This is also called the "Express Way Approach" its a common sight at KLGA. They do it to get some more time between the arriving and departing aircrafts. By doing some of these wierd turns the tower gets some more time to let an other plane departe the same runway. You can see it in the movie that a other plane is just airborne form the same RWY.
Exactly. Flying is like football, everybody is an expert. This is a very skillful landing in strong crosswind and heavy traffic. Plus, the zoom lens used here compressed perspective, creating the false impression that the plane dropped steeply on the runway after a sharp turn.
great job!!!, I love doing crosswind landings... approaching the runway...all crossed up, and then squeaking it onto the ground. I'll admit to not ever doing it in a plane that large, but my hat's off to the guy that did this one.
I used to love flying into La Guardia when the plane would get this approach. I remember once flying in at sunset, sun was shining off all the skyscrapers across the river, and the pilot just about stabbed the wingtip into the ground, pivoted on it, and as soon as the plane leveled off we dropped 500 feet and were down. I'm a nervous flyer but usually I'm worried for no reason; on that approach it was more like a rollercoaster and so it was fun.
Upwind wing down. It's 100% standard procedure. Like nicelittlecar said, if you're wings level in a crosswind approach, you will be blown across the runway. The resulting side stress on the gear is much worse than landing on one main strut if you don't sideslip into the wind. One-wheel landings are also much smoother for the passengers, too. Given the heavy task-loading on the flight deck during this type of approach, this was well done.
Upwind wing down. It's 100% standard procedure. Like nicelittlecar said, if you're wings level in a crosswind approach, you will be blown across the runway. The resulting side stress on the gear is much worse than landing on one main strut if you don't sideslip into the wind. One-wheel landings are also much smoother for the passengers, too. accordeonist, the pilot performed a very well-executed crosswind approach under a lot of duress given the expressway approach conditions. Well done, I say.
The winds did not push the plane off course and pilots do not mis-judge that badly, and if they do, they go around. That pilot was asked to perform S-Turns to make some extra time for traffic departing. In fact, you can see that traffic just in the air if you look closely.
the S turn was performed for spacing to allow traffic to depart, seen for a moment on the screen. otherwise it was a skillfully performed crosswind landing.
Its called a crosswind landing. If the airplane comes in for a straight approach the plane would drift to the right. You can hear the engines spool up because he needed to increase his crosswind speed. Take a look when he touches down the smoke from the tires gets swept off immediatly
It was the expressway visual approach, with a crosswind landing. You can see the direction of the winds from the tree blowing, it’s a left crosswind. There is no “straight approach” for that type of visual approach procedure. Even if there was one, a left crosswind wouldn’t have anything to do with it. The normal procedure is to crab into the wind up until touchdown, then in the flare, (in this case), add right rudder and left aileron to keep the airplane tracking centerline and keep the airplane from drifting off the runway, while also preventing side load on the main gear. Unfortunately, this is a bad example as you can see this pilot kept no crosswind correction in during the flare at all.
Going in there December 2007 I had thrown my back out. I was lifting myself out of the seat by pushing my arms down on the arm rest due to the pain and it was pretty rough in the clouds. It worked the kink out of my back. Chiropractic therapy by the airline :)
It actually used to be known as the "Tastee Bread turn" when the old bread factory was there, off the Van Wyck Expressway. There's a Home Depot there now for many a year.
Have you ever seen one stuffed in Newark? watching northbound landings from the turnpike, and one got stuffed from the east at about 300 ft altitude...........90 degree turn about 1/4 mile from the runway! Was pretty cool!
Well, it was time to read a comment with some sense. I totally agree with you, he was "zig-zaggin" on a S turn to avoid a 360° or go in line again for the approach and landing due to the runway in use by the other trafic. It is amazing how many flight instructors and aviation experts we have here! It looks like everybody can become a judge on aviation, just by watching videos here.
As a pilot I know how diffucult this landings are. Its the way that you must work against the wind... this pilot is doing it great, because the passengers don't any feel wind shocks. The touchdown looks hard but its very smooth
@Edwiness I'm not saying that you can't get any closer, but maybe the controller and or the pilot of the 737 wanted more space. More space means more time to react if something were to go wrong. For example the departing aircraft aborted his takeoff.
