DreamAir

Why kind of wind limitations to do you guys typically follow.

The club I fly out of have a limitation of 15kts cross wind, and 25kts direct wind if your a if your a commercial pilot. For private pilot the cross wind is 10kts, but the direct wind then goes down to 20kts.

I'll admit, I'm skittish in flying in winds 20+ kts, especially in a heavy cross wind, and even more so teaching someone else in winds like that.

Cubdriver

30 knots total for myself, same for a student if I am in the airplane with him, and 15 knots x-wind. 10 knots for a student pilot total. "0" knots for a first solo- cross OR straight .

WmuGrad07

I understand the 30 knots for yourself and students with you in the plane. 15 x-wind is getting up there for sure, especially if you're teaching and not doing the flying yourself. But "0" for a first solo, you'd be waiting forever in michigan for that. My first solo sign off was on a day of 7 knots and it wasn't right down the pipe. It all depends on the student and the proficiency.

On that note if the club has limits that's what you've got to go on. I can say my personal limits are about 30 knots total also or somewhere in that area. I had to land at an airport with only two parallel runways with a direct x-wind of 18G27 in a 172 and it wasn't my best landing but it wasn't bad either. I wouldn't PLAN on doing that again. It was outside the poh's recommended max x wind.

You're best bet is to know your own limits, and only test those limits in increments or with an experienced instructor to build confidence

Phantom Flyer

The most important limitation that you need to know is not found in your aircraft operators manual (Limitations Section). It's your own limitation. What are you comfortable flying in ? If the book says the aircraft is certified for a maximum demonstrated crosswind component of 15 knots and you don't feel comfortable flying in greater than a 8 to10 knot crosswind then guess what ? You're limitation is 10 knots.

Some aircraft can handle a crosswind better than others simply because of aerodynamics. The good ol' DC-3 had a max demonstrated crosswind component of 15 knots. When landing at greater than the limitation guess what happened when the rudder lost its' effectiviness below 60 knots. Ground loop. The B-757 has a 34 knot crosswind component listed in the book but if the runway is dry and both engines are operating, it is not limiting.The B-777 has a max demonstrated crosswind component of 38 knots simply because the FAA forced Boeing to put a limitation in the manual and that was the strongest wind Boeing engineers could find when the certification flights were flown.

Bottom line, find your "comfort zone" and stay there. As you get more experience, you can handle more difficult situations and one day become a crusty ol' SOB like I am and enjoy life.

It's a great ride. Enjoy it !!!

G'Day Mate

jban642

In ASEL my personal is 20kts or somewhere in that range anything higher is not fun imao. As far as x-winds somewhere along 10kts or in that range. Like I said not fun any faster then that. However in any thing larger 12,500 lbs then any thing goes to get it on the ground safely.