Do those things with the whirly bits on top ever experience crosswinds on t/o or landing? Can't they always point into wind and in reality don't even know what a crosswind is?
Yes they do. Actually you always try to land and take off into wind which is normally easy. However, if the site restricts you it is quite possible to do so out of wind but you have to be careful as it is trickier. The crosswind limit is actually determined by the amount of cyclic authority available, as you obviously have to be stationary as you let it down on to the ground. If you don't have enough sideways cyclic control available to hold it in one place as you touch down, then you have to turn into wind where the control range availability is much greater.