That pilot landed with crab. Usually, you’re not supposed to do that as it puts tremendous side loads on the landing gear. Experienced pilots will maintain the crab until just before touchdown, then kick the rudder to align the aircraft with the runway and use opposite aileron into wind to maintain centerline. This pilot didn’t do that. Actually, he might have may the situation worse since you can see him using left rudder right before landing (instead of right) further increasing his offset angle. I believe this was because the aircraft may started to drift right of centerline and he was trying to keep it on the centerline, but had he used proper technically he could just used aileron. Keep in mind, this is a middle eastern airline with an airplane that almost completely automated. The actual hands and feet skill of these pilots may not be that good. My 2 cents.
The landing gear is designed to be landed in a crab on this and many other large aircraft. If landed using conventional crosswind technique, the outer engine pod would suffer a ground strike. Incidentally, the max crosswind on the A380, according to the interweb, is 40 knots. That’s a fresh gale!
My favorite was the “Single Swine”, as one bush pilot I knew called the aircraft with adoration. Stall was 45 knots, I believe. Single Otter. Landing in a high wind was just like a helicopter on the pad. Keep the nose up, though. Don’t bury the floats.
PO’d, that’s still my favourite airframe, the Piston Otter. Been 20 years since I’ve flown one but oh man, could that airframe perform. Makes me wish I was just a little younger and still indestructible, I’d love to fly one again but there aren’t too many left that haven’t been converted to turbine.
The technique used by the pilot, and the airplane requiring that technique were pioneered in the 1930’s by the Ercoupe, which had no rudder pedals. The designer’s intent was to create a spin proof airplane. No rudder pedals, no way to cross control the airplane. There was a rudder, it was connected to the airlerons.
The technique was resurrected years later in the jet age for planes that could not do a traditional crosswind landing.
I almost bought a lovely little 1947 Ercoupe 415 back in the 1990’s, with the intention of finishing off my flight training. They were the first aircraft certified as “characteristically incapable of spinning.” Due to the design. Boeing used them to train pilots of the new types of low wing, jet powered aircraft with underslung engines that were to become the standard design for many aircraft, (starting with the dash 80, which would eventually become the civilian Boeing 707),to land crabbed, being an unnatural method at the time.
The little plane was also used by the JATO company, in its infancy, used the Ercoupe to test the small rocket assist devices it was building, thus making it the first rocket powered aircraft to take off and land under its own power.
A remarkable little aircraft for its time!
The 747 is certified to land in a crab up to 45 degrees,. The pilot of this airplane (A380) did well enough.
I’m sure there are pilots who can do better, but I expect they all agree with “any landing you walk away from is a good landing.” And I suppose “if the aircraft is still flyable, that’s better one,” is part two of that rule.
I’ve ridden motorcycles in crosswinds that required me to hang off almost to dragging the knee just to keep going in a straight line, and I don’t think that even begins to give me a feel for what a pilot is doing to land a plane that size in a crosswind that strong.
Hans Rupprecht – Commander in Chief
Army Group “True North”
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
I don’t want to ever land at that airport, Maui was scary enough.
I once landed in Fort St. John during a windstorm. During the approach, the plane was bouncing all over the place. I swear the pilot must have had a background as a rodeo rider.
As it turned out, one of the passengers was an air traffic controller and she was quite impressed. As the saying goes, any landing one can walk away from was a good one.
To funny! Quite a few years ago, I too landed at Fort St. John, and I remember looking out the window just before we landed and I could see the runway!! at the time I was thinking this is not good!! My brother (who is a small plane pilot) told me that this was the correct method….but that video is wild!
go to third world countries, the pilot establishes flight rules as they go:-))
.
I once watched a De Havilland Beaver airplane take off and land VERTICALLY ……. true story …. I was training to fly the Bell 47 helicopter at St Andrews airport north of Winnipeg but everything was shut down that day because the winds were 50 mph.
On days like that all the pilots sit in the airport cafeteria , drink coffee , and tell true stories …. so my instructor said lets go have a bit of fun ….. he wanted to show (off) that a heli could fly even in high winds so we went out for about 15 minutes hovering over the runway …. in full view of the cafeteria windows of course.
We landed , put the machine away , and headed to the cafeteria to do some boasting (of course) ….. however during the 20 minutes it took us to get to the cafe a couple of pilots had pulled the Beaver out of a hanger and all eyes were glued on them.