@Motocrosser14 Are you sure? The expressway visual Requires an almost 180 not long before the touchdown zone. It seems here the pilot overshot the turn and then turned right to compensate... The plane taking off was well ahead.
Whoever the pilot was has some serious balls to make an approach like that, the reason he used so much rudder was to compensate for the sharp turn on his approach NOT because of crosswind. I wouldnt be surprised if he lost his job because of this
yes, there is a cross wind, but that's not why he was flwing the S-turns. it was because he need to produce space between him and the departing aircraft (at :46 it's the white thing off the right wing of the Delta 737) Just thought i would explain so people understand. Good video by the way
Not sure what you are saying. Winds are left to right across 31 (i.e., from the southwest). When both runways are open, the preferred configuration with in these winds is landing 22 and departing 31. Occasionally, LGA lands and departs the same runway due to winds, but not with a southwest wind. It would be easier to land on the preferred runways 22. This is why I say 4/22 must be closed.
It's just the expressway visual into 31. Not some extreme approach or anything. sorry pilotman329, the regional pilots with their RJs and turboprops do this all the time as well. The RJs have the same approach speeds as that 737 in this video.
This approach into KLGA is a fun and challenging approach called the Expressway Visual into Rwy31. After following the La Guardia VOR in towards the airport, crossing the Long Island Expressway the pilot will make a right turn and follow the expressway, following that the pilots will make a left hand turn over Flushing Meadows Park,near Shea Stadium. Flying in somewhat of a U-Turn Patter. There he/she will line up the approach and land. Enjoy!
This is the 'Expressway Visual 31' approach at LGA, which I have personally flown many times. Runway 4/22 must have been closed as normal operations do not have aircraft landing and departing on the same runway. In this scenario, tower will often ask for a slight S-turn to provide adequate spacing for departing traffic. This landing is not out of the ordinary for LGA. And just think, the pilot at the controls my be making $20,000 a year to do this sort of thing on a regular basis.
Looks like the Expressway Visual to 31. The last turn is more than 90 degrees and is often overshot. LGA is not set up to grease a landing in a heavy airplane.
@Edwiness I can see what you are saying. I'm not a professional (yet... desire to be) but i know plenty of them. What you are saying can be true, yes, but looking at the approach diagram i feel that the pilot would have had more than enough chance to compensate for potentially overshooting that turn. I firmly believe that that final turn back was for spacing. The departing aircraft and the arriving DAL 737 were fairly close to minimum separation.
Go around? Please. This guy's landing was right on the money in a crosswind. Nothing out of the ordinary at all. Passengers were never in danger whatsoever...he was making that turn in order to stay nose into the wind as long as possible before straightening out.
This looks like what pilots coming into LGA used to call the "Taystee Bread turn." In over Shea Stadium, sharp left bank over the old Taystee Bread factory, (which is no more.)It would scare the crap out of passengers not used to flying into LGA
I agree. Nice xwind landing and to those non pilots out there who bad rap these landings, I suggest you get into a Cessna 150 (with an instructor) and spend an afternoon making crosswind landings with a (terrific) 10 or 15 knot crosswind. Then come back and watch these videos again.
At 00:45, it looked like he had a crosswind coming in on his left side. I think he turned a bit late on his final, making it more difficult for his touchdown.
Agreed, skillfully done in cross wind conditions if u ask me. Though the approach looks a little on the fast side, could have bred off some of that speed but still skillful.
he looks like a tomcat pilot hitting the deck. that would be cool if planes that big had tailhooks and landed like that, but it would be scary as hell.
S-turns..yeah..I had to do that on the last landing of my FAA checkride. I was landing in a C152 behind a B17 WWII bomber. Tower suggested "S-turns if needed" so I took em just to be safe. Yes..I was trying to impress the DE in the right seat. :-)
I say that the pilot landed this plane WITHOUT crashing it! Thats a feat in itself. Especially with those nasty crosswinds and short runways at KLGA (La Guardia Airport for the non aviation nuts and non pilots). This pilot went by what I live by Fly it like you stole it! Play in the skies like you own it! One day you'll see me in a plane doing unseen things and hear a voice screaming WEEEE!! That'll be me! Kudos to the pilot!
