviving yet another one is just fine! Yah?😁😂
My current flight hours are with a PA-38. I'm enjoying your videos and seeing how the Piper Sport compares. Great production values. Nice video, all-in-all. Thanks for sharing and best wishes for many more happy hours. It looks like you have some awesome places to fly there.
Sir that is an awesome comment and I never set out to upset the fantastic commercial pilots that take me to my business meetings and vacations in all weather and rarely let me down. I merely set out to show us little birds get thrown about all over the place in relatively low winds and it's a good job there's rarely any pax to complain 🙂Thank you so much for the watch and the comment, I feel really honoured Captain that you like my little strip flying vids. Cheers Terry
If you are right handed and fly from the left seat, Better land with a right crosswind. The body almost automatically makes try to make the Crosswind Slip touchdown by applying right aileron and left rudder for that slip to touchdown. Contrary if a left crosswind.
That's so funny because it is true, wind from the right in P1 seat as a right hander is easier. Cool.
I'm just, and will always be an armchair pilot, as I'm legally blind with other health issues, but that doesn't stop me enjoying aviation from the simulated perspective. In FS2020, they've really got wind effects much more realistic. I've found I have to learn to crab a lot more than in older versions of simulators. My nemesis is just prior to touchdown, and having to remember to kick in a bit of rudder to straighten the plane to the runway. Haven't tried the other method, yet. Thanks for sharing.
I use MSFS2020 a lot and even use it to check out new airfields before visiting. I agree the models in MSFS are really great and are very similar, performance wise to the real things. Thank you Sir.
@@ShortField Indeed. Oh, by the way, the Bing Azure assets are at least 10 years dated, and Asobo Studios have informed me there are no plans to update the assets being used by FS2020 in the near future, other than the recent updates that were pushed to us. But, yes, very close.
I recently had 39kt straight across the hold in the DA42, then 20kt across at surface level (gusting a bit higher). It was a lot of fun, but I felt like I'd been at the gym after it xD
Hope you remained fully established all the way down :-) Congratulations again Scott, hopefully say hi when you take me on holiday.
Great video, I have landed my pioneer 300 now in a 20 knot XW at my local airfield. It took the me the third go to get on the deck but as you say just takes practice especially on your own and always be ready for a “go around” .
Good job nailing the landing Rodney. It's all relative the lighter we are the more we are affected. Thanks for the view and comment Sir.
Good video Terry. You had some very blustery approaches there! Added problems when you go through the process in a taildragger when the wind can still cause a problem on the ground as it try’s to blow the tail around! You are coming up with some very interesting topics. Well done 👍😎
Good points, whole different dimension with a taildragger - imho it's not stopped flying until it's stopped and in the hanger🤔🤔😄😄 I well remember one blustery day and a short hop to Wroughton in an Aeronca Chief - at Wroughton they wouldn't use the cross wind runway, so interesting but doable. Upon return to the grass farm strip - the wind had gotten worse - once down, I had to jump out whilst still moving (slow speed) and hold the wing down! 😲😳🤫🤭 I was young and fit then👍👍😕😄😄
Thanks Tim, I agree totally, taildragger's are something else. I don't have a video of it but a couple of years ago I took the SportCruiser into Old Buck in a 35 knot crosswind but ran out of rudder so couldn't land on the first attempt on the second I managed to get it down in a lull, that little bird amazes me in how capable it is.
with a seventeen Meter wide Grob109b taildragger it is even more exciting! Tip??
Thanks for the video on X wind landing. You make it look so easy!
😀Cheers Mike, I still struggle 🙂
Another great video Terry, thanks! I prefer crabbing too, as the Sport Cruiser seems most happy set up this way. I do a practice approach and go around in strong crosswinds and/or gusty conditions, especially at airstrips I’m not familiar with. I’m also very careful when taxing in strong winds - slowly does it, for me.
