Significance[edit]

Aircraft in flight are subject to the direction of the winds in which the aircraft is
operating. For example, an aircraft in flight that is pointed directly north along its
longitudinal axis will, generally, fly in that northerly direction. owe!er, if there is a west
wind, the actual trac" of the aircraft will be slightly to the east of north. #f the aircraft was
landing north on a north$south runway, it would need to compensate for this easterly drift
caused by the west crosswind.

%&$'( performing a crab landing ha!ing nose pointed toward incoming wind, but
undercarriage aligned along the runway
#n situations where a crosswind is present, the aircraft will drift laterally as it approaches
the runway. )his drift poses significant safety issues because safe operation of the
undercarriage re*uires the body and trac" of the aircraft to be aligned with the runway at
touch down. )he landing gear designs of the +pioneer era+ ,-.- &leriot %#, and the
much later /old 0ar &$'( strategic jet hea!y bomber, were designed and each built with
an unusual feature to counteract the problem1 with the &$'(, all four of its landing gear
bogies could be steered, allowing the aircraft to land with the wheels facing the direction
of tra!el e!en if the nose was not pointed in the same direction. )he &leriot %# had
pi!oting main gear legs, which passi!ely allowed the main gear wheels to castor together
about each of their !ertical axes as a unit to allow small$angle crosswind landings, with
bungee$cord loaded rigging members between the lower ends of the main wheel for"s, to
bring the wheels bac" to a +directly$ahead+ orientation after touchdown.
#f the crosswind landing is not executed safely, the aircraft may experience wingstri"e,
where a wing hits the runway.
)echni*ues[edit]
)he following guidelines are ad!ised by &oeing for a crosswind landing. )hese
guidelines assume steady wind 2no gusting3. )hese winds are measured at ,. m 244 feet3
tower height for a runway 5' m 2,56 feet3 in width. &asically, there are 4 landing
techni*ues which may be used to correct for cross winds1 de$crab, crab, and sideslip.
7e$crab[edit]

crosswind
crosswind
component
thrust !ector
runway
component
touchdown

7e$crab
)he objecti!e of this techni*ue is to maintain wings le!el and the aircraft position near
the runway centerline during approach. )he nose points into the wind so that the aircraft
approaches the runway slightly s"ewed with respect to the runway centerline 2crabbing3.
)his gi!es the impression of approaching the runway flying sideways, which can be
disorienting for the pilot. 8osition is maintained by balancing the crosswind component,
or more accurately the drag force arising from it, with engine thrust. 0ings are
maintained le!el throughout the approach. 9ust before the flare, opposite rudder
2downwind rudder3 is applied to eliminate the crab, with a simultaneous application of
opposite aileron to maintain a wings$le!el attitude, so that at touch down, the body,
!elocity !ector, and ban" angle are all aligned with the runway, and the aircraft is
positioned near the center.
/rab[edit]

crosswind
crosswind
component
thrust !ector
runway
component
touchdown

/rab
)he airplane can land using crab only 2:ero side slip3 up to the landing crosswind
guideline .
;n dry runways, upon touchdown the airplane trac"s towards the upwind edge of the
runway while de$crabbing to align with the runway. #mmediate upwind aileron is needed
to ensure the wings remain le!el while rudder is needed to trac" center line. )he greater
the amount of crab at touchdown, the larger the lateral de!iation from the point of
touchdown. For this reason, touchdown in a crab only condition is not recommended
when landing on a dry runway.
;n !ery slippery runways, landing the airplane using crab only reduces drift towards the
downwind side of a touchdown, and may reduce pilot wor"load since the airplane does
not ha!e to be de$crabbed before touchdown. owe!er, proper rudder and upwind aileron
must be applied after touchdown to ensure directional control is maintained.
Sideslip[edit]

crosswind
crosswind
component
lift !ector
runway
component
touchdown

Sideslip
)his sideslip crosswind techni*ue is to maintain the aircraft<s heading aligned with the
runway centerline. )he initial phase of the approach is flown using the /rab techni*ue to
correct for drift. )he aircraft heading is adjusted using rudder and ailerons to align with
the runway. )his places the aircraft at a constant sideslip angle, which its natural stability
will tend to correct. Sufficient rudder and aileron must be applied continuously to
maintain the sideslip at this !alue. )he dihedral action of the wings has a tendency to
cause the aircraft to roll, so aileron must be applied to chec" the ban" angle.
0ith a slight residual ban" angle, a touchdown is typically accomplished with the upwind
main wheels touching down just before the downwind wheels. =xcessi!e control must be
a!oided because o!er$ban"ing could cause the engine nacelle or outboard wing flap to
contact the runway>ground.
#n strong crosswind conditions, it is sometimes necessary to combine the crab techni*ue
with the sideslip techni*ue. )his techni*ue is also used whene!er the aircraft is too high
on approach, and there needs to be a rapid reduction of altitude in order to conduct a safe
landing.
?eferences[edit]