@Motocrosser14 It can get far closer than that, there is a video on flightlevel350 which shows a midwest 717 touching down just after a US 737 has rotated at reagan.
I'm a reformed 'ramp-rat', I'd mooch rides when I could... got 30+ hrs into private training, then a car crash cost me my medical card... but I still love flying things.
Pouya Danaee There was no correction in at all, he kept aileron into the wind but didn’t add right rudder to keep the airplane tracking centerline, which resulted in an insane amount of side load on the main gear.
Not crazy. Its just an "S" turn used for spacing when you're catching up to the guy ahead of you too fast. They aren't all that common, but you see them from time to time.
i'm not being a smartass, it's the truth. that's why pilots are trained to land with mains as angled as necessary (within the manufacturers tolerances) and then correct to the centerline after the mains are on the ground. if they did it your way the entire weight of the aircraft plus the wind are stressing the gear laterally. it will shear - massive undercarriage failure.
not a normal approuch u can see befor he is touching down an other plane was takeing off (can be seen in the screen) and t5he weird approuch is and s trun (i believe thats is what its called ) to make sure no violent air is still there
I've flown in several times to LGA (as a passenger), and I've decided there is no "good approach" to the airport. Still, slight crosswind, pilot did fine. Besides the banking I don't see whats so scary.
Obviously, some of you know nothing about what you're talking about.... This is a common manuever to separate traffic. He was making "S" turns to separate himself from the aircraft that just took off (see near end of video). When you know what're you talking about, then comment. From a former air traffic controller.
I dunno if ya'll know this... but planes have it programmed to where it lands and takes off on it's on. Well Continental does, and I'm sure a few others do to. The system prob'ly went down at the last minute and the pilot had to actually land it.
This is also called the "Express Way Approach" its a common sight at KLGA. They do it to get some more time between the arriving and departing aircrafts. By doing some of these wierd turns the tower gets some more time to let an other plane departe the same runway. You can see it in the movie that a other plane is just airborne form the same RWY.
That takes some skill to land in those conditions!
Exactly. Flying is like football, everybody is an expert. This is a very skillful landing in strong crosswind and heavy traffic. Plus, the zoom lens used here compressed perspective, creating the false impression that the plane dropped steeply on the runway after a sharp turn.
great job!!!, I love doing crosswind landings... approaching the runway...all crossed up, and then squeaking it onto the ground.
I'll admit to not ever doing it in a plane that large, but my hat's off to the guy that did this one.
I used to love flying into La Guardia when the plane would get this approach. I remember once flying in at sunset, sun was shining off all the skyscrapers across the river, and the pilot just about stabbed the wingtip into the ground, pivoted on it, and as soon as the plane leveled off we dropped 500 feet and were down.
I'm a nervous flyer but usually I'm worried for no reason; on that approach it was more like a rollercoaster and so it was fun.
Upwind wing down. It's 100% standard procedure. Like nicelittlecar said, if you're wings level in a crosswind approach, you will be blown across the runway. The resulting side stress on the gear is much worse than landing on one main strut if you don't sideslip into the wind. One-wheel landings are also much smoother for the passengers, too. Given the heavy task-loading on the flight deck during this type of approach, this was well done.
It's called the Expressway Visual. Which is a CVFP (Charted Visual Flight Procedure) that I've done many times flying into LaGuardia. Very fun stuff!
Now that's perfect piloting.
Upwind wing down. It's 100% standard procedure. Like nicelittlecar said, if you're wings level in a crosswind approach, you will be blown across the runway. The resulting side stress on the gear is much worse than landing on one main strut if you don't sideslip into the wind. One-wheel landings are also much smoother for the passengers, too. accordeonist, the pilot performed a very well-executed crosswind approach under a lot of duress given the expressway approach conditions. Well done, I say.
Yeah but it's still a nicely flown approach and it looks still crazy for most ppl exept you.
