Plane Makes Incredible Sideways Landing At Bristol Airport

Video of a plane landing sideways at England's Bristol airport will have all aviophobics sweating. But for capable pilots like Captain Brenda Riepsaame Wassink, landing in 40 knot crosswinds is just another Tuesday. 

Thanks to high winds being generated by Storm Callum last week, the TUI Boeing 757-200 aircraft was in for a not-so-gentle landing last week. But as the video shows, the 757 practically floated down to the runway, located at England's Bristol Airport last week thanks to Cap. Wassink's flying skills. 

The tricky maneuver is a technique pilots use when making high crosswind landing like this known as "crabbing." The pilot angles the nose of the plane into the wind until right before touching down on the tarmac, where it quickly turns the right direction down the runway. 

The technique is one of the first things every new pilot learns even before they earn their first license, but it becomes more difficult as wind speeds increase. 

"Aircraft need to compensate for the crosswind otherwise they will be blown off course, they do this by pointing their nose into the direction the wind is coming from, demonstrated perfectly by this crew," "Mraviationguy" explains in the video's description. "It is always fascinating to watch planes landing in strong crosswinds; the power of mother nature vs the skill and professionalism of the brilliant airline pilots."


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content