UK pilots landing sideways in Leeds - Video

[arist]

UK pilots make a good crosswind landing, or "crab landing " despite winds in Leeds, the highest UK airport (208 m):
Landing sideways in Leeds - Video. Winter 2015

Imagine, how passengers from Scotland felt... Such a relief that they make it on the first attempt... )

 

[Blackberg]

Can't speak much for this size aircraft, and it is impressive, but pilots start learning to do this very early in training. Doing this in a Cessna may well be the most fun you can have in a seated position. A crab is also called a forward slip. Another option is the side slip, where the fuselage stays aligned with the runway, but rolled towards the incoming wind. While just as safe, this is not done with unknowing passengers as being so tilted may make them too unneasy.

 

[davenn]

excellent piece of flying !

 

[phinds]

Jeez, I just looked on the internet and apparently this is so common that pilots are always trained for it! I've flown a fair amount and have had the good fortune to never experience it but it's pretty cool the way they usually deal with it quite well.

 

[cjl]

They generally try to use a runway that is pretty well aligned with the wind if possible to avoid this, but they do have this capability if necessary. It can be fairly impressive to watch:

 

[cjl]

Can't speak much for this size aircraft, and it is impressive, but pilots start learning to do this very early in training. Doing this in a Cessna may well be the most fun you can have in a seated position. A crab is also called a forward slip. Another option is the side slip, where the fuselage stays aligned with the runway, but rolled towards the incoming wind. While just as safe, this is not done with unknowing passengers as being so tilted may make them too unneasy.

A slip is different from a crab. In a slip, the aircraft is put into an attitude such that the relative wind is not aligned with the fuselage (through use of opposing aileron and rudder). This is commonly used for crosswind landings in small aircraft, as it allows the aircraft to point more directly down the runway (and in line with its ground track, but not with the relative wind) during the landing despite the crosswind. In a slip, there is a significant bank angle though, which could cause a large aircraft to drag a wing or an engine on the runway. In addition, a slip is somewhat disconcerting for passengers. Because of these reasons, large aircraft usually do crosswind landings with a crab rather than a slip.

With a crab, the aircraft is still aligned with the relative wind - there is no aileron or rudder needed (and the airplane is not "slipping" at all - as far as the aerodynamics are concerned, the airplane is on a straight, normal descent). The ground track is aligned with the runway by pointing the nose of the aircraft upwind, and the aircraft is yawed at the last minute to align with the runway as it touches down. This keeps the wings relatively level, but at the expense of a potential high sideload on the landing gear (which is part of the reason this is not done with small aircraft - they tend not to like sideloads on the gear).