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Aviation vocabulary · Aviation Weather

Crosswind

Meaning in aviation, with examples

/ˈkrɔːswɪnd/nounCore term

In aviation, crosswind means: A wind that blows across the runway from the side instead of along it, which makes takeoff and landing more difficult.

In Turkish: yan rüzgar

How it is used

Every aircraft type has a maximum demonstrated crosswind, and airlines set their own limits. Pilots work out the crosswind component from the wind report and talk about a 'crosswind landing'.

Example sentences

  1. The crosswind was 25 knots, which is close to our limit on a wet runway.

  2. She made a very good crosswind landing in gusty conditions.

Common collocations

  • crosswind component
  • crosswind limit
  • crosswind landing
  • strong crosswind
  • gusty crosswind
  • headwindA wind that blows against the direction an aircraft is moving. It lowers the ground speed but helps the aircraft take off and land in a shorter distance.
  • runwayA long, specially prepared strip at an airport that aircraft use to take off and land. Each runway is named by a number based on its magnetic direction.
  • knotThe unit of speed used in aviation and at sea: one nautical mile per hour, which is about 1.85 kilometres per hour.
  • landingThe final phase of a flight, in which the aircraft comes down onto the runway, touches the ground and slows to taxi speed.

More terms: Aviation Weather

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