The winds did not push the plane off course and pilots do not mis-judge that badly, and if they do, they go around. That pilot was asked to perform S-Turns to make some extra time for traffic departing. In fact, you can see that traffic just in the air if you look closely.
As a flight attendant based in NY, that approach to LGA is nothing out of the ordinary at all.
Beat me to it. 90 degree turn into a crosswind, with only a small wobble at touchdown? Impressive.
the S turn was performed for spacing to allow traffic to depart, seen for a moment on the screen. otherwise it was a skillfully performed crosswind landing.
Heck I see approaches like that at Reagan several times a year when the wind's blowing hard. Nice landing.
Its called a crosswind landing. If the airplane comes in for a straight approach the plane would drift to the right. You can hear the engines spool up because he needed to increase his crosswind speed. Take a look when he touches down the smoke from the tires gets swept off immediatly
It was the expressway visual approach, with a crosswind landing. You can see the direction of the winds from the tree blowing, it’s a left crosswind. There is no “straight approach” for that type of visual approach procedure. Even if there was one, a left crosswind wouldn’t have anything to do with it. The normal procedure is to crab into the wind up until touchdown, then in the flare, (in this case), add right rudder and left aileron to keep the airplane tracking centerline and keep the airplane from drifting off the runway, while also preventing side load on the main gear. Unfortunately, this is a bad example as you can see this pilot kept no crosswind correction in during the flare at all.
Going in there December 2007 I had thrown my back out. I was lifting myself out of the seat by pushing my arms down on the arm rest due to the pain and it was pretty rough in the clouds. It worked the kink out of my back. Chiropractic therapy by the airline :)
It actually used to be known as the "Tastee Bread turn" when the old bread factory was there, off the Van Wyck Expressway. There's a Home Depot there now for many a year.
Have you ever seen one stuffed in Newark?
watching northbound landings from the turnpike, and one got stuffed from the east at about 300 ft altitude...........90 degree turn about 1/4 mile from the runway!
Was pretty cool!
It's textbook with a crosswind! A perfect landing.
Well, it was time to read a comment with some sense. I totally agree with you, he was "zig-zaggin" on a S turn to avoid a 360° or go in line again for the approach and landing due to the runway in use by the other trafic.
It is amazing how many flight instructors and aviation experts we have here! It looks like everybody can become a judge on aviation, just by watching videos here.
As a pilot I know how diffucult this landings are. Its the way that you must work against the wind...
this pilot is doing it great, because the passengers don't any feel wind shocks.
The touchdown looks hard but its very smooth
@Edwiness I'm not saying that you can't get any closer, but maybe the controller and or the pilot of the 737 wanted more space. More space means more time to react if something were to go wrong. For example the departing aircraft aborted his takeoff.
Like a carrier landing. Professionally handled.
@Motocrosser14 Are you sure? The expressway visual Requires an almost 180 not long before the touchdown zone. It seems here the pilot overshot the turn and then turned right to compensate... The plane taking off was well ahead.
im more amazed by the the turn.that was freaking tight.
Another nice video from patton303!
I think it was the winds that took him to far to one side then corrected very well.
As they say in the aviation community... "A landing that you can walk away from and use the airplane again is a VERY GOOD LANDING.."
Beautiful! This guy handles the 737 like if it was a BMX bike!
Whoever the pilot was has some serious balls to make an approach like that, the reason he used so much rudder was to compensate for the sharp turn on his approach NOT because of crosswind. I wouldnt be surprised if he lost his job because of this
I agree that it was a high landing and he did seem to come in fast and high, but he corrected it over the runway and made a safe landing.
the pilot has enough experience to assess whether it is risky or not to continue the approach.
yes, there is a cross wind, but that's not why he was flwing the S-turns. it was because he need to produce space between him and the departing aircraft (at :46 it's the white thing off the right wing of the Delta 737) Just thought i would explain so people understand. Good video by the way
The runways at LGA are 7000 ft. The one in Honduras is 6100
Not sure what you are saying. Winds are left to right across 31 (i.e., from the southwest). When both runways are open, the preferred configuration with in these winds is landing 22 and departing 31. Occasionally, LGA lands and departs the same runway due to winds, but not with a southwest wind. It would be easier to land on the preferred runways 22. This is why I say 4/22 must be closed.
