There’s an Art to Making Crosswind Landings

So many schools of thought exist, but personal choice leans toward the slip.

Martha Lunken

Wednesday, July 30, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

If you want to start a lively discussion with a group of pilots, ask for their opinions on the safest, most effective, and workable way to handle a crosswind landing. [Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

Pilots utilize two primary techniques for crosswind landings: the slip (maintaining wing-low, opposite rudder through touchdown) and the crab (heading into the wind, then de-crabbing or landing with the crab angle in some aircraft).
The author favors the slip method for smaller planes, emphasizing that mastering any crosswind technique requires significant practice and adherence to aircraft limitations.
Ultimately, the pilot-in-command bears the sole responsibility for safety, allowing them to depart from standard rules—such as declaring an emergency to land on a taxiway—when absolutely necessary due to challenging crosswind conditions.

See a mistake? Contact us.

I’m jumping into one of the most dissected and debated issues in the aviation world.

If you want to start a lively discussion with a group of pilots, ask for their opinions on the safest, most effective, and workable way to handle a crosswind landing…particularly a strong one with rain, turbulence, or gusty winds. Hopefully, include some “big airplane” guys and some taildragger pilots to spice things up.