Weather: What would you do?

A winter cold front has just moved through and you can see more than 50 miles in any direction.

But Kansas is living up to its reputation as a windy place, and right now a stiff, flag-snapping west wind is whistling across the plains. You tune in the automatic terminal information service (ATIS) at Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, where your car is parked, and it’s reporting winds are 280 at 18 knots gusting to 22.

You learned to fly in Kansas and are accustomed to blustery winds. And then you find out that Runway 32—the piece of pavement best aligned with today’s wind—is closed. A runway resurfacing project liable to take weeks just began today, and there’s heavy equipment parked on both the closed runway and parallel taxiway.

You check in with the control tower and they tell you to expect to land on Runway 1 Left. The reported crosswind exceeds your airplane’s published “maximum demonstrated” value of 15 knots.

You check the pilot’s operating handbook and it appears to have been written by a lawyer: “The maximum allowable crosswind velocity is dependent upon pilot capability as well as airplane limitations. Operation in direct crosswinds of 15 knots has been demonstrated.”

Your airplane has lots of fuel if you decide to divert, but the nearest airport you can find with a west-facing runway is Newton (EWK) about 20 miles away.

Do you:

• Divert to Newton. This is no time to become a test pilot.
• Land on Runway 1 Left. The demonstrated crosswind in your POH isn’t regulatory—it’s advisory, so it’s not an actual limit.

Editor at large Dave Hirschman:
I’m planning to land on Runway 1 Left even though the crosswind exceeds the maximum demonstrated value in the pilot’s operating handbook. I learned to fly in this windy region, I’m current and proficient in this airplane, and there are several things I can do to increase my chances for success.

First, I’ll make this approach and landing with flaps up to minimize the airplane’s inherent tendency to weathervane into the wind during rollout. Also, on final approach, I’ll bank towards the upwind wing (the left wing in this scenario) and adjust the sideslip to track the extended runway centerline. If the crosswind is too strong to hold the extended centerline on short final in a landing attitude, I’ll abort and fly to Newton. No harm, no foul.

But the relatively steady wind (only a 4-knot gust factor) and wide runway (150 feet) lead me to conclude that landing on Runway 1 Left is reasonable to attempt and within my, and my airplane’s, capabilities.

Technical editor Jill W. Tallman:
Extra fuel gives you more options, which is always a good thing. It takes the pressure off the equation somewhat, since I don’t have to land at Wichita. It’s worth noting that I’ve been on the go all day, and if I’m going to be attempting a crosswind landing that skates on the edge of my capability, I’d feel better about doing that rested and refreshed rather than tired and probably dehydrated. So rather than taking a chance, I’m diverting to Newton.