PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Simulator Training for strong crosswind landings
Old 4th Jun 2014, 02:31
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Centaurus
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Australia
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Flying a steady wind crosswind is pretty damn easy.
For an experienced pilot, yes. In fact I used to look forward to experiencing strong cross-winds as a challenge. But it is a completely different story for the low hour first officers that appear to be the norm in airline recruiting nowadays.

A common theme observed during crosswind landings in the 737 Level D (Full Flight) simulators, is the sight of experienced and not so experienced pilots alike making very little attempt to touch down without drift. The landings turn out OK but there is no finesse. While the Boeing FCTM talks about deliberately landing without removing drift on a slippery runway, and I can understand that technique, I am amazed at the number of times I have observed pilots plonking the aircraft sideways on dry runways without even trying to get it straight first.

It is also interesting to note that some are even seemingly unaware they still have drift on at touch down. In fact there are some pilots who for some reason cannot "see" drift. One technique to show them the drift on touch down is to "freeze" the simulator at the split-second of touch down, so that at their leisure they can see the aircraft heading and compare it to the runway heading. My guess is 90 percent touch down with 10 degrees or more of drift still in place. The usual excuse is that the FCTM allows this via the words "The airplane can land using crab only (zero sideslip) up to the landing crosswind guideline speeds" Judging by the video shown in the original post several aircraft did just that.

Earlier I mentioned that low hour pilots will inevitably show apprehension at cross wind landings until with experience they finally can hack them. Please forgive the following "war" story on my experience at my attempts at cross wind landings while flying Lincoln bombers but it shows why I have sympathy with new pilots landing their jet transports in even moderate crosswinds. Townsville in North Queensland, Australia has an 8000 ft main runway invariably cursed with a 15 knot crosswind. The Lincoln Mk 31 was a four engine bomber (bigger than the Lancaster) and known for its appalling lack of view over its long nose, and at night especially few enjoyed landing it in a crosswind. Once the tail was down there was no forward vision. During the landing run in a crosswind the Lincoln would weathercock and the rudders were none too effective so the pilot would resort to differential braking and as last resort even bursts of power from one or other of the outboard engines until the aircraft came to a stop.

I hated coming back from a long flight only to find the resident crosswind had to be faced. One fine day, a Royal Air Force pilot on exchange to the RAAF was posted to our squadron to fly the Long Nose Lincoln. He was a experienced Avro Shackleton pilot having operated both the tail-wheel Shack as well as the tricycle version. As I was the squadron QFI my job was to check him out on the Lincoln. I made a real hash of demonstrating the Lincoln crosswind crab landing to him while he looked on with a mixture of amusement and some apprehension at my terrible demo landings.

I took him up on his offer to demonstrate how he did crosswind landings in the Shackleton using the combination of decrab in the flare and touch down one wing slightly low resulting in the into wind main wheel touching first. He did the same technique perfectly in the Lincoln and I became a life long convert to that technique in all the aircraft I flew since including the 737. My confidence had been shot until that fortuitous meeting with the RAF Shackleton pilot (thanks Flt Lt Laurie Hampson).

The point I am trying to make in a rather unwieldy way, is that inexperienced first officers to jet transports will inevitably be spooked by crosswind landings, especially knowing they have a hundred plus people down the back ready to scream OMG into their mobile phones to relatives and friends on the other end. Regular training at strong crosswind landings in the appropriate level of simulator before going on line, will give new pilots to type the confidence they need and at the same time increase their basic handling skills.
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