Originally Posted by
Kiwiguy
Incidentally the youtube clip above of a Boeing 777 landing in 50 knot crosswinds was piloted by John Cashman. I have read an account by a test engineer aboard who mentioned that the B777 has got a facility to swivel the main gear slightly, only intended for ground manouvering, but the engineer noted that pilots often mis-use the facility to crab the main wheels a la B-52 style prior to crosswind landings.
The 777 has no means of altering the angle of the main gear. What it does have is limited motion in the rear bogies to alleviate tyre scrub during tight cornering. This locks out when the aircraft straightens up. If you tried to land with this system activated (no way I know of doing that without major interference with the flight control systems) the results would be rather unpredictable and pretty dangerous, IMHO. If the main gear steering does not lock/comes unlocked during the takeoff roll, it will generate a config. warning leading to an RTO.
one last question. This technique with not de-crabbing, is it a 777 thingy or is it valid for most jets.
The videos linked to on this thread are mostly of test/certification flying by a manufacturer. I'm pretty sure that Boeing design their aircraft to be landed with no crosswind correction up to the limiting value. This doesn't mean that it is a) any good for the fatigue life of the gear/tyres/airframe b) comfortable to those on board or c) regularly practiced outside of test flying. There are situations where you might consider leaving the drift on (icy/slippery runways) and at the back of your mind you know that if you don't "de-crab" on a dry runway the aircraft should survive. Most pilots would attempt some form of correction before touchdown, however. The autopilot certainly does!