With full flaps and no load the Beaver stall speed is 45 mph and with a steady 50 mph wind directly down the runway all they had to do was open throttle to 45 mph airspeed and it lifted straight up off the runway … they remained motionless for about 30 seconds , set it back down for a moment , then increased throttle and flew away. Amazing to watch …. we heli guys did no boasting that day.
Arnie, in Honduras I watched a dash 8 fly down the runway and land in less than 50 feet, due to head winds. As a pilot in the terminal said, ” in Canada or the USA, that pilot would have been grounded for that act”
Bad decision, a go around is what you do when things get that bent out of shape. He didn’t straighten out before touchdown. The end result is taking the plane out of service for extra inspections due to all that excessive loading on the landing gear.
Whether his routine was any good or not, he sure stuck the landing.
There are a number of aircraft, A380 included, that are designed to be landed with crab. The F-5s that Canada used to fly had to be landed with crab, if you didn’t the downwind engine would flame out. Pilot did well.
Incidentally, any “third world” airline that can afford A380s has primarily Canadian and other “first world” pilots and maintainers.
RLP…Ya beat me to the punch.
Those doing the flying in the left and right seat are 99.95% Ex pats. I give that extra .05% to the very odd Arab that even makes it to the right seat. It does happen – Bro in law was senior pilot with Emirates (767’s). 10 yrs just retired.
Expats fly much of the Oriental and Middle Eastern Airlines. Canadians, Americans, Germans, Brits, South Africans, French, Dutch etc.
It’s all to prevent repeats of a Korean Air Flight in the early 80’s that flew straight into a mountain with a verbally paralyzed Co-Pilot deathly afraid to say anything to his “Superior” … the pilot.
Culture.
And then of course you have Ho Lee Fuk n company…that’s another thing altogether – Im thinking any International ChiComm Aircraft would have a Political Officer on board as well…no.?
After the 737 max accident it showed how bad some of the third world country pilots are. I would be very reluctant to fly on non north american airlines. It is true most of these big airplanes are flown by Canadians , Americans or other first world pilots. Boeing lost the battle of public opinion but it will be another thing when it gets to court when the facts are all on the table.
The 737 Max accidents showed how bad the first world software was, nothing to do with piloting. Before Ethiopian Airlines pilots get to the big jets they do a lot of time landing on very short runways, exposed to crosswinds and downdrafts on plateaus which drop off suddenly. Have a look at the topography!
The recovery procedure for 737 Max MCAS failure is the same as the recovery procedure has been for ANY 737 runaway stabilizer trim for the entire history of the aircraft. And that procedure is a MEMORY ITEM for pilots of those aircraft. Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes were fourth world culture pretending they are competent to operate first world equipment. Nothing more. But also nothing less.
Precisely.
Neither of those crashes had First World Pilots.
There’s plenty of blame to pass around beyond the line pilots. These crashes could have been avoided if the aircraft were designed and tested by engineers and pilots instead of accountants and marketers.
Technically 3rd world software purchased by first world countries.
Flying in a twin Otter we had to do a touch and go on Taveuni, Fiji due to the winds and the shortness of the runway on a high plateau. I was feeling no small amount of anxiety until the pilot turned around and looked back over his shoulder to check on the passengers. He was the most grizzled-looking, heavy set, stubble-bearded old f@^# you could imagine, with a very sardonic look on his face at which point I immediately relaxed, knowing full well he’d done this a hundred times before and for him this was just another day at the office. Experience counts.
If I recall correctly, the main gear of a B-52 was steerable to allow for severe crosswind landings. The wingtips could also flex over a thirty foot range, vertically.
Etihad Airways – likely they only hire the best European pilots. Etihad Airways flies out of the United Arab Emirates, the second richest country in the Middle East so they have big bucks.
The pilot’s heart rate was likely normal until he pulled up to the gate. Then he had time to think about it and likely hyperventilated.
I’ve had a few close calls on the road and stayed calm the whole time. It would about a half mile later I would realise what happened.
There’s old pilots and bold pilots but no old bold pilots.
Standing ovation!
