TUI Boeing 757 Comes into Land Sideways in 40 Knot Crosswind at Bristol Airport During a Storm

Tommy said:
Having "enjoyed" several such landings myself, I'd be interested to learn more about what that entails.
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This following excerpt (*) below explains better than I could with writing a bunch of mumbo jumbo that no one understands. When you read the following explanation, keep in mind that airspeed is also very important as well as flaps, ailerons, rudder and elevation above the runway. The pilot knowing what the windspeed and direction of the wind are also something the pilot should be aware of. Yes, it's a tricky move to have to make during a very windy landing.

*"The most commonly taught crosswind landing technique is the cross-control, or wing-low landing. The pilot slips the airplane to the runway with just enough cross control to keep the aircraft aligned with the centerline. Remember that the ailerons control the airplane's lateral movement."
 
Tommy said:
Thanks, oldman! Are there hard and fast limits on the relative wind direction and wind speed at which this type of landing can be attempted?
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Good question. The short and simple answer is yes. Headwinds and tailwinds often aid or hinder flight. Since airplanes depend on wind flowing over the wings (and not thrust as many people believe) headwinds are a plus while in flight, but not excessive headwinds. Excessive headwinds will only slow down the plane. However, a tailwind can push a plane along allowing planes to cover more miles faster while using less fuel and gets the plane to its destination in less time. OTOH, a tailwind on landing is not the best resource for a pilot. Having your plane pushed down the runway can be exciting, but pilots don’t like exciting. (A little humor.) This is where speed comes in. If I land my plane too fast with a tailwind, the plane may eat up more runway surface than expected and then the plane may run out of runway. When this happens, a plane landing too fast with a strong tailwind, pilots will generally start (what we call) hammering the brakes. It’s important to get the plane down on the runway with all of its landing gears down on the runway, so the plane is balanced and the braking is more central. It’s not a good situation to be in. This is just a short composite of what is necessary to make a good landing. Having good takeoffs and landings both come with experience. There is more to making a good landing than I have only touched on, but it would take a whole lot of typing to write it all out, so I apologize for this condensed version.

You come across as a smart person. I hope I haven’t confused you.
 
I got to thinking about my time in the 747 and decided to put those thoughts on paper and allow others to read how I advanced in my career. Only a few people are interested in things like this, but what the heck. Here it is anyway.

I have only ever flown Boeing jets, other than when I first started flying commercial and flew the "puddle jumpers." Once while I was in Seattle, I went out to Everett, Washington to tour the Boeing plant that then manufactured the B-747. I had flown the B-727, 737 and the 757/767. After I toured that plant, I wanted to fly the 747-8 (800 series) because I was really impressed with the technology and the avionics onboard, so when I returned to my home airport, there happened to be job postings from my employer, United, which was offering pilots that were interested to apply for the Chicago-Honolulu route flying the B-747. The job posting also mentioned that there would be training opportunities for pilots that were seriously interested. I decided to give it a go and glad that I did.

After two interviews, I received notice that I would be accepted, provided I did well in the simulators and then passed my check flights, which is a flight where you fly the aircraft and are evaluated by an experienced pilot on that particular plane. It took me two flights to get through all of the requirements because during my first check flight, we had terrible weather over the Pacific. During the first check flight, we hit a few pockets of clear air turbulence over the Pacific, which the check-pilot told me to turn off the autopilot and hand fly the plane. It kind of made my check flight anything but routine.

I really enjoyed my time in the 747. What a plane. It was everything I thought it would be and more. Very easy to fly. Sorry to see that it was retired by United.
 
flying a 747 any version is like flying a brick,,, actually any of them big planes.. they dont turn on a dime, they dont excelerate fast and you cant land just any ol place.. i prefer choppers, not easy to fly but you can fly in most any directions, up down sideways backward or hover in place and land just about anywhere,. its only fault is if the power fails it drops like a rock
 
cdestroyer said:
flying a 747 any version is like flying a brick,,, actually any of them big planes.. they don't turn on a dime, they don't accelerate fast and you can't land just any old place.. I prefer choppers, not easy to fly but you can fly in most any directions, up down sideways backward or hover in place and land just about anywhere,. its only fault is if the power fails it drops like a rock
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Yes, they are a big cumbersome airplane, but safe as all get out.
I flew in helicopters in the Marines, but never felt very safe.
 
oldman said:
I got to thinking about my time in the 747 and decided to put those thoughts on paper and allow others to read how I advanced in my career. Only a few people are interested in things like this, but what the heck. Here it is anyway.

I have only ever flown Boeing jets, other than when I first started flying commercial and flew the "puddle jumpers." Once while I was in Seattle, I went out to Everett, Washington to tour the Boeing plant that then manufactured the B-747. I had flown the B-727, 737 and the 757/767. After I toured that plant, I wanted to fly the 747-8 (800 series) because I was really impressed with the technology and the avionics onboard, so when I returned to my home airport, there happened to be job postings from my employer, United, which was offering pilots that were interested to apply for the Chicago-Honolulu route flying the B-747. The job posting also mentioned that there would be training opportunities for pilots that were seriously interested. I decided to give it a go and glad that I did.

After two interviews, I received notice that I would be accepted, provided I did well in the simulators and then passed my check flights, which is a flight where you fly the aircraft and are evaluated by an experienced pilot on that particular plane. It took me two flights to get through all of the requirements because during my first check flight, we had terrible weather over the Pacific. During the first check flight, we hit a few pockets of clear air turbulence over the Pacific, which the check-pilot told me to turn off the autopilot and hand fly the plane. It kind of made my check flight anything but routine.

I really enjoyed my time in the 747. What a plane. It was everything I thought it would be and more. Very easy to fly. Sorry to see that it was retired by United.
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Which plane were you flying before transitioning to the 747? How long did you fly it and did you only fly the 747 to Hawaii?
 
That certainly was some expert flying! Reminds me of one evening when I was making dinner for my dad and he started playing several cross wind landings. Not sure of what airport it was, however, not only were there dangerous cross winds, but also the runway was like a roller coaster! Don't know why they couldn't have flattened out that runway.
 
Been There said:
Which plane were you flying before transitioning to the 747? How long did you fly it and did you only fly the 747 to Hawaii?
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At the time when I made the switch to the 747, I had been flying the 757/767, which I later returned to. I flew the 747 for two years and only flew it from Chicago nonstop to Honolulu and Lihue in Kauai. United allows pilots to switch between the 757 and 767 because the avionics are mostly identical. When I flew the 747, I only flew to either Honolulu or Kauai. United no longer flies to Lihue (Kauai) I am told. Too bad. It’s a beautiful place. Orchids grow wild on that island.
 
Been There said:
Which plane were you flying before transitioning to the 747? How long did you fly it and did you only fly the 747 to Hawaii?
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Did you fly commercial or just military? What plane or planes did you fly and did you fly off of carriers?
 
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My last flight in the 747 was from Honolulu to Chicago. Full plane and we are about 1 mile from the airport and about 500 feet off the ground. I look out at the runway and I see a plane just starting to cross our runway. We had to abort the landing and go around. Scary situation, but we had enough time and distance to abort. Doing that does rattle the passengers a bit though.

Later after landing, we were told that the pilot of an AeroMexico 737 was lost on the airfield.
 
While stationed at Shemya AFB, Alaska, watching the planes handle the cross winds on our island was always exciting.
Since Reeve Aleutian Airways ( Lockheed Electra ) flew to our station every Tuesday and Thursday,
we greeted each plane as something to break the boredom.

The RC-135 Cobra Ball seemed to handle things fairly well, but the Electra always seem to be 'Crabbing' just before touchdown.
 

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