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Calgary Windstorm: Lufthansa Flight Makes Dramatic Landing In Strong Winds (VIDEO)

The Huffington Post Canada   First Posted: 11/27/11 11:11 PM ET Updated: 11/28/11 08:20 AM ET

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One of the worst places to be during a storm of any kind is probably on a plane about to land. Parts of southern Alberta were hit hard by a windstorm on Sunday that damaged buildings, shut down traffic and helped spread a grassfire around Lethbridge.

The winds caused delays at Calgary's airport today and made for some dramatic moments like this one that was caught on tape. A Lufthansa pilot had to be at his best on Sunday when he landed his Airbus A340 during the windstorm.

The technique, known as de-crabbing, forces a pilot to shift the plane slightly towards the crosswind while approaching the runway.

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One of the worst places to be during a storm of any kind is probably on a plane about to land. Parts of southern Alberta were hit hard by a windstorm on Sunday that damaged buildings, shut down traffi...
One of the worst places to be during a storm of any kind is probably on a plane about to land. Parts of southern Alberta were hit hard by a windstorm on Sunday that damaged buildings, shut down traffi...
 
 
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jmhdex
0 Fans
05:28 PM on 11/30/2011
Nice cross-wind landing!!
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rigbaby
0 Fans
01:29 AM on 11/30/2011
Why didn't he just land into the wind on R25?
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Toxic Scott
22 Fans
 
05:33 PM on 11/28/2011
Take away the wind and you have a typical Air Canada landing 8^).
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CanadaStan
Cogito ergo spud, I think, therefore I yam
155 Fans
03:53 PM on 11/28/2011
Someone had their cell phone on?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Abigaill Tomsen
39 Fans
01:54 PM on 11/28/2011
Sliding into home plate ....
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Big0725
Large...........but definitely NOT in charge!
477 Fans
01:45 PM on 11/28/2011
Heck of a pilot!
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Adrian31
60% of the time, it works everytime...
305 Fans
12:57 PM on 11/28/2011
The only people this is "dramatic" to are those who know little to nothing about aviation. Normal crosswind landing with a strong crosswind...and?
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Big0725
Large...........but definitely NOT in charge!
477 Fans
01:47 PM on 11/28/2011
What does everybody with more than a cursory knowledge in a certain field fell it necessary to poo-poo those who aren't as experienced?

Adrian, nobody likes a know-it-all!
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fuzzynormal
136 Fans
09:22 PM on 11/28/2011
Because ignorance is even more annoying.

What I don't like? Uninformed people dramatically overreacting to typical occurrences.
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R34S0N
41 Fans
05:56 PM on 11/28/2011
Have to agree, looked pretty textbook to me. Better headline would be 'pilot aces landing in tough conditions'. Now watch the fouth video showing the Hamburg attempt, that's scary, almost bought the farm. Kai Tak Airport (jumbo second video) was always good for some dicey landings, bet pilots are glad that one got closed.
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fpwillson
Fighter for justice and the truth
2940 Fans
12:17 PM on 11/28/2011
Having been a pilot for 30 years with a major US carrier, I didn't see any "dramatic landing." I did see a normal landing in a strong crosswind. (And it was nicely done.)
"Dramatic? Not hardly.
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MochasMom
Common sense since 1968
624 Fans
12:52 PM on 11/28/2011
Probably routine to the trained eye, but to me... if I had been sitting on that plane and seeing the runway coming at me like that, it would be dramatic to me!
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waldopepper
I'd tell you all about me if you were my friend.
890 Fans
11:55 AM on 11/28/2011
Very routine landing. What is scary to me is the proximity that the camera person was able to get to without passing through any security whatsoever. If he/she were armed with some decent weapons it would be a simple matter to have downed that aircraft.
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Craig Bovia
Vermont, 1791, women can vote, no slavery allowed
1289 Fans
11:51 AM on 11/28/2011
Wow! My kind of pilot.
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Linda Wheeler Weigel
don't be a hater
70 Fans
11:39 AM on 11/28/2011
Great landing, I bet those passengers were freaked out! I was in a small plane with my Dad and he did one of those type of landings and I was scared to death. I didn't know what he was doing at the time!
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Brian Gorrell
Is this the 1950's or what?
838 Fans
 
10:40 AM on 11/28/2011
Amazing job!
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ZenCrusader
trying to be more zen in a zany world.
415 Fans
10:07 AM on 11/28/2011
God bless airline pilots ! You could post an average landing on St. Barths and most people would be scared.
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TheEmptyMonty
President of Antarctica
1264 Fans
09:41 AM on 11/28/2011
Extremely well done. I'm sure this pilot makes a lot of routine, easy landings, so it's nice to see he's so sharp and on point when he needs to be. Glad everyone is safe!
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AuContraire
27 Fans
09:39 AM on 11/28/2011
I'm a private pilot. The Luthansa pilot in Calgary stuck it perfectly. I could go my whole life and never land that well!
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BuckyJamesDio
This monkey's going to Heaven
1256 Fans
08:40 PM on 11/28/2011
Yep. The pilot did a great job. I've been in a few similar landings and have even stuck a few myself on Microsoft Flight Simulator. Yeah, I'm that good.

But seriously, it's one of those things that looks difficult, and it is. While the instruments give one the info necessary to do the math, the real talent is innate and involves skill, experience and feel.
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