Crosswind Limitations

Ideally, wind would always be perfectly aligned with runways. When runways are constructed, a consideration of the average wind direction for the area dictates the runway orientation. Los Angeles International, for instance, has east/west runways because of its proximity to the ocean and prevailing east/west winds. Dallas Fort Worth International, on the other hand, has mostly north/south runways because the wind in the area usually blows north/south. The problem is, fronts and other meteorological factors disrupt wind flow sometimes, and uncharacteristic crosswinds make pilots tighten their grip on the controls a bit.

The FAA requires airplanes to be satisfactorily controllable with no exceptional degree of pilot skill or alertness in 90° crosswinds up to a velocity equal to 0.2 Vso. For example, Vso, or the stalling speed in the landing configuration, for the Piper Archer I fly is 47 knots. That means the airplane can be landed by the average Joe pilot who isn't particularly skilled or alert in a direct 9.4 knot crosswind. A non-average Joe test pilot, on the other hand, who is highly skilled and alert, picks a windy day and lands the airplane with as much crosswind as he can handle and that number becomes the maximum demonstrated crosswind component for the airplane. Any airplane certificated after May 3, 1962 must have this number placarded in the cockpit where the pilot can see and be reminded that a test pilot could handle that amount of crosswind, but he probably can't. The maximum demonstrated crosswind component is NOT a limitation, and it can be exceeded. You can legally land with as much crosswind as you want. But if a test pilot could only handle say, seventeen knots, it's reasonable to consider that a limitation, or at least a very strong recommendation not to take on more than that (or even close to it).

When the wind is blowing across the runway and not along it and you're not certain you can land safely in the existing conditions, divert to an airport with a crosswind runway better aligned with the wind. Better yet, avoid that situation in the first place by giving a thorough check of the weather and forecasts before your flight. Wind isn't generally all that difficult to forecast, so if it looks like there's a possibility of encountering too much crosswind, delay the flight until the wind dies down or come back another day.

Looking for Students

Hello, readers. I'd like to take a moment to extend an offer to anyone seeking flight instruction to contact me. I'm taking on new students and would be glad to hear from you. I offer a full range of instructional services from Private through Airline Transport Pilot, including instrument, flight reviews and instrument proficiency checks. Please email me at ee.stuart@gmail.com to discuss your training needs or schedule a lesson. I look forward to hearing from you! --Gene

Salute to Captain Burkill

"It changed my life." That's what Captain Peter Burkill of British Airways Flight 38 said about the crash of his Boeing 777 in London on January 17, 2008. At four hundred feet on final approach into London Heathrow both of the 777's engines failed without warning or explanation. Listen to Captain Burkill's recount of the crash here. Due to Captain Burkill's proper management of the emergency, there were no fatalities.

Captain Burkill and his family suffered through a difficult year following the accident. Nasty rumors began to spread about Burkill's ineptitude as a captain, and how he "froze" on the flightdeck during the emergency. In fact, British Airways cabin crew trainers were propagating the insulting gossip and talking badly about Captain Burkill during recurrent training sessions. Not long after the accident, Burkill was shocked while cruising over the Atlantic when a couple of his flight attendants informed him of what was being said about him during their annual safety equipment training session. Negative media perceptions were formed of the captain, too.

What a shame. Captain Burkill did everything right, in my opinion. The entire emergency lasted less than one minute before impact. During that short time Burkill remained calm and did everything within his power to to manage the situation. He quickly troubleshot and tried to identify what may've caused a sudden loss of thrust on both engines simultaneously. When it was apparent power could not be restored and there was not enough time to continue further with that effort, Burkill made a smart split-second decision to shed drag by reducing flaps by five degrees. This action alone may have been the difference between life and death for passengers and people on the ground. Burkill was aware that reducing the flaps by five degrees would increase the glide range while not dangerously increasing stall speed. And within seconds before impact he made a mayday call to the tower so that firefighting and rescue equipment could be dispatched immediately.

Burkill may have been criticized for not taking aircraft control from his first officer, who was the pilot flying for the landing. Actually, I think that was one of the best decisions he made that day. Burkill knew his first officer was highly experienced in the 777, almost as experienced as he was. And Burkill knew that time was so limited before impact that he needed to have full, undistracted access to his captain's knowledge and wisdom. I think his decision to let his very capable first officer continue flying was a fine display of crew resource management (CRM). Had he taken the controls so low with so little time, Burkill may not have thought to partially raise the flaps and the accident could've ended in tragedy.

In my opinion, Captain Burkill's handling of that unprecedented and very challenging emergency was a fine display of airmanship. The man deserves respect and recognition for a job well done. Many people could've died that day, but everyone survived. It disappoints me how disrespectfully Captain Burkill was treated after the accident. I personally would like to extend to him my respect and congratulations for his work that day. Well done, Captain Burkill.