Brown-trouser time

[Dioltach]

Plane takes off sideways.

 

[Homicidal_Squirrel]

Why did they take off if they were being hit by winds that were that strong? That just seems stupid.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Why did they take off if they were being hit by winds that were that strong? That just seems stupid.

I'm not a pilot but that really wasn't that severe. Surf Youtube for a while and you'll see FAR more dramatic yaw, especially when planes land in high crosswinds because then they DON'T have a lot of choice about the conditions (you can always decide not to take off due to wind, but landing is usually a requirement you can't avoid . Crabbing like that is just part of the job. Many airports don't have runways that align precisely with prevailing winds, and even when they do those conditions aren't going to be the same all day, every day. Storm winds and microbursts will change that. Most of the time as a passenger you're probably not even going to notice when a pilot is doing this.