Crosswinds...

[Fly Navy]

25 kts in a 152? No thank you. I don't even like 15 knots in the T-45, but that's more due to the ground handling qualities of the jet (or lack thereof).

 

[Punk]

25 kts in a 152? No thank you. I don't even like 15 knots in the T-45, but that's more due to the ground handling qualities of the jet (or lack thereof).

I was about to say, the T-45 has ground handling qualities?

 

[HAL Pilot]

The greatest crosswind component I had to deal with so far was about 25kt from the starboard. It is very minute compared to what you guys deal with, but this was in a 152. I know it is outside of its recommended limitations, but I decidede to go for it anyway and did a perfect landing. Had to crab about 30 degrees though. Damn 152's don't weigh a hell of a lot.

I'm thinking I'm calling BS to this one .

With a C152, if you crabbed all the way to the flare and then kicked it out, you would still side load the gear and get blown sideways as you touched down. Not a perfect landing and I hope it was a wide runway.

If you transitioned to wing down/opposite rudder on short final, at normal approach speeds I doubt a C152 would be able to hold centerline. You would again land with a side load on the gear and skip sideways.

I can believe a C152 could be landed with a 25 kt crosswind, but it would be hell on the struts and not a perfect landing. Hell, I landed a C207 (again at the Grand Canyon - 20 knot demonstrated crosswind) with 28 kts off the wing tip and I had to come in with no flaps and a Vref of 105 KIAS (30 kts fast) to hold centerline. It was far from a perfect landing. The difference in a multi-engine plane like the Twin Otter is that you can use asymmetrical power to negate some of the crosswind. The demonstrated crosswind in multi-engine planes is without asymmetrical power so there is a bigger cushion for an experienced pilot.

You might have had 25 knots of wind off the side, but it was probably not a 25 knot direct crosswind component. For example, a 25 knot wind at 45 degrees to the nose give you about an 18 knot crosswind. I think the demonstrated limit in the C152 is about 12 or 13 knots.

The FAA likes the wing down/opposite rudder approach to crosswinds in single engine planes because if you can hold centerline while on final using this method, you can safely land without side loading the gear or being blown sideways off the runway. By crabbing all the way to the flair, you can easily exceed the aircraft's capabilities and damage the struts or go off the side of the runway.


Edit to add the following:

We turned the radio over to the automated weather and got the crosswind speed and decided the worst we could do was wave ourselves off and fly over insetead of land

The AWOS doesn't give crosswind, it gives wind speed and direction. Based on this, I think that while the winds were 25 kts, your actual crosswind component was less as in the example I gave above.

Also the worst you could do is ball yourself up into an ugly wreck on the side of the runway. The hardest part about landing in a strong crosswind is not putting the wheels on centerline, it's maintaining the centerline as you role out and slow down.

 

[Fly Navy]

The FAA likes the wing down/opposite rudder approach to crosswinds in single engine planes because if you can hold centerline while on final using this method, you can safely land without side loading the gear or being blown sideways off the runway. By crabbing all the way to the flair, you can easily exceed the aircraft's capabilities and damage the struts or go off the side of the runway.

That and kicking a crab out of a light plane is not the greatest idea. They have piss-poor inertia and will drift far too easily.

 

[Chubby]

That and kicking a crab out of a light plane is not the greatest idea.

Come on, the IP's love it when you do that down here in T-34 land ...

 

[mules83]

Most older 152's/172's also dont have a rigid rudder. So coming in with upwind wing down/opposite rudder, the rudder tends to bend/flex and not be as effective as it should be. The newer models have more support and work alot better.

-cessna man

 

[IanBass]

The only reason the IP's like it in the T-34 is when you fly in a crab they can actually see from the back and take the plane when you try to land off the side of the runway. Its the same thing for us in the T-6. I would love to fly in a crab so I can make sure the sutdent (Stan) isn't going to put me in the grass but in a single engine prop it is stupid, plus the chance for a prop strike goes way up.

 

[Chubby]

The only reason the IP's like it in the T-34 is when you fly in a crab they can actually see from the back and take the plane when you try to land off the side of the runway. Its the same thing for us in the T-6. I would love to fly in a crab so I can make sure the sutdent (Stan) isn't going to put me in the grass but in a single engine prop it is stupid, plus the chance for a prop strike goes way up.

I was kidding, I got pimped every time I did. Their main gripe was side loads on the gear collapsing it if you didn't do it right, which to my credit I did do it right, but none the less. That and Stan.