June 2005-
One day I was out shooting approaches from Long Beach, Calif. airport. Judging from the blimp on the ground, the winds were not strong.
However, by the time I was ready to go flying, the blimp had shifted 90 degrees on the ground with the wind. This was fine with me.
So, when I took off, the visibility was clear and unrestricted. Puffy cumulus clouds were out on the far horizon to the west over the Pacific Ocean and east over the mountains. Winds were six to seven knots out of the west.
After I was airborne I was given a couple of vectors to final approach course, and I took the time to look down at the ocean to see whitecaps appearing. This is when I sensed my landing was going to be a bit interesting. Some non-pilot oscillation heading in my direction.
I asked the tower for a wind check. Tower came back with winds two-seven-zero at 15 knots. I’m thinking to myself, I’m landing on runway three-zero-zero minus winds from two-seven-zero, which means a crosswind of 30 degrees at 13 knots. No problem; no hurricane-type winds from Oz heading my way.
But I realized something needed to be done or else I’d be sitting on the ground upside down with a crash crew coming to cart me away. How many degrees of flaps will I need for this landing?
Some aircrafts require flaps on takeoff either all the time or some of the time, depending on the circumstances. Flaps are used to stabilize and slow the aircraft down on downwind and landing, creating lift or drag depending on the conditions.
I was taught to use partial and full flaps as follows:
• Wind speed 15 to 20 knots or more, use 20 degree or less flaps (also known as partial flaps).
• Wind speed 15 to 20 knots or less, use 30 degree or more flaps (also known as full flaps).
The greater the wind velocity, the less flaps are required and vice versa. I elected to use 10 degrees flaps, and cross-control the aircraft (wing down into the wind), holding the runway heading with the rudder. Decision made!
I wiped my hand on my jeans, got a firm grip on the control yoke, got myself in “relax mode,” and focused on my point of landing.
I kept my eye on the airspeed, knowing that if it went too low the plane would stall and I’d have a not-too-graceful landing, and if the airspeed went too high, I’d be going through the fence, rear-ending the rabbits and squirrels. Having lots of runway gave me plenty of time for a careful smooth landing, one wheel at a time.
As I felt the aircraft touch ground… and stay on the ground… I exhaled, glad to land successfully one more time without turning the rental airplane into scrap metal. The safety pilot echoed my sentiments, telling me it was a good landing.
Final thought: Crosswinds are unpredictable. They can occur at any time and any place. With this in mind, vegetation and Mother Nature—such as whitecaps on the water, birds flying backward, squirrels flying that aren’t supposed to be flying—are good indications of strong winds. Happy flapping.
Norm Ellis is an instrument-rated private pilot who has flown 23 different General Aviation aircraft types. He holds three Multi-STCs on five different Type Certificate aircraft that are certified on 88 aircraft with 30 more pending.
