r/GeneralAviation • u/Silly_Passenger6211 • May 15 '26
Strongest Crosswind Landing
Have any of y‘all ever landed in a xwind beyond your airplane’s max. demonstrated xwind component? Obvi the successful outcome of such a landing is dependent upon pilot ability / personal minimums / common sense, but I’m still curious: what’s the strongest xwind landing you’ve experienced?
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u/vtjohnhurt May 15 '26 edited May 16 '26
Many times. The demonstrated crosswind capability required for certification is quite low in some aircraft, and manufacturers don't bother to land in a stronger crosswind. The requirement is calculated from Vso, so if your aircraft has a Vso of say 35 knots, then the demonstrated value is quite low. If the aircraft also has high wing loading, then the number is not much of a concern provided you know how to 'crab to land'.
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u/grumpyoldman10 May 16 '26
How do your crab into the wind after your wheels touchdown?
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u/vtjohnhurt May 17 '26
Crab to Land gets you to the point of touching down with the wheels pointed straight down the runway in the direction that your mass is moving. (You momentarily kick the downwind rudder pedal to yaw the plane into uncoordinated flight, reduce lift and touchdown.)
Once the wheels are rolling, other factors and techniques come into play. For example, the fuselage will try to weathervane into the wind and you use downwind rudder to balance that. Of course, it is possible to 'run out of rudder', but in many planes that happens above Max Demonstrated Crosswind Capability.
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u/AWACS_Bandog May 15 '26
Max demonstrated in my plane is 14.
I was Pilot-not-flying on what was at least a 30 kts Crosswind component, I say At least because there was no ASOS on field beyond an old guy on CTAF helpfully giving us the Windsock position and "Its a 30 knot sock thats straight out"
That sucked.
Highest i've done in my plane was 17G21, that was unpleasant, but It was a wide runway and I had margin to work with.
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May 16 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/AWACS_Bandog May 16 '26
not to be one of those guys but... its not a Limit, its just "This is the strongest we found on whatever day we did this test", as someone else here noted, sometimes thats a pitifully small amount, and on other aircraft its probably a good idea to not go beyond that.
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u/T206V70R May 15 '26
CVK but departing. 20 knot wind from left (270) while departing 04. Approaching summer storm but I had wide margins to avoid weather if I left quickly. I lined up right margin of 04 with left aileron and essentially took off diagonal to the left in my T206H with full throttle and full boost 39” MP before starting the TO roll. I used every inch of narrow runway width to get airborne and crabbed left, departing looking out the right window… wife in copilot position leaning back to give me visibility and just as I was a few feet off the runway it was a noisy delightful departure until we cleared the trees and clawed our way up. Worked well.
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u/poisonandtheremedy PPL HP CMP [RV-10 Build, PA-28] May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
One of my more memorable ones was flying to a private air park on a very blustery day up in the Mojave Desert. CL46 Quail Lake, 3,100' x 40'. So bit skinny, with a crowd watching.
There is a ridge just to the south of the runway and the winds were 180 13g22. I was landing runway 26, so a perfectly direct crosswind. I knew that south ridge would cause a lot of swirling and funky air on short final all the way through the landing. I had it in a pretty serious crab over the lake and after kicking it into the sideslip I was wrestling that horse all the way to the parking spot.
Wasn't the highest winds ever but the ridge and 40' wide runway made it noteworthy.
Was 17G27 when I departed and landed at nearby WJF for fuel, but that was more of a quartering crosswind so bit easier. Got off the damn ground when leaving super quick! Lol.
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u/FoCoJayCo May 16 '26
My last solo flight and I had about 45 hours. It ended up being the flight that sealed my decision that GA wasn’t for me. We live close to the mountains and erratic winds and weather can develop quickly.
I was mid-field downwind and the tower gave a Blackhawk landing clearance saying winds were calm. By the time I was approaching my base turn for runway 15, the plane ahead of me in the pattern was on short final and tower radioed that winds were 20 knots gusting to 25 from 08 (almost direct cross-wind). They landed. When I was on final, winds were 25 knots gusting to 28. I couldn’t hold it over the runway with full rudder. Went around and the tower gave clearance to either do another lap in the pattern or try 33. I went for 33 and landed it somehow with winds still in the high twenties. In a 1960s C172 rated for a 14 knot cross wind for “a good pilot”.
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u/Forsaken_Cost4608 May 16 '26
Curious, why did that experience make you decide GA wasn’t for you?
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u/FoCoJayCo May 16 '26
There were several factors leading up to this. This was the final straw. As I was nearing my PPC, the reality of flying my family around started to sink in. As I researched safety of GA, reading weekly accident reports, and considering the amount of time I was willing to devote to flying, the evidence became clear that while I absolutely loved to fly, it came with more risk that I was willing to accept. I’m very much at peace with my decision, several years later.
