Build Crosswind Proficiency and Personal Limits
Crosswind skills fade without practice: set personal limits, watch for changing winds, use rudder and aileron correctly, and go around or use RWY 30 if needed.
1 min readKapiti Aero Club safety team
At NZPP, spring often brings 'crosswind season' – the time of year everyone with a BFR due looks forward to!
Everyone needs to be comfortable and proficient in crosswinds. Just because you were good at them a few months ago doesn't mean you're still proficient now. All skills deteriorate without practice, so recognise your limitations well before you're up in the air.
Watch for significant weather changes during your flight. You may take off from NZPP in calm winds and return to find the crosswind has increased beyond your personal limits. One of our instructors once took off in a 4 kt easterly and, returning just 20 minutes later, found a 25 kt south-westerly on the ground!
Set personal limits, and don't hesitate to book a dual flight with an instructor to practise crosswind circuits and build your confidence.
Crosswind technique
- Rudder to keep the nose straight in relation to the runway.
- Aileron to maintain the centreline (land on the into-wind main wheel first).
- Once all three wheels are on the ground, ailerons into wind.
You can always go around and try again. At NZPP we also have crosswind RWY 30, which can be used for imperative landings. If you genuinely can't land on RWY 34, try RWY 30 to reduce the crosswind component.