Crosswind

Crosswind

A crosswind is any wind that has a perpendicular component to the line or direction of travel. In aviation, a crosswind is the component of wind that is blowing across the runway making landings and take-offs more difficult than if the wind were blowing straight down the runway. If a crosswind is strong enough it may exceed an aircraft's crosswind limit and an attempt to land under such conditions could cause structural damage to the aircraft's undercarriage. The crosswin Crosswind is sometimes abbreviated X/WIND.

Crosswinds can also be a difficulty when traveling on wet or slippery roads (snow, ice, standing water, etc.), especially with gusting conditions and vehicles that have a large side area such as vans and SUV. This can be dangerous for motorists because of the possible lift force created as well as causing the vehicle to change direction of travel. The safest way for motorists to deal with crosswinds is by reducing their speed to reduce the effect of the lift force and to steer into the direction of the crosswind.

When winds are not parallel to or directly with/against the line of travel, the wind is said to have a crosswind component; that is it can be separated into two components, a crosswind component and a headwind or tailwind component. A vehicle behaves as though it is directly experiencing a crosswind in the magnitude of the crosswind component only.

The crosswind component is computed by multiplying the wind speed by the sine of the angle between the wind and the direction of travel. For example, a 10-knot wind coming at 45 degrees from either side will have a crosswind component of 10 knots × sin(45°) or approximately 7.07 knots. The headwind component is computed in the same manner, using cosine instead of sine. To determine the crosswind component in real world flight aviators frequently refer to a chart on which the wind speed and angle are plotted and the crosswind component is read from a reference line.

Often smaller aircraft are not limited by their ability to land in a crosswind but their ability to taxi safely prior and post-flight.

See also

External links


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • crosswind — [krôs′wind΄] n. a wind blowing at any angle across the intended line of flight of an aircraft, the course of a ship, etc. * * * cross·wind (krôsʹwĭnd , krŏsʹ ) n. A wind blowing at right angles to a given direction, as to an aircraft s line of… …   Universalium

  • crosswind — ► NOUN ▪ a wind blowing across one s direction of travel …   English terms dictionary

  • crosswind — [krôs′wind΄] n. a wind blowing at any angle across the intended line of flight of an aircraft, the course of a ship, etc …   English World dictionary

  • crosswind — i. A wind blowing at an angle to the course or to the runway direction. ii. In the case of an airfield circuit, it refers to a path that is 90° to the takeoff and landing direction. The one that is 90° after takeoff is called the first crosswind …   Aviation dictionary

  • crosswind — UK [ˈkrɒsˌwɪnd] / US [ˈkrɔsˌwɪnd] noun [countable, often plural] Word forms crosswind : singular crosswind plural crosswinds a wind that blows across the direction that you are travelling in …   English dictionary

  • crosswind — [[t]krɒ̱swɪnd, AM krɔ͟ːs [/t]] crosswinds also cross wind N COUNT A crosswind is a strong wind that blows across the direction that vehicles, boats, or aircraft are travelling in, and that makes it difficult for them to keep moving steadily… …   English dictionary

  • Crosswind landing — A crosswind landing is a landing maneuver in which a significant component of the prevailing wind is perpendicular to the runway center line. Contents 1 Significance 2 Techniques 2.1 De Crab 2.2 Crab …   Wikipedia

  • crosswind leg — A flight path at right angles to the landing runway off its takeoff end. See crosswind …   Aviation dictionary

  • crosswind — noun Date: circa 1641 a wind blowing in a direction not parallel to a course (as of an airplane) …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • crosswind — noun A wind blowing perpendicular to a line of travel …   Wiktionary

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