Reports Said the Wind Blew This Plane Dramatically Sideways. Oh, No, It Was Better Than That

Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek. 

I once met two U.S. Air Force pilots on the golf course.

They hinted that their jobs involved flying a potentially dangerous mission or two.

I asked them, though, what they'd do after they left the Air Force. Perhaps, I mused, they'd become airline pilots.

"Couldn't do that," one said. "There's no fun in that. Those planes drive themselves."

This may have some truth to it, but not as much as some think.

The real skills of many professionals, including pilots, are often shown only in difficult circumstances. 

A difficult circumstance came about this weekend at Birmingham Airport. The Birmingham in England, that is. The one where, I confess, I was born. 

Landings, like life, can be bumpy in Birmingham. Some local winds can be infernal.

In this instance, an Air France Airbus came in to land, seemed to be turned sideways by the wind and aborted the landing.

At least, that how ABC News initially reported it on Twitter (the tweet has since been deleted):

Strong winds brought by Storm Ali turn a plane attempting to land at Birmingham Airport sideways on its approach, forcing the pilot to abort the landing.

Please let's imagine the pilot of a fine Airbus being entirely powerless as the wind blows their plane sideways. 

What's he or she doing? Praying? Not quite.

The same action was posted to Twitter by photojournalist and aviation photographer Tom Podolec, with a slightly different description:

Crosswind landing with routine go-around is the way this should have been reported. May have been challenging but not terrifying. Wind did not push the plane sideways. Professional, trained, pilots flew it into the wind, then made pre-planned for decision to go around. Well done.

Here's the footage.

For the passengers, this was likely a little -- or even very -- uncomfortable. For ordinary human beings watching, it looked frightening.

Commercial pilots, however, are highly trained, even if their skills may only be truly tested in such more challenging circumstances. 

At least, those are the only circumstances after which Hollywood makes movies about them. 

Here, there were 44 mph winds greeting planes because of Storm Ali. The pilots were prepared. They did their job very well. This was, as the more geekish airline types would say, a routine go-around.

It's worth, all the same, admiring the pilots' fine skill.