Maximum crosswind?

[Richard Boyer]

What is our max crosswind? I think I exceeded it........very exciting.

Richard Boyer

[paulp]

Re: Maximum crosswind?

Howdy Richard,

I would give worlds to know. I have not been able to locate same anywhere!
I have landed with a direct Xwind @ 19 kts and that was too much variety for me!!!!!

I have heard that 18 kts was the max Xwind component and my experience tells me THAT'S ENOUGH!!!!

Would sure like to know from a definative source. Forrest, any input?

[Len Petterson]

Re: Maximum crosswind?

In the Canadain Regulation (Canadian Fligth Supplement) there is Cross Wind Chart stating a recomended 90deg cross wind capabilety of any ligth aircraft is 20 % of stall speed. My BC12d KZU has stall speed of 42 Mph Ias. This works out to 8.4 Mph @ 90 deg cross wind, @ 60 Deg 10 mph, @30 Deg 15 mph,15 deg 30 Mph wind
I would post the chart but I cant get my scanner to work.
In my humble exerience: It is my guid, and have been from the begining of my flying time, in any aircraft I have flown.
Hmm 19 Mph @ 90 deg.Maybe I try for a 200' wide runway, crossway's and between the runway ligths.
I rember a landing into a 30 - 35 Mph wind straigth on the runway in a Fleet Canuck (Stall speed 45 Mph) Final under full power! Roll ut was 50 feet long,if what followed by some very SLOW taxing!
Len Petterson CF KZU.

[flyguy]

Re: Maximum crosswind?

Twenty percent sounds like a slide slip ratio of 1 to 5, Right? Can someone figure out a way to measure the maximum side slip ratio. Do you run out of rudder or wingtip first? Interesting challenge. Use a gps or a radar gun from the side of the runway? Lazer range finder? Should be fun.
Darryl

[Richard Boyer]

Re: Maximum crosswind?

Well......it would appear that at somewhere around 24mph direct crosswind you need full left aileron and full left rudder.

Don't know why I would know that!

oh, and you really can't see the ground out the front at all anymore! Odd feeling.

Richard Boyer
N95791

[mhorowit]

Re: Maximum crosswind?

OK RICHARD-THAT's TWO JUICY HINTS!!!! I'll bite; the answer involved using differential braking, correct? - Mike

[alwaysoar]

Re: Maximum crosswind?

One pilot can handle 15kts xwind, another only 5. Arbitrary numbers can get you in trouble if you rely on them and not on good sense. If you stand in the wind and say, "It's freakin' blowing wicked hard, wonder if I should fly," then it's too windy. If you're not sure of yourself, get with someone with experience and go for a flight. Find out what you can handle. To say, "My chart says the plane can handle 12.5 kts at this angle of wind, so I guess I can go," is just foolhardy.

[shawn coleman]

Re: Maximum crosswind?

i have landed at 25 to 30 mph x wind but find it nearly impossible to taxi at the 30 range then again not true x wind because i use width of runway to advantage but 20 mph is easily doable if u fly often an stay current
shawn

[Len Petterson]

Re: Maximum crosswind?

The chart I talking about is guidline for pilots flying ligth aircrafts with no specifed cross wind capabilety.
Of course a superior pilot are using his superior judgement so he don't have use his superior skill.
Len.

[CraigH]

Re: Maximum crosswind?

I've done a little over 20kts direct in an F21B, but it's not something I'd care to do again anytime soon. It was almost as hard to taxi as it was to land. Probably just as much luck was involved as skill.

[paulp]

Re: Maximum crosswind?

Howdy Tribe,

I agree with Len & alwaysoar. Charts are generally guides that should be used in a judicious manner and taken with a grain of salt. But here in Oklahoma, land of the eternal X-wind, you may depart on 16 @ 7:00am with 3-5Kts @ 160' and return @ noon with the wind @ 090 @15KG20. You got what you got!!! I have, on occasion, felt like I had landed a unicycle but that is not the big problem-it is the taxi to the hangar that gives me the most trouble.

But Len had the right idea. If you have to ask yourself if it's too windy to fly-your right, it's TOO windy!!! Avoid exracising your superior pilot skills by exracising your superior pilot skills!!!!!!

[Richard Boyer]

Re: Maximum crosswind?

In my case the x-wind was a measly 10mph head wind when I left. Right around when I landed (according to my weather station which I checked later), the wind had gusted up to 41mph. I flew around the pattern a couple of times waiting for the wind to get more 'managable'.

As for taxiing, it wasn't a problem (I had to think about why it wasn't a problem later). There was a house blocking most of the wind right before I turned directly into the wind to taxi to my hangar.

Now, if the wind had been doing that when I was ready to go flying, I would have pulled up a chair and flown that instead. VERY challenging, but also fun in a wierd way.

Richard Boyer
N95791

[paulp]

Re: Maximum crosswind?

Howdy Richard & Tribe,

Rich, you have my thoughts exactly. However, every now and then, I need a wake-up call because I tend to get complacent and lazy. If I have a little something that immediately grabs my full and undivided attention it really helps me to EXTRACTO CARINIUM RECTOMI!! And beleive me, a 19 kt x-wind will do the trick!!

[flathorn]

Re: Maximum crosswind?

"Fun in a weird way" is another way of saying "I enjoy scaring myself to death"
I don't even want to think about the worst crosswind I landed in - I don't know how I made it without damage. I would NEVER do that one again.
I was supposed to meet my IA at his hangar for an annual, and I didn't want to miss the appointment (if you can believe that), so I foolishly decided to go ahead and land (and besides the trip across the inlet to the airport was so bumpy and bad, I didn't want to go back across again. I just wanted to get down!).
My heart sank when I listened to the AWOS and heard it was a direct crosswind... I thought "I'll just land crossways or diagonally on an intersection". Well, the only good intersection was occupied by a pick-up sitting there waiting to watch me land! I called on my radio to tell him to move, but he didn't have a portable, I guess. I didn't want to do a go-around as the strip sits next to a mountain which was creating the crosswinds, so I decided to do a diagonal landing.
The problem isn't in the start of the landing, but when you get below a certain speed. At that point I could feel the wing starting to lift when a gust hit it, so instead of trying to counteract it with aileron/rudder (it was going to be useless...) I kicked it around immediately to go with the direction of the gust, and took it down into the grass on the side, which was a lower level than the runway, and effectively cut the wind trying to lift my wing. I just taxiied along in the ditch until I got close to the exit intersection, waited until the wind was between gusts then got onto the taxiway.
The man in the pick-up was just sitting there staring, and didn't even jump out to walk my wing for me. Urghh, I could have killed him! It took a long time to taxi, turning it into the wind during gusts (with an occasional whoop-de-doo into the air), and taxiing like crazy between them. My IA wasn't expecting me because of the wind, and pretty much chewed me out for coming in. I guess I can't blame him - he was mostly right. I didn't even tell him about the landing. And my knees were still shaking.
I don't want to do that one again. I'm not sure it'd have the same ending.

[paulp]

Re: Maximum crosswind?

howdy Flathorn,

Mabey that's why take-offs are optional and landings are mandatory! I have been in a similar situations and have asked myself a thousand times "What in the hell were you thinking you dumb SOB!" Well, I guess it just proves that good judgement comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment. At least I get to file it away in my experience folder. I just hope that my memory lasts long enough to recall it!!!