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tough cross wind landing

C

Christopher Murphy

Well Known Member
After the WCFC 3 of us had to get creative to get back to Colorado. My RV-4 not having enough range to make the last leg from Gallup,NM to Ft Collins non stop required a fuel stop short. The winds were gusting over 30 knots at most airports along the route but were forecast to be 300 deg at Lajunta Colorado which has a northwest runway. So I skirted snow showers most of the way over the high terrain. I was unable to get thru the (Routon pass) on I-25 northbound. I deviated east over lower terrain and made it to LHX where I found the winds to be a serious cross wind on both runways . My back up plan was to go on east to Lamar if I couldn't land at LaJunta. Since I had the camera installed, I turned it on for the landing. Look off the left wing at the beginning of the video and you will see blowing dust. I didn't realize how much I was verbalizing until I watched the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzumJUl6POc
 
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Christopher Murphy said:
After the WCFC 3 of us had to get creative to get back to Colorado. My RV-4 not having enough range to make the last leg from Gallup,NM to Ft Collins non stop required a fuel stop short. The winds were gusting over 30 knots at most airports along the route but were forecast to be 300 deg at Lajunta Colorado which has a northwest runway. So I skirted snow showers most of the way over the high terrain. I was unable to get thru the (Routon pass) on I-25 northbound. I deviated east over lower terrain and made it to LHX where I found the winds to be a serious cross wind on both runways . My back up plan was to go on east to Lamar if I couldn't land at LaJunta. Since I had the camera installed, I turned it on for the landing. Look off the left wing at the beginning of the video and you will see blowing dust. I didn't realize how much I was verbalizing until I watched the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzumJUl6POc
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Nicely done. From what I heard from friends who live there, Colorado was not the garden spot of the nation today.
 
It certainly was not the best of weather today.

I spent the day at the hangar...afraid to open the door. DIA was reporting 47 knots when I left. Chris...you're more pilot than I am.
 
Chris, I sometimes land diagonally (more or less) across the runway to reduce the crosswind component. Flare over the grass, miss the runway lights and cross the runway to the opposite side grass...it can help.

Best,
 
RV-4 rocks. Great job!

"I'll be glad when this day is over". I've said that a few times when returning home with windy condition.
 
pierre smith said:
Chris, I sometimes land diagonally (more or less) across the runway to reduce the crosswind component. Flare over the grass, miss the runway lights and cross the runway to the opposite side grass...it can help.

Best,
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This. Keeping it straight down the runway is overrated. ;)
 
Well done!

Chris,

Very well done! I would have like to have seen the take off that followed after refueling as well. The 4 is really good at landing in a cross wind, I find taking off with the torque swing more difficult.

I have shared this on Facebook, I hope you don't mind.
 
Nice landing. I played it without audio and it looked like a no wind landing to me.
At least you did not have a passenger to scare.
I don't want to bomb your thread but my wife has a story from a few weeks ago that she will not soon let me forget.
We were traveling to Charleston KCHS @ 9k and approach put me down about 10 miles out. Wind was 17G24KT so a little bumpy anyway. They turned me for final while still 3k and told me there was a C-5A on 5 mile final. I crossed the threshold 500' and 120kts. This is where I should have said UNABLE. I spent most of my effort trying to get down and slower that my crappy landing sideloaded enough to break a wheel pant. Glad it was a torn wheel pant and not a blown tire. Lessons learned.
 
I have too!

pierre smith said:
Chris, I sometimes land diagonally (more or less) across the runway to reduce the crosswind component. Flare over the grass, miss the runway lights and cross the runway to the opposite side grass...it can help.

Best,
Click to expand...

Yes I have used that trick too. You notice I landed right of center line. This gives me room to let it move left if I can't hold it. The runway was pretty narrow to really get much angle on it.

Someone else mentioned torque on take off.. I used that to my advantage.

I learned tailwheel flying from really old timers and they taught me a lot of things to consider for a landing like this. They don't make pilots like those guys anymore.

This most important thing to take from this is that I had an out if I couldn't land.
 
