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Demonstrated Crosswind

iamtheari

Well Known Member
Poll for RV-14 taildragger pilots. What is your demonstrated crosswind in the RV-14? (RV-14A pilots can play the game, too, but please say that you did it in a trike so we caveman taildragger pilots don't get confused.)

We've had a calm summer so I haven't had a lot of crosswind experience, but I've logged it so I can keep my POH updated. So far I've demonstrated 9G19 crosswind component. That will go up with time.
 
Fresh popcorn 🍿 is ready, waiting to decide between the microwave or the traditional pan method :D
 
Maximum slip??

Isn't the maximum demonstrated crosswing capabality where in a slip into the wind you're at maximum rudder??
If at max rudder and wing low into the wind you're still drifting away from center line, it's too much Xwind...???

Popcorn ready...!!!:D
 
Isn't the maximum demonstrated crosswing capabality where in a slip into the wind you're at maximum rudder??
If at max rudder and wing low into the wind you're still drifting away from center line, it's too much Xwind...???

Popcorn ready...!!!:D

Demonstrated crosswind in the certified world means just that, what they actually demonstrated. It's not a limitation. I've landed in crosswinds well above the POH demonstrated figures in a couple of planes. I agree that maximum possible crosswind is when you run out of rudder before you neutralize the lateral motion. I don't know if anyone has documented the maximum possible crosswind in an RV-14. I'm just wondering what others have demonstrated so far in one.
 
Could be. But my question is what crosswinds people have actually landed their RV-14s in,

Trouble with these discussions is that nobody ever knows the amount of x-wind they have ACTUALLY landed in. They might know by the ASOS system the approximate x-wind they flew down FINAL in, but wind velocity drops significantly at the surface level, so when these questions turn into who can post the biggest number, those at the top did not actually LAND in that amount of wind. Airports vary widely on how much the x-wind diminishes at the surface level.
 
Trouble with these discussions is that nobody ever knows the amount of x-wind they have ACTUALLY landed in. They might know by the ASOS system the approximate x-wind they flew down FINAL in, but wind velocity drops significantly at the surface level, so when these questions turn into who can post the biggest number, those at the top did not actually LAND in that amount of wind. Airports vary widely on how much the x-wind diminishes at the surface level.

Fair enough. So, how does one go about demonstrating a known crosswind component in an E-AB?
 
Trouble with these discussions is that nobody ever knows the amount of x-wind they have ACTUALLY landed in. They might know by the ASOS system the approximate x-wind they flew down FINAL in, but wind velocity drops significantly at the surface level, so when these questions turn into who can post the biggest number, those at the top did not actually LAND in that amount of wind. Airports vary widely on how much the x-wind diminishes at the surface level.

A well calibrated EFIS system can tell you.
Most of them display a calculated crosswind component. right before touch down is not a good time to be looking at it but I think the data can be stripped out of the downloadable flight data.
 
Some 14A Data

Using data from my EFIS, here is a table of sustained winds during what was one of the largest crosswinds I landed in my 14A.

I do not recall what the airport surface winds were broadcast at the time, but they made me hesitate about landing on runway 09 at my home field, I decided I could give it a go and if too much, divert 10 miles away to a N/S runway at a nearby field.

Landed on 09

1000' AGL Downwind 200° 42kt
500' AGL Base 184° 34kt
250' AGL Final 179° 28kt
25' Flare 170° 18kt
0' Touchdown 173° 12kt

What's notable is even at 250' the winds were still quite strong and I still had a dramatic crab. When I started to come out of the crab before the flare, I never ran out of rudder, but the winds continued to diminish as I flared and touched down.

In the end the landing itself was not as difficult as I thought it would be based on the winds in the pattern. It's not apparent from the data what the largest crosswind the rudder would hold, but it seemed to hold at least 18kt and I certainly had a lot more available at touchdown with only a direct cross of 12kt.
 
Isn't the maximum demonstrated crosswing capabality where in a slip into the wind you're at maximum rudder??
If at max rudder and wing low into the wind you're still drifting away from center line, it's too much Xwind...???

Don't forget too much bank angle, and smacking a wing tip into the runway. Flying gliders, that was the concern. Lots of rudder authority, but couldn't lower the wing enough without the ground getting in the way. Other planes might run out of rudder, especially high wings.
 
Valid point !

Don't forget too much bank angle, and smacking a wing tip into the runway. Flying gliders, that was the concern. Lots of rudder authority, but couldn't lower the wing enough without the ground getting in the way. Other planes might run out of rudder, especially high wings.
Yes, valid point low wing vs high wing vs rudder authority is to be considered.

And yes, "demonstrated crosswind" is not a limitation per se.
Maximum crosswind may have many factors involved:
Aircraft type, nose vs tail wheel, rudder effectiveness
Runway surface, lenght, width
Gusts
Not less important, pilot proficiency...
Etc...
 
I have that little wheel in the front of my plane (RV14A) very useful in cross wind situations. My home airport has only one runway, cross winds are a fact of life.

I have landed several times with 20 knots gusting 25 knots perpendicular to the runway. Never felt like I was going to run out of rudder (but I must have been getting close I guess). My guess for a RV14 is that it should be good for a high teen's (16 - 19 knots) cross wind if the pilot is up to it of course.
 
Crosswind

Pitts, Eagle and many other biplanes are limited by wingtip clearance. Landing the Pitts at 45 degrees to a very wide runway with wind velocity near the stall speed of the Pitts works well.
Many airplanes, especially older airplanes, run out of aileron well before they run out of rudder. The Stearman is a textbook example. Lots of wingtip clearance, plenty of rudder but weak ailerons. Look at the video or the accident on 36 at Oshkosh.
Flying cross country in a taildragger I try to have an alternate airport with options, taxiways or even closed runways, just in case.
 
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