One of the occupational hazards of being a video editor is becoming an inevitable victim of the genius of YouTube code writers. They have absolutely figured out the art of click bait and if youre able to resist falling into the black hole of wasting hours watching pointless videos one day, you wont the next. The other day when I finished loading an AVweb report, this link popped up in the sidebar.
There are a dozen others like it, but this series of extreme crosswind takeoffs and landings was shot entirely at Birmingham, England last winter. Evidently, BHX had a record year for storms and winds because the very able photographer who shot these, identified as flugsnug, got lots of interesting examples of the genre: airliner makes harrowing landing.Included in this is what may be the most spectacular example of edge-of-control crosswind skidding Ive ever seen.
Scroll the video to about 7:40 and sit back and enjoy the action. Im not sure what that airplane is. Could it be an MD-80 or -90? An S-80? I cant tell. Upon observing what happens after touchdown, Im not so much impressed with the piloting skill-or lack thereof, if thats the case-but with how well the structures guys did their work to design landing gear that can survive that kind of abuse. Perhaps the entire weight of the aircraft isnt on the mains when it slides left from right of the centerline to far left of the centerline, but the weight is somewhere. Maybe on the nosegear. (Its not all sliding; the long lens distorts the motion, so part of it-maybe even most-may be a forward lunge to the downwind side. Still impressive, though.)
Ive experienced minor excursions/slides like this in light aircraft and theyre quite sickening because there arent any control inputs you can use to immediately correct the problem. Too bad airplanes arent equipped with thrusters, like ships have. Of course, airliners are almost designed to make ugly crosswind landings. Because of low-slug engines, they cant sideslip into the wind, as we do in light aircraft. Theres a high likelihood of scraping an engine nacelle or catching a wingtip. I think thats probably true of aircraft with rear-mounted engines, too.
So the operative crosswind technique is what some light aircraft pilots use, which is to hold the centerline with a crab into the flare, then align the airplane at the last minute with rudder. (Or just let the gear and tires do it…) In a strong crosswind, this still sideloads the gear, because once that crab comes out, the sidewise drift-or least the moment-starts. See an example of that at 3:50. Note, too, how the nosegear just slams down into full compression. Ouch. More kudos to the engineers; condolences to the maintainers.
Scroll the video back to 2:03 and youll see how takeoffs in extreme crosswinds are just as hard on the airframe. As the airplane is accelerating, you can see it trying to weathervane and the only thing preventing that is tire friction and a dab of rudder. Look at the sliding and drift as the airplane gets light on the wheels and rotates. Airliners dont have the option of starting the takeoff roll at the far downwind corner the runway and taking off diagonally down the runway. That technique can at least remove some of the crosswind component and reduce the weathervaning and tendency to skid sideways. Even 15 degrees of component relief can help.
I think many of us believe that a squeaker in a crosswind is the mark of true piloting skill. Im not so sure; I think it might just as well be luck. In an extreme crosswind, the safest thing-other than landing somewhere else where the wind is down the runway-is to get the tires planted with the least amount of drama. The friction they provide on the runway surface imparts far more control than the control surfaces ever will. The touchdown doesnt have to be pretty; just controlled.
As an aside, Ive seen runways with some grade and undulations, but nothing quite like Birmingham. Look at the long shot at 10:10. That pavement has more dips than the Cyclone at Coney Island.If the first hill doesnt launch you, dont worry, there are four more.
Now that youve burned 11 minutes watching this, take some comfort in knowing that the world as a whole has wasted nearly 120 man years looking at what the videographer, in typical Brit understatement, calls crosswind difficulties.
Well, hell, it beats a cat video.
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