Crosswind Takeoffs

**TheSkyKing** · 12-19-2011, 09:18 AM

During a crosswind takeoff in airliner, the yoke is slightly turned into the direction of the oncoming wind to keep the main landing gear in firm contact with the runway while the rudder is used for directional control. My question is whether this position of the yoke must be maintained during rotation or should it be released as soon as rotation starts?

***JSkorna*** · 12-19-2011, 09:49 AM

Maintained.

**TheSkyKing** · 12-19-2011, 10:15 AM

Thanks.

**Firekitten** · 12-19-2011, 12:35 PM

Depends, Ideally you want to keep the upwind wheel on the ground longest, ie, it leaves last, stopping the wind from flipping you over (not a huge concern in bigger ships, but stranger things have happened.

When you rotate, keep the pressure on, maintaining that contact, but as soon as you get up, release it, and push the aircraft into a crab, (again not a huge airliner issue).

The trick with crosswinds, is whatever you do, crab, slip, pray... you need to be straight touching the runway to prevent gear damage, and always, always, always, the upwind wheel is the first to touch down, and the last to leave.

**propjob** · 12-19-2011, 01:30 PM

As you accelerate and the controls become more and more effective, reduce the aileron and opposite rudder pressures to maintain the wing-down and straight-ahead attitude. If you time it right, the ailerons and rudder should be neutral almost immediately after you leave the ground. If you maintain the same wing-down aileron pressure (actually, deflection) you started with, you will get a sudden rolling moment just as you leave the ground.

Art

**Firekitten** · 12-19-2011, 02:27 PM

thing is, if one does that in a crosswind, the upwind wing will lift, and you'll weather vane into the wind... Due to the fact that its a crosswind, the abnormal deflection of the ailerons, you actually won't roll, but will maintain level flight. If neutral control surfaces produced straight and level flight, it wouldn't be a crosswind :P

**ricardo_NY1** · 12-19-2011, 03:04 PM

Ailerons should be fully deflected/yoke fully turned, not just slightly. As your airspeed increases and the control surfaces become more effective, you slowly release the control input, but no one can tell you how much to release, that all depends on the aircraft, the crosswind component and your feel for the airplane. Rudder should be similar to lighter aircraft, an as required item to stay somewhat aligned. I think the principles for small and larger aircraft are about the same, the exception that I know of is that in small aircraft, you have to also use aileron and elevator deflections when taxing in high winds to prevent nose overs and things like that.

**louross** · 12-19-2011, 04:54 PM

In line with the original post and some of the responses, I can tell you that, concerning the B727, start with ailerons into the wind but they are neutralized as you lift off. Landing is different- can't say for other large jets tho- the approach is done in a crab, as far as I know,that's how they all are done. However, the 727 also touches down in a crab. Reason is if you try to align the a/c with the runway and drop the wing for a slip, you run the very real chance of dragging the wing.
lr.