Training and Safety Tip: Seek crosswinds
Practice makes proficient
When an airport is built (with few exceptions), its primary runway is aligned to the prevailing wind—the direction from which the wind most commonly blows—because airplanes and pilots (especially student pilots) are happiest taking off and landing into the wind.
Here’s a fun fact: The FAA’s Advisory Circular 150/5300-13B, which addresses airport design, advises airport planners to consult at least a full 10 years of wind data for the site when deciding on which direction to point the runway. It goes on to recommend analyzing a full 30 years of data if the shorter sample has a lot of variation in it.
Now, understand that “prevailing wind” is simply the most common direction, which is to say that the wind blows from this direction statistically more than from any other direction. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the wind blows from the prevailing direction most of the time. Experts disagree on the numbers, but the wind might only blow from the prevailing direction a quarter of the time, or less. Still, it’s the best measurement available, and it makes sense to align the runways to that direction. The upshot of this is that, like sunflowers facing the sun, all runways across a particular geographic area tend to be constructed in a similar direction.
And here’s why all of this matters: Given that the majority of airports only have a single strip of concrete, non-prevailing winds can cause an unexpected risk for student pilots, for example, on solo cross-country flights.
If your takeoff and destination airports have crosswind runways you can use when non-prevailing winds are present, you might be lulled into setting a trap for yourself. You could deprive yourself of opportunities to practice real crosswind landings, an integral skill every pilot needs to hone and maintain. For example, you might need to make an unscheduled stop to examine a funky oil pressure reading, or make a pit stop.
Trust me on this: You don’t want to stretch your crosswind limits with your bladder at capacity.
So my tip for you today is this: When it comes to cross-country route planning, be sure to be on the lookout for non-prevailing winds along your route, and plan accordingly.
