Crosswind landings

[NPloysa]

Ok, sorry, but had to post this. Some of you may be getting tired of my aviation video links. I promised Crobertson1 these videos, but thought you guys would like it.



It's a 4-piece video of crosswind landings, a 777-200, 747SP (Special Purpose) and two more 777-200, the last one being my favorite. Watch for the rudder delfection!



http://www.metacafe.com/watch/39256/crosswinds/



Nick

 

[Pawpaw]

I've seen USAF cargo planes land under those conditions. All I can say is that I NEVER want to be in one when it does that!!!



Bob

 

[scootergmc]

That last one is crazy.

 

[Woodenhead]

Ok, sorry, but had to post this. Some of you may be getting tired of my aviation video links...

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/39256/crosswinds/



Nick

Keep em coming, I've been checking this forum once in a while just to see if any more cool flight vids show up.



Mike

 

[Boomer II]

Looks more like a slip to lose altitude.

 

[NPloysa]

Looks more like a slip to lose altitude.

Crosswinds, not slips. Whenever I do slips they are not that low on final. The last video is for sure. A 777 should not need left rudder deflection like that, while rolling out, unless there was a strong crosswind component.



Nick

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Had a scary landing in St. Paul on a super windy day a few years ago. Plane was weaving all over in the air and went swerving around when it touched down. Quite a few women screamed on that landing :right:



Vaughn

 

[RT66DOC]

Looks more like a slip to lose altitude.

Hmmmm. Going to have to agree with Boomer on this one. Not much wing down, as in "Wing down into the wind, opposite rudder, touch down on the upwind wheel" <CHIRP... CHIRP... ... ... ... . chirp>, straighten out the whole mess and taxi in. Piece of cake when you've got 90K thrust on each wing - try it in an Aztec. Wonder if he used differential power - Hey, works on boats.



Notice these planes are sporting "BOEING" livery. Maybe they were flight testing to define or demonstrate max crosswind component limits or something. I dunno, gonna have to look at this again.



Keep 'em coming Nick. Interesting topic.

 

[AMink]

Those are cool videos. It looks like the main gear would get ripped off coming in sideways like that. I know they straighten out at the last second, but those weren't very straight!

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Stupid question, but aren't the main landing sets fixed in terms of steering or can they be turned in the direction of runway travel?

 

[BigGunZ]

While those landings appear extreme, they're not that difficult. The reason you're not seeing too much wing down is largely due to the size/weight of those particular aircraft. Landing on one wheel, which is common during an x-wing lndg, puts a lot of stress on the landing gear attachment points and the airframe... if your rate of decent wasn't controlled perfectly you could punch a strut right through the wing. It's safer in an aircraft that size to limit how far you drop the upwind wing, and use an extreme sideslip instead. Aditionally, the sheer size of the verticle stab pretty much forces an extreme slip. In this fashion, the tires (and pilot ability) become the weak link instead of the airframe.

Cool videos.

 

[BigGunZ]

Stupid question, but aren't the main landing sets fixed in terms of steering or can they be turned in the direction of runway travel?

Some large aircraft have steerable MLG's but that's only for taxi and is blocked out for landings. When you hit the runway sideways, you're skidding for a few seconds.

 

[RT66DOC]

BigG-

That explanation makes ultimate sense to me. Never slipped or x-wind landed anything bigger than a Navajo (the plane :-laf ) but I see your point with the heavies.

 

[BigGunZ]

BigG-
That explanation makes ultimate sense to me. Never slipped or x-wind landed anything bigger than a Navajo (the plane :-laf ) but I see your point with the heavies.

I was a Navy Flight Engineer for 12 of my 21 years and spent a few of those years as a Flight Instructor in large turboprops. I've done a 180 on the runway once. Funny feeling going backwards at 120 kts. :-laf

 

[BigGunZ]

Another factor that limits how much wing down you can use is how much clearance exists between the engine cowling and tha ground. Some engines are only 2-3 feet from the deck to begin with. Add wing flex to that and you can easily tear off an engine if you drop the wing too far.

 

[crobertson1]

Thanks Nick. I also vote to keep 'em coming.

 

[Jakebud]

What were seeing there folks is some test footage, depicting landing those airplanes in a crab intentionally, and not in a slip as you would ordinarily do in a cross wind. Normally, in cross wind, you use wing low in to the wind, and opposite rudder to take out the yaw. As mentioned above, this leads you touch down on the upwind gear first, in a perfect world. With that in mind, most of us are not perfect, and we will land with some bit of crab on occasion, and it is a good idea to know that the airplane under your butt can take those kind of side loads on its gear. I have flown two airplanes that were designed to land in a crab, the T-38 and the B-52. The T-38 gear is designed to take the side loads of landing in a crab. The B-52 uses a cross wind crab system that actually swivels the gear to compensate for the crosswind component. It was always fun landing looking somewhat to the side in a cross wind.



SPIKE

 

[HEMI®Dart]

Nick,







A few years ago NOVA (PBS) had a 2 hour special about the development of the Boeing 777. Talk about a great show. In the testing phase they loaded the plane to max GVW and landed it without using the reverse thrusters. Just the service brakes.



The rotors were WHITE HOT and all the tires were on fire after it came to a stop. Coolest thing I ever saw. Oo.



If you stumble across this clip on the 'net please post it!

 

[Cummins Pilot]

Piece of cake when you've got 90K thrust on each wing - try it in an Aztec. QUOTE]



Try a taildragger, then you really learn what a rudder is for.

 

[Jim Fulmer]

In the writing it says there testing crosswind landings, this would be true as it looks like there at Edwards AFB. There are two ways of tackling crosswinds, wing down-top rudder or let the plane weather vain and kick it out at 10-20 feet before touchdown. Any knuckle head that lands in that bad of a crab needs his/her wings pulled or on FE like me slapping them in the head.



Jim