What would or should you do?

[Captain]

The following is hypothetical BUT based on what I observed at Narromine as described in another thread.

 

 

 

 

 

SO (apart from kissing your **** goodbye)..... WHAT WOULD OR SHOULD YOU DO IF? ........

 

 

 

You are on final in a 19 or 24 class recreational aircraft for a well established active tarred runway about 1500 - 2000 long, with 15 - 20 knots of gusty wind that is pretty well on the nose but perhaps varying 10 - 15 degrees either side of the runway direction.

 

 

 

Your approach looks good and at about the instant that you flare, you experience a major wind change with no warning and say 15 - 25 knots at 90 degrees to the runway.

 

 

 

 

 

AND WHAT SHOULDN'T YOU DO? ......

 

 

[BigPete]

In those conditions I wouldn't be looking to flare too much or at all - half flap at most - in my Jabiru J160c approach would 60/65 knots with a little throttle on. Drive it onto the run way and be ready to put the stick into the wind once on the deck.

 

regards

 

 

[Yenn]

Go around and try again.

 

 

[Ultralights]

a rule of thumb i was taught years ago, keep flap setting and associated speed at the same angle as the windsock, nill wind = full flap, gale == no flap, and hence higher speed. if the wind is 20kts, then a higher approach speed would be used, and i would fly the aircraft on more than flare. if i wasnt on the deck when the gust hit, full power and climb away,

 

 

[motzartmerv]

yep.. go around why risk bendin the plane, or your head?

 

 

[vk3auu]

Well, I have "been there and done that" at Leongatha in a Thruster. As I recall, I was about to flare, probably twenty feet or so off the deck when the wind suddenly changed direction. I instantly turned into the wind, ready to put it down off the strip, into the wind on the grass, but fortunately, the wind straightened up down the strip again, so I kicked it straight down the strip and landed, much to the bewilderment of the assembled troops who wondered what the hell I was doing, so they ran out and grabbed the wings and walked me to the tie down position.

 

In hindsight, I probably should have gone around, but it all ended well anyway. In the Zenair 701, I would probably say "%$#@", roll it into the wind, and carry on with the cross wind landing.

 

David

 

 

[Ben Longden]

Been there done that. :ah_oh:

 

Firewalled the throttle, right stick, (wind was from my right) established a positive climb, flaps up and have another crack at it.

 

I had a chat with the instructor afterwards, who was watching from the clubrooms... and he simply said "good decision".

 

The way I looked at it, the gust was moving me across the runway just before wheels touched the deck, the right wing was being lifted and I felt I did not want to become part of the runway, so I decided to GTFOOT.

 

Ben

 

(Get the %^&* out of there)

 

 

[youngmic]

Covered under the 2 rule aviation policy;

 

1/ Don't hit nuthin

 

2/ Don't do nuthin dumb.

 

What should you do? Go around

 

What shouldn't you do? Crash

 

 

[spacesage]

Been in this situation, hit the throttle and went around.

 

Also had a similar situation when landing on 550m strip on Keswick Island. Once you clear the western end of the strip you get a dramatic sink, ready freddy on the throttle. Push it up and go around, you can try a couple of times to get in. Taking off was even more fun. All this in a Piper Warrior.

 

Altitude is your friend......