This short video focuses on my control inputs as I land the A36 Bonanza on RWY 14R in a gusty crosswind at Boeing Field (KBFI). The tower was reporting winds from 210 at 8 with gusts to 17, essentially a direct crosswind from the right. Wind from the southwest and west at KBFI swirls over and around the large hangars at the Boeing Flight Test Center, just west of the touchdown zone, exacerbating the effects of crosswinds. To help visualize those effects, imagine water flowing past the buildings.

Flight instructors and designated examiners often note that pilots don’t handle crosswinds well, usually because as the airplane gets close to the runway, the pilot stops flying the airplane before the airplane stops flying. That is, pilots—of all experience levels—tend to freeze on the controls during the roundout and flare. The airplane drifts away from the centerline, bounces, and endures side loads as the wheels meet the runway.

You should develop the confidence to use the aileron, rudder, and elevator controls all the way through and after touchdown, including the ground roll after landing. Sometimes aggressive, rapid inputs are required. And if you’re not able to keep the airplane on the centerline and touch down without drift, go-around. If necessary, change to another runway or even another airport where better conditions prevail.