Agree Vince our aircraft seem much more stable crabbing. Great point about taxing though. Thank you. Credit to you for the opener :-)
Great video as always👍👍😊 - sometimes the aeroplane might be able to cope but the pilot can't? Know your limits etc comes into play. I can hardly remember a time, during GA flights, a silky smooth day, and it's good when training - I'm no expert - to fly as much as possible in the winter months too, get as much experience of different conditions as possible when training👍😊
Thank you as always and that's a great comment. It's always a combination of experience on type and the aircraft's envelope, but it's amazing what some of these little planes can cope with.
@@ShortField Thanks 👍😊 Your Sportcruiser is a remarkable machine and it looks so sleek that it doesn't seem like farm strip aircraft of old, it looks at home anywhere too😊👍👍
Excellent video and accompanying narrative.
When I approach RWY in crosswind conditions i usually aim for upwind part of runway and not directly on centerline and usually during decrabing wind move me on centerline. I also use lower flaps than in normal wind conditions. It improves GO-A performance.
Good points, thank you
Another enjoyable video, Terry. She looks great to handle in those conditions… and you do make it look like fun 👌🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Cheers Kev, I love 'em 🙂
Thankyou so much for your videos! I am learning to fly at your home airfield. You are certainly helping my learning. One day I hope to nail crosswind landings also.
Thanks again.
Come over and say Hi if you see me about Antony.
Im sea level pilot and i tought mastered on cross winds till i land 3000ft airport. Every thing changed plane approach speed, flying and carrying capacity leeson learned in hard bouncy landings ;), normally approach crap and aligning before touch down but high altitudes it sinks much faster and needs much rudder that i used to ;) lessons learned and carry on
Interesting! Thank you.
Nice video. I love the feeling of control during cross-wind landings.
Me too!
I love crosswind landings. If you grease it you get bragging rights. If it's ugly... hey there was a crosswind.
Too true Jeff cheers :-)
I'm an instructor. I primarily teach PPL and insturment ratings, I'd honestly argue that a GA pilot has far better stick and rudder skill than your average airline pilot.
I agree it’s because the safety aspect of commercial flying dictates that the pilot touches as little as possible 😃
I guess my training was different. I never look at the airspeed indicator in the pattern. I just look out the window and land the plane, whatever that requires with power and pitch.
Knowing your aircraft is the key to this Matt and looks like your training was excellent.
Another great video, 27 knots , with a. X wind, nice.
Cheers Dave
Nice! 😊👍🏼
Thanks Terry this was interesting. I am learning at Elstree and finding the crosswind landings quite challenging, especially on 08 with the big downslope. The instructors like to us to aim right for the first edge of tarmac with the hope the wheels will touch right on the threshold before the downslope... this means there's basically no margin if, as you point out, the wind eases or changes in the last 50'. I can generally fly a half decent stabilised approach but currently finding the last 10 seconds of round out and flare a bit of a blur!
Just keep doing it Ed, it will come sir I promise. Good luck with the training.
Soloed on Friday so they must think I'm getting there!@@ShortField
Hi. I am a student pilot. Once I get the crosswind landing I will be ready to solo. Still hasn’t clicked and believe me I am trying!!!!!! Mary
It will come Mary, little steps. Good luck with the training.
Great vid. I enjoy the occasional wrestle with a strong turbulent crosswind
Thanks for the view Phil, totally agree very satisfying.
Nice one :)
Nice info. I fly a tecnam 2002, very similar configuration and its not an easy task with strong crosswinds, though maximum demonstrated on the manual is 22. Most i landed with it was around 16kts. For me its worse dealing with the turbulence on final than the wind itself
I find smaller aircraft easier in x-winds especially with responsive Rotax engines, just power through the approach. 16knots across is pretty gnarly.
Really enjoyed that Terry, very interesting, and some nice challenging and well executed landings! There's a strict 12knt crosswind limit for the flexwings - at least for the GT450, although reading stories from Brian Milton and David Sykes the flexwings are clearly capable of landing in much stronger crosswinds than that - I think I'll stick to the POH defined 12knt limit!