That pilot landed with crab. Usually, you’re not supposed to do that as it puts tremendous side loads on the landing gear. Experienced pilots will maintain the crab until just before touchdown, then kick the rudder to align the aircraft with the runway and use opposite aileron into wind to maintain centerline. This pilot didn’t do that. Actually, he might have may the situation worse since you can see him using left rudder right before landing (instead of right) further increasing his offset angle. I believe this was because the aircraft may started to drift right of centerline and he was trying to keep it on the centerline, but had he used proper technically he could just used aileron. Keep in mind, this is a middle eastern airline with an airplane that almost completely automated. The actual hands and feet skill of these pilots may not be that good. My 2 cents.
The landing gear is designed to be landed in a crab on this and many other large aircraft. If landed using conventional crosswind technique, the outer engine pod would suffer a ground strike. Incidentally, the max crosswind on the A380, according to the interweb, is 40 knots. That’s a fresh gale!
My favorite was the “Single Swine”, as one bush pilot I knew called the aircraft with adoration. Stall was 45 knots, I believe. Single Otter. Landing in a high wind was just like a helicopter on the pad. Keep the nose up, though. Don’t bury the floats.
PO’d, that’s still my favourite airframe, the Piston Otter. Been 20 years since I’ve flown one but oh man, could that airframe perform. Makes me wish I was just a little younger and still indestructible, I’d love to fly one again but there aren’t too many left that haven’t been converted to turbine.
The technique used by the pilot, and the airplane requiring that technique were pioneered in the 1930’s by the Ercoupe, which had no rudder pedals. The designer’s intent was to create a spin proof airplane. No rudder pedals, no way to cross control the airplane. There was a rudder, it was connected to the airlerons.
The technique was resurrected years later in the jet age for planes that could not do a traditional crosswind landing.
I almost bought a lovely little 1947 Ercoupe 415 back in the 1990’s, with the intention of finishing off my flight training. They were the first aircraft certified as “characteristically incapable of spinning.” Due to the design. Boeing used them to train pilots of the new types of low wing, jet powered aircraft with underslung engines that were to become the standard design for many aircraft, (starting with the dash 80, which would eventually become the civilian Boeing 707),to land crabbed, being an unnatural method at the time.
The little plane was also used by the JATO company, in its infancy, used the Ercoupe to test the small rocket assist devices it was building, thus making it the first rocket powered aircraft to take off and land under its own power.
A remarkable little aircraft for its time!
The 747 is certified to land in a crab up to 45 degrees,. The pilot of this airplane (A380) did well enough.
I’m sure there are pilots who can do better, but I expect they all agree with “any landing you walk away from is a good landing.” And I suppose “if the aircraft is still flyable, that’s better one,” is part two of that rule.
I’ve ridden motorcycles in crosswinds that required me to hang off almost to dragging the knee just to keep going in a straight line, and I don’t think that even begins to give me a feel for what a pilot is doing to land a plane that size in a crosswind that strong.
You gots some skillz dude..!
TOP 10 CROSSWIND LANDINGS of 2019 – AIRBUS A380, BOEING 747, GO AROUND … (4K)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f1A2x3Nj44
Step it up several notches…
The Intricate Skill That Goes Into Landing a Naval Fighter Jet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM8GJaFeG0U
Now try it at night, when your platform is in 30 foot swells and you have 330 ft to “safely crash land” with a trap wire.
and for fun some Gangnam Style
IKE Shooter Gangnam Style
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFqlwAWuMTg&t=86s
Cheers
Hans Rupprecht – Commander in Chief
Army Group “True North”
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
I don’t want to ever land at that airport, Maui was scary enough.
I once landed in Fort St. John during a windstorm. During the approach, the plane was bouncing all over the place. I swear the pilot must have had a background as a rodeo rider.
As it turned out, one of the passengers was an air traffic controller and she was quite impressed. As the saying goes, any landing one can walk away from was a good one.
To funny! Quite a few years ago, I too landed at Fort St. John, and I remember looking out the window just before we landed and I could see the runway!! at the time I was thinking this is not good!! My brother (who is a small plane pilot) told me that this was the correct method….but that video is wild!
go to third world countries, the pilot establishes flight rules as they go:-))
.
I once watched a De Havilland Beaver airplane take off and land VERTICALLY ……. true story …. I was training to fly the Bell 47 helicopter at St Andrews airport north of Winnipeg but everything was shut down that day because the winds were 50 mph.
On days like that all the pilots sit in the airport cafeteria , drink coffee , and tell true stories …. so my instructor said lets go have a bit of fun ….. he wanted to show (off) that a heli could fly even in high winds so we went out for about 15 minutes hovering over the runway …. in full view of the cafeteria windows of course.