It's just the expressway visual into 31. Not some extreme approach or anything.
sorry pilotman329, the regional pilots with their RJs and turboprops do this all the time as well. The RJs have the same approach speeds as that 737 in this video.
This approach into KLGA is a fun and challenging approach called the Expressway Visual into Rwy31. After following the La Guardia VOR in towards the airport, crossing the Long Island Expressway the pilot will make a right turn and follow the expressway, following that the pilots will make a left hand turn over Flushing Meadows Park,near Shea Stadium. Flying in somewhat of a U-Turn Patter. There he/she will line up the approach and land. Enjoy!
This is the 'Expressway Visual 31' approach at LGA, which I have personally flown many times. Runway 4/22 must have been closed as normal operations do not have aircraft landing and departing on the same runway. In this scenario, tower will often ask for a slight S-turn to provide adequate spacing for departing traffic. This landing is not out of the ordinary for LGA. And just think, the pilot at the controls my be making $20,000 a year to do this sort of thing on a regular basis.
Perfect crosswind landing...nothing crazy ass about that!
I can tell this pilot was very sure about what he was doing.
Looks like the Expressway Visual to 31. The last turn is more than 90 degrees and is often overshot. LGA is not set up to grease a landing in a heavy airplane.
He got down and no one was hurt. PERFECT LANDING.....and I'm a pilot so I can be a judge here! Have a nice day.
@Edwiness I can see what you are saying. I'm not a professional (yet... desire to be) but i know plenty of them. What you are saying can be true, yes, but looking at the approach diagram i feel that the pilot would have had more than enough chance to compensate for potentially overshooting that turn. I firmly believe that that final turn back was for spacing. The departing aircraft and the arriving DAL 737 were fairly close to minimum separation.
Go around? Please. This guy's landing was right on the money in a crosswind. Nothing out of the ordinary at all. Passengers were never in danger whatsoever...he was making that turn in order to stay nose into the wind as long as possible before straightening out.
man that was almost an impact :P nice footage, there dude ;)
This looks like what pilots coming into LGA used to call the "Taystee Bread turn." In over Shea Stadium, sharp left bank over the old Taystee Bread factory, (which is no more.)It would scare the crap out of passengers not used to flying into LGA
Hoho, thats one tight landing! I am multiple FF elite and that for sure would have tickled my nerves a bit :)
the pilot must have balls of steel. balls of steel.
Nice- Must have had a wicked cross wind!
I agree. Nice xwind landing and to those non pilots out there who bad rap these landings, I suggest you get into a Cessna 150 (with an instructor) and spend an afternoon making crosswind landings with a (terrific) 10 or 15 knot crosswind. Then come back and watch these videos again.
At 00:45, it looked like he had a crosswind coming in on his left side. I think he turned a bit late on his final, making it more difficult for his touchdown.
Agreed, skillfully done in cross wind conditions if u ask me. Though the approach looks a little on the fast side, could have bred off some of that speed but still skillful.
The pilot was obviously reminiscing about his days flying F14s for the military...
he looks like a tomcat pilot hitting the deck. that would be cool if planes that big had tailhooks and landed like that, but it would be scary as hell.
It's all about crosswinds. The pilot had to use a specific approach to land in order to avoid as much as he could the bad effects of the crosswind.
S-turns..yeah..I had to do that on the last landing of my FAA checkride. I was landing in a C152 behind a B17 WWII bomber. Tower suggested "S-turns if needed" so I took em just to be safe. Yes..I was trying to impress the DE in the right seat. :-)
looked very nice to me..most pilots are EXTREMELY good at their jobs..
I say that the pilot landed this plane WITHOUT crashing it! Thats a feat in itself. Especially with those nasty crosswinds and short runways at KLGA (La Guardia Airport for the non aviation nuts and non pilots). This pilot went by what I live by Fly it like you stole it! Play in the skies like you own it! One day you'll see me in a plane doing unseen things and hear a voice screaming WEEEE!! That'll be me! Kudos to the pilot!
that kind aproach is my stlye at FSX
allmost allway turning at the last moment!
