Expert: Ned Dolan - 11/25/2010

Question
I have 750 hours flight time and fly a pa 30 but tend to avoid gusty days but this limits the utility of the aircraft as I live in a coastal city which can have numerous gusty days. My landings in the twin commanche are inconsistent as it tends to run out of elevator and then ends up porpoisng if i have held off a bit high this makes me more wary of gusty conditions.Crosswinds are not the issue as i stick to the cross wind limitations. What tips do you have for landing a pa 30 and what limitations on wind should I place. At the moment I stay on the ground if it is 18 gusting 28 could I increase these limits?

Answer
Limits for crosswind landings are a very personal subjective choice. Therefore I cannot help you with that question. I have always felt that the approach should be started and as you get close to the ground it is time to evaluate how it is going. If not going well then a go around is started.

I am not familiar with the PA 30. However in general running out of elevator indicates airspeed is very low and that the aircraft should have been on the ground long before this happens. In gusty conditions the plane should be "planted" on the touchdown point and not held off to get a smooth landing.