Thanks Mike really appreciate the view and comment. 12 knot xwind limitation on a single runway is quite limiting especially in this country and Scotland 😀 but I can imagine with no rudder flex wings would be a real handful in anything much stronger. Thanks again matey.
Thank you! I’m still a short time pilot with a cessna 150. I will take your advice and get practicing with an instructor on board with me.
Thanks Brian, yes try them out with your instructor, the more you do the easier it gets.
Nice one Terry - Great information - - - as usual
Cheers Chris most appreciated 👍
As I fly mostly our own Cirrus with a much higher momentum/stability obviously the numbers are different. Yesterday I landed with 13g17kt and 10kt crosswind components. In the Cirrus, 10kt from the left is ideal for me to correct my slight typical wandering off centerline to the left. But honestly you don't feel much in the Cirrus, also not with crosswind component gusts of 17kt. Our G2 has an approach speed of 75kt, at usual weight that's a hell of a lot of kinetic energy. The BR23 and Aquila 211 are different stories.
However, I am a follower of famous Chinese CFI One Wing Low, and if you are honest you are as well, as you also transition just before touchdown 😄
I owned a Rockwell Turbo Commander for 13 years before the little Pipersport and you are right the extra weight really helps on crosswind approaches, saying that the smaller aircraft with Rotax engines have more instant power and you can react quicker to upsets and drive them down the approach. Thanks Robert
Informative video, well done! I'll share it amongst my student pilots 👌🏻
Nice. Makes it more difficult with wind shear present!
Yes Sir.
Very good explanation and good editing work. *subscribed*
Really really appreciate the kind comment and I hope I can get to keep your cherished sub Sir.
Great video. You should try landing in an ercoupe in a good xwind with no rudder control. Thanks again for the great video.
Chaplain Billy - Ercoupe owner
Thank you Sir we have a few of those in the UK. Each aircraft has it's limitations but it's good to safely find them for yourself.
Another great video. You produce such high content video, graphics and commentary. Kudos - neither a short nor easy task. Is the airfield just over 4 minutes in North Weald as well ? I see the arrows on the grass so presumably one needs to land on the hard ??? I fly a self launching motor glider and landing on grass is nice but so is rolling out onto tarmac (particularly at this time of year when it's possible to get bogged down on soggy grass) hence my interest.
You are sooo kind thank you Graeme. The airfield with the grass starter is Beccles in Norfolk it has a 500m smooth tarmac main runway but in dry conditions you can use the 150m of grass for either landing or take off. In the winter they usually only have the hard runway available. The transition between grass and tarmac is very smooth. Thank you again Sir.
I dont mind the approch, its gettintg the plane lined up straight just before touch down, I am always to much rudder or to little, still learning tho
Keep doing it Paul and you will get there. It's just a learned technique it won't take long. Thanks buddy.
Interesting video. I like the wing low as the crab requires kick in rudder low and this cause extra ailerong needed to stop the up wing lifting, puting the down wind wing at a greater angle of attack just when you as slow and doing in the flare in gusty wind or steep wind greadiant increase s the risk of stalling the down wind wind. The other problem is if you have not kicked off the crab enough you are landing with a side load and with a Tail Dragger that is a big problem. As you know I fly a very light tail dragger, the crab is not anything like as much of a problem with a low wing tri gear aircraft but I would still kick off the crab a good bit before the round out. Just my thoughts (I AM NOT AN INSTRUCTOR).
Thanks Algy, you are right each aircraft has its own handling characteristics in crosswinds. Kicking out the crab is just a transition to a side slip really so in actual fact I use a combination of the two. Carrying extra energy gives more authority in the flare but does require a more flown on landing. Thanks again
Very sporty. I still find them pretty uncomfortable but only had a few exposures I suppose! I think I usually end up doing a mix of crabbing and wing down (usually not on purpose!) 🤣 i.e. less Jedi anticipation and finesse due to lack of experience and more seat of pants with a low threshold for the decision to go around.
