October 29th 2017 brought a major wind storm to northern Europe. Peak gusts that day reached 172 km/h in Germany, and even Berlin got to see