We landed , put the machine away , and headed to the cafeteria to do some boasting (of course) ….. however during the 20 minutes it took us to get to the cafe a couple of pilots had pulled the Beaver out of a hanger and all eyes were glued on them.
With full flaps and no load the Beaver stall speed is 45 mph and with a steady 50 mph wind directly down the runway all they had to do was open throttle to 45 mph airspeed and it lifted straight up off the runway … they remained motionless for about 30 seconds , set it back down for a moment , then increased throttle and flew away. Amazing to watch …. we heli guys did no boasting that day.
Arnie, in Honduras I watched a dash 8 fly down the runway and land in less than 50 feet, due to head winds. As a pilot in the terminal said, ” in Canada or the USA, that pilot would have been grounded for that act”
Bad decision, a go around is what you do when things get that bent out of shape. He didn’t straighten out before touchdown. The end result is taking the plane out of service for extra inspections due to all that excessive loading on the landing gear.
Whether his routine was any good or not, he sure stuck the landing.
There are a number of aircraft, A380 included, that are designed to be landed with crab. The F-5s that Canada used to fly had to be landed with crab, if you didn’t the downwind engine would flame out. Pilot did well.
Incidentally, any “third world” airline that can afford A380s has primarily Canadian and other “first world” pilots and maintainers.
RLP…Ya beat me to the punch.
Those doing the flying in the left and right seat are 99.95% Ex pats. I give that extra .05% to the very odd Arab that even makes it to the right seat. It does happen – Bro in law was senior pilot with Emirates (767’s). 10 yrs just retired.
Expats fly much of the Oriental and Middle Eastern Airlines. Canadians, Americans, Germans, Brits, South Africans, French, Dutch etc.
It’s all to prevent repeats of a Korean Air Flight in the early 80’s that flew straight into a mountain with a verbally paralyzed Co-Pilot deathly afraid to say anything to his “Superior” … the pilot.
Culture.
And then of course you have Ho Lee Fuk n company…that’s another thing altogether – Im thinking any International ChiComm Aircraft would have a Political Officer on board as well…no.?
After the 737 max accident it showed how bad some of the third world country pilots are. I would be very reluctant to fly on non north american airlines. It is true most of these big airplanes are flown by Canadians , Americans or other first world pilots. Boeing lost the battle of public opinion but it will be another thing when it gets to court when the facts are all on the table.
The 737 Max accidents showed how bad the first world software was, nothing to do with piloting. Before Ethiopian Airlines pilots get to the big jets they do a lot of time landing on very short runways, exposed to crosswinds and downdrafts on plateaus which drop off suddenly. Have a look at the topography!
The recovery procedure for 737 Max MCAS failure is the same as the recovery procedure has been for ANY 737 runaway stabilizer trim for the entire history of the aircraft. And that procedure is a MEMORY ITEM for pilots of those aircraft. Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes were fourth world culture pretending they are competent to operate first world equipment. Nothing more. But also nothing less.
Precisely.
Neither of those crashes had First World Pilots.
There’s plenty of blame to pass around beyond the line pilots. These crashes could have been avoided if the aircraft were designed and tested by engineers and pilots instead of accountants and marketers.
Technically 3rd world software purchased by first world countries.
Flying in a twin Otter we had to do a touch and go on Taveuni, Fiji due to the winds and the shortness of the runway on a high plateau. I was feeling no small amount of anxiety until the pilot turned around and looked back over his shoulder to check on the passengers. He was the most grizzled-looking, heavy set, stubble-bearded old f@^# you could imagine, with a very sardonic look on his face at which point I immediately relaxed, knowing full well he’d done this a hundred times before and for him this was just another day at the office. Experience counts.
If I recall correctly, the main gear of a B-52 was steerable to allow for severe crosswind landings. The wingtips could also flex over a thirty foot range, vertically.
Etihad Airways – likely they only hire the best European pilots. Etihad Airways flies out of the United Arab Emirates, the second richest country in the Middle East so they have big bucks.
The pilot’s heart rate was likely normal until he pulled up to the gate. Then he had time to think about it and likely hyperventilated.
I’ve had a few close calls on the road and stayed calm the whole time. It would about a half mile later I would realise what happened.
There’s old pilots and bold pilots but no old bold pilots.