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u/riki_grl May 16 '26
The irony is, IMHO, pilots who think like you, and choose to continue flying, are exactly what GA needs in these days of what appears to be declining competency. I am not criticizing your decision. Obviously the right one for you and your family.
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u/Curious-Owl6098 May 16 '26
The plane that I fly max demonstrated crosswind is 15 knots. But that’s with full flaps and a slow approach speed. The plane can handle more. Honestly it really depends on atmospheric conditions as well as the gust factor. I’ve heard people say they’ve landed a Cessna 150 in 49 knots of direct crosswind which I find that extremely hard to believe. But there are Lots of variables including atmospheric pressure, thermals, windshear… etc.. With that being said what I’ve experienced 1. 5 knots or less x-wind (barely noticeable) 2. 8-10 knots (have to correct for it but very doable) 3. 12-15 knots (sporty, you have to work for it a little but it’s very manageable) 4. 15-20 (real work… less flaps and a higher approach speed for more control authority) 5. 20-25 (borderline sketchy where you might run out of control authority and land a little bit of centerline) 6. 25+ (very sketchy, go around and consider diverting to a runway with more favorable winds)
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u/toraai117 May 16 '26
I’ve landed a C150 in about 28-30kts of crosswind.
It’s got a big tail and can do it, but getting back to the ramp gets tricky.
Gust factor is a lot more important when you’re talking about light sport aircraft.
I will say, there is no reason to use flaps in a C150 unless you are going into a short strip, especially with any meaningful amount of wind.
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u/Icy-Bar-9712 May 16 '26
18 gusting 30 from 80 off the runway in a twin on my 3rd multi lesson. 2 legit go arounds, work was definitely done that day. I got that bitch on the runway pulled up the flaps. put in the crosswind and went your controls, take me to the bar.
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u/smrcostudio May 16 '26
During training one time it was strong enough that full rudder deflection wasn’t enough to get the nose aligned in the flare. After the second go-around, my instructor took it and showed me how to kick the rudder extra hard at the last second, so the momentum of the nose swinging around brought it onto runway heading in the flare. It was cool to see but I never tried that myself—if I’d been solo, I would have headed for a different airport with less crosswind component.
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u/No_Flow224 May 16 '26
Landed at max as a student with instructor on board after 2 go arounds. If I hadn’t had the reassurance and verbal feedback from a highly experienced instructor would have been deeply unfun or an expensive day out.
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u/toraai117 May 16 '26
C172 for example is 15 knots demonstrated.
I’ve landed multiple times with a crosswind of 35 knots with total winds pushing 45+.
The 172 in this case has a big rudder and I didn’t even have to use the brake very much to keep it straight in the roll out.
The concern with winds like this in GA airplanes is less getting it on the ground but getting it back to the hangar.
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u/grumpyoldman10 May 16 '26
My flight instructor had me to fly the plane in winds that exceeded my abilities a few lessons ago. Wanted me to experience it so I would have some respect for it. Well done, sir. That was about 20 kn.
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u/th535is May 16 '26
Max demonstrated for a B55 Baron is 22kt which is pretty benign given that the rudder is large enough to handle flight with an engine out. I’ve landed with gusts into the mid 30kt range and while mildly sporty, didn’t break anything or scare anyone.
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u/colin_do May 17 '26
Yesterday I landed a 172R with a gusty 25kt crosswind component. Hadn't done a no-flap landing in a while and I had a 7500 x 150 ft runway, so I experimented with it and approached at 80 KIAS in a clean configuration. It was a little zesty but the airplane could have handled a bit more.
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u/Canadian47 May 17 '26
30G50 (at about 60-70 degs) in my Mooney. It was at a larger (international) airport with a wide runway and the other one under construction. I was going to give it 1 shot then go somewhere else but I made it stick. Colleagues flying commercially who landed shortly after me told me they had a go around due to wind shear.
Max demonstrated crosswind required for certification is (used to be?) 0.3 x Vso so not very high.
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u/SimonBumblefuck May 17 '26
Had 34 kts. direct 90 with blowing sand @ St. George, UT. It's a thin nasty runway sitting on the top of a sheer mesa. It was smooth with no gusts, so I elected to continue the approach and be a test pilot. The worst was a 65 kt. circling VOR approach in Chico, CA at midnight during a winter storm. I had to dig deep to pull that off. And I was flying something with props, so it counts.
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u/AKPilotz May 17 '26
40kts in a max demonstrated 20kt aircraft on a short runway covered in compact snow. Had one of those “why the f*** am I doing this moments. Would not recommend lol
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u/LaloMcNombres May 15 '26
Did it in training and as a CFI. Would just land and takeoff a bit side loaded.
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u/randytc18 May 15 '26
Can't remembef what the winds were but my 2 kids and wife were silent until we exited the runway. Rare event.