Extraordinary pilot skills have been on show battling crosswinds at Madeira Airport in Portugal.
The video has been captured by Madeira Aviation based at Madeira Airport.
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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.
When 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 the 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.
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