Chris,
As one of the three I can say that the video pretty well describes the whole day. Steph and I were able to get over Raton Pass (legally) with no problem. I can also say that you were not the only one talking to your self on landing. My wife was actually crying when I pulled up to the hangar. I am glad we got home when we did because yesterday was worse and today is no better. The two Jim's now have the Sana Anna winds to deal with as well. Definatly a rough time for flying. Great job on the landing, I wouldn't have expected any less.
Ryan
 
it was a rough day

Ryan,

I almost waited too long to leave GUP. Routon pass was totally covered in snow showers. It worked out ok. I landed at FNL with 35kts but it was only 20 degrees off. We made it through the only window of opportunity in the last 3 days that's for sure. Its still howling up here! Santa Annas... oh great I have to fly a -900 to LAX later today...:(

I have some nice video of you and Steph's airplanes I will share when I get time.

Murph
 
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131RB said:
Chris,
As one of the three I can say that the video pretty well describes the whole day. Steph and I were able to get over Raton Pass (legally) with no problem. I can also say that you were not the only one talking to your self on landing. My wife was actually crying when I pulled up to the hangar. I am glad we got home when we did because yesterday was worse and today is no better. The two Jim's now have the Sana Anna winds to deal with as well. Definatly a rough time for flying. Great job on the landing, I wouldn't have expected any less.
Ryan
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You landed at Van Aire in these winds? I would be crying too. Much respect sir. Wow.
 
I was at my hangar at Denver Centennial at about the time you were landing in La Junta and the wind was blowing so hard I couldn't open the hangar door. Big gusts and virga all around, too. The airport was deserted. I remember thinking to myself as I was driving home, "It would be awesome to be a good enough tailwheel pilot to go shoot t&g's in this stuff." Thanks for the video. Gave me a taste. Wow.
 
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colojo said:
I was at my hangar at Denver Centennial at about the time you were landing in La Junta and the wind was blowing so hard I couldn't open the hangar door. Big gusts and virga all around, too. The airport was deserted. I remember thinking to myself as I was driving home, "It would be awesome to be a good enough tailwheel pilot to go shoot t&g's in this ****." Thanks for the video. Gave me a taste. Wow.
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"It would be awesome to be a good enough tailwheel pilot to go shoot t&g's in this

NO ONE IS A GOOD ENOUGH TAILWHEEL PILOT TO GO OUT AND DO TOUCH AND GOES IN THIS WIND.

This was an experienced high time pilot evalutating the risks of a one time landing. PLEASE DON'T TAKE THIS VIDEO AS ENCOURAGEMENT TO FLY IN THESE CONDITIIONS The margins were pretty thin and it easily could have been a video of a nasty ground loop.

Chris Murphy
 
Christopher Murphy said:
NO ONE IS A GOOD ENOUGH TAILWHEEL PILOT TO GO OUT AND DO TOUCH AND GOES IN THIS WIND.
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Don't worry about me, Chris... I wouldn't even take my Mooney out in that stuff, and I'm a high-time Mooney pilot. And if I were in your shoes yesterday I would have skipped La Junta and gone to that next airport... your "out."

It's no accident that Denver Centennial was deserted yesterday. I was only there because my landlord asked me to check on something in my hangar.
 
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What do you think it was blowing on the surface? Only looks like about a 10 degree crab angle on approach. Looks like a pretty typical x-wind landing. It was a good video, and the landing was handled just fine, but looks like fairly common x-wind that many of us see quite often...how often maybe depending on the part of the country you live in.
 
I guessing 80 degrees at 25kts

You must be joking right? When you hear me say S h x t that's when my right rudder hit the stop. The airplane is still in a serious crab. The only thing keeping it from darting off the runway was the right brake. If I were in a A model it would have ran off the runway.

Definitely not a typical cross wind, not for me or most guys I know. If this is typical for you, I tip my hat to you.

Chris M
 
The cameras we typically use to capture action are more designed to get more in the screen than accurately represent proportions.

Some of my videos amaze me how smooth it looks when I know it was rough. Being wind or my poor piloting.
 
luddite42 said:
What do you think it was blowing on the surface? Only looks like about a 10 degree crab angle on approach. Looks like a pretty typical x-wind landing. It was a good video, and the landing was handled just fine, but looks like fairly common x-wind that many of us see quite often...how often maybe depending on the part of the country you live in.
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I don't think the camera does a great job of showing how challenging it was. When he is on half mile final you can see that the runway line is right between the wing leading edge vs nose of the airplane. Indicating a pretty hefty crab angle. I only wish you could have been in my back seat for a closer look. ;0)
Ryan
 
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