@Motocrosser14 It can get far closer than that, there is a video on flightlevel350 which shows a midwest 717 touching down just after a US 737 has rotated at reagan.
The plane was off course, but in the final leg had good height to make the landing. In addition to being authorized by the tower
The plane was not off course, this is a normal approach, just with a little crosswind.
Thanks for the name! Love that airport.
one of the more interesting approaches i've seen...=)
I'm a reformed 'ramp-rat', I'd mooch rides when I could... got 30+ hrs into private training, then a car crash cost me my medical card... but I still love flying things.
well thats a cowboy landing, rather nice to see..
Great landing....nice correction for x-wind
Pouya Danaee There was no correction in at all, he kept aileron into the wind but didn’t add right rudder to keep the airplane tracking centerline, which resulted in an insane amount of side load on the main gear.
Not crazy. Its just an "S" turn used for spacing when you're catching up to the guy ahead of you too fast. They aren't all that common, but you see them from time to time.
It looks to me as if the plane was not perfectly aligned with the runway on touchdown, and the pilot corrected that just after touchdown.
must have been some crazy air traffic to execute a short final like that !
hunterthompsonf Residential areas necessitate this approach.
MAN that's great! I give 100 dollers to experince this!
looks like the well known visual river approach. washington DC has the same.
i'm not being a smartass, it's the truth. that's why pilots are trained to land with mains as angled as necessary (within the manufacturers tolerances) and then correct to the centerline after the mains are on the ground. if they did it your way the entire weight of the aircraft plus the wind are stressing the gear laterally. it will shear - massive undercarriage failure.
Holy crap, what kind of approach is that!!!!
NICE. Never knew this kind of stuff happened around where I live!
a modern day kai tak approach
wow!
that pilot has some courage
This Pilot did amazing job !
that is perfect landing in crosswind!
True Certain airplanes can use the FMC to program most of the flight, but this was a VISUAL apporach:)
i think he was trying to compensate with the crosswind
S turns have nothing to do with crosswinds and would never be done due to crosswinds. S turns are done if there is another aircraft on the runway.
ohhhhhhhhh. Good pilot and nice landing.
That appears to be just a crosswind landing (putting the plane down hard which is fair enough in high winds). Correct me if I am wrong...
Seat of your pants flying...He was trying to dodge the bullets coming from the Queens neighborhoods below....
Must be a stunt man in charge that plane...
the pilot's skill and style are photographically recorded for posterity-- or however long the internet lasts!
not a normal approuch u can see befor he is touching down an other plane was takeing off (can be seen in the screen) and t5he weird approuch is and s trun (i believe thats is what its called ) to make sure no violent air is still there
I've flown in several times to LGA (as a passenger), and I've decided there is no "good approach" to the airport. Still, slight crosswind, pilot did fine. Besides the banking I don't see whats so scary.
Professional landing, they probably where facing crosswind.
Whoa! Pilots got skills!
just wanted to hold short final approach missed the localizer on visual but made it finally ..not bad
holy christ! terrific landing!
The runway at LGA is about the bare minimum in length allowed. Not good. Plus the Mets Stadium(s) are there.
that is some SICK ASS shit:| that pilot has some serious skills
that was insane. glad i wasn't on that plane
amazing pilot skill
GOOD PILOT? that dude slammed that thing into the ground and I do believe this aircraft is not the NG series.
Obviously, some of you know nothing about what you're talking about....
This is a common manuever to separate traffic. He was making "S" turns to separate himself from the aircraft that just took off (see near end of video). When you know what're you talking about, then comment.
From a former air traffic controller.
I dunno if ya'll know this... but planes have it programmed to where it lands and takes off on it's on. Well Continental does, and I'm sure a few others do to. The system prob'ly went down at the last minute and the pilot had to actually land it.
freekn wild man
at da end he was side ways!!!
lol!!
If there wasn't a crosswind he would have landed on the grass