Thanks Martin, the more you do the better you get, it's not science, but you knew that. Thanks for your support and for your great clip.
I learned to fly at and airport that didn’t have a lot of crosswinds. So I never did get real good at it. Maybe 10kts. In a 172 was all that I cared for.
It's all about being comfortable with them, I would guess that even though you had not flown in stronger crosswinds as you already have the technique I would think you would be fine in higher winds. Thank you Fred for watching and commenting Sir.
@@ShortField Yes indeed.
Where do you stand with insurance if you damage the aircraft landing in a cross wind above the max demonstrated in the operating handbook.
Good point, may have to delete the video and not report it until it's nice and calm, unless I get spotted by the tower :-) I don't know to be honest probably they would have a case for not paying out. Great question.
FWIW - There's a significant legal difference between a "demonstrated" crosswind value and a strict certification limitation (I.e. "maximum take-off weight). The demonstrated wind usually represents the most the manufacturer could find during their testing - and for a recreational aircraft I'd be surprised if they don't publish a lower number than this just to avoid setting up recreational pilots for accidents. As for commercial aircraft, they'll fly to distant airports in search of the highest crosswinds they can find so they can publish a relatively high number in line with competing aircraft. There are some interesting videos of various airliner crosswind landing tests on youtube.
I doubt they would refuse to pay out. The xwind may be gusting, stong one second, gentle the next. Also, what would happen if a crosswind got up while you were flying? You still have to land
Loving the dual D180 dynon setup. Does the one on the right also back up as a AH in case the left fails? I've had to send mine twice to the US for repair after random failures. Cheers
Yes they are both redundant so you have the same on both. We did have a major GPS issue though. Not that reliable.
Nice video. Word of advice…I would caution you against telling people to bank steeply in the base to final turn to reacquire the runway centerline. That can be a very dangerous maneuver rife with potential “gotchas”. You said it yourself that the base to final turn is dangerous and then advised people to perform the exact maneuver that makes it dangerous. We do not teach the buttonhook recovery as an acceptable maneuver. Most examiners would bust a checkride if a student did that. Yes it can be done but has to be done right…really right.
I am deffo not an instructor. Base to final for me means keeping the nose level or low and the wings unloaded whatever speed you do it at. I was merely pointing out that if I get blown through final by a x-wind I'll slowly get back onto final if there's room, no knife edge turns.
@@ShortField Understood. I’m not trying to be critical. It was a great video and I enjoyed it. The buttonhook turn can go very wrong very quickly…airspeed, bank angle, pitch attitude and coordination are all critical elements needed to keep it together. Best to not even suggest in a CZcams video that it is okay to perform the maneuver. People view you as an expert and might attempt to emulate what they see without a full explanation of how to perform the maneuver. They can get themselves into trouble as a result.
Aviation is a great thing and your videos clearly convey your love of flying. It’s all good. Just be careful what you say. Keep up the good work! Thanks.
Great video Terry. Can you share what software you use to create your aminations?
Thanks Evan it was all made in Adobe After Effects, you can get a free trial from commerce.adobe.com/store/segmentation?cli=adobe_com&co=GB&pa=aeft_direct_individual&ot=TRIAL
you ever get to barton egcb ? my local - see you there...
Thanks for the comment and watch. Will be at Barton in April I’ll let you know when I’m coming love to say Hi 👍👍👍
@@ShortField look forward to it :)
What is the max crosswind component in the POH for this aircraft?
Just 12 knots 😀
you are unfair on pilots of big planes , result of a gust is slower and the recovery is slower , lots of lag , a small aeroplane , less lag ... its all about mass
I know they have a lot more responsibility too, however good stick and rudder skills are required in any aircraft and with so much automation ATPL's probably don't get enough these days. Thanks and I do understand your comment.