Extreme winds: How tough is an Emirates A380?

Geoffrey Thomas

By Geoffrey Thomas Sun Aug 25, 2019

An amazing video of an Emirates A380 landing in severe crosswinds demonstrates how tough the Airbus superjumbo is. The Emirates video was uploaded by Airplane Pictures. WATCH amazing piloting skills at Portugal's most dangerous airport. https://twitter.com/i/status/1159674023963443200 Typically aircraft land and take-off into the wind to decrease the landing or take-off distance. In some cases aircraft land with a slight downwind component – typically associated with noise-sensitive airports where one runway is preferred over another. Where a pilot faces a crosswind landing they need to point the aircraft in the direction of the wind while maintaining a straight course toward the runway. This is called crabbing or yawing. In strong crosswinds, the pilot may also dip the wing – sideslip – into the direction of the wind. Just before touchdown pilots apply rudder to bring the plane – and its undercarriage – back so it is aligned straight down the centerline of the runway. This takes great skill and the results – if not done properly – are often quite spectacular as shown in this video of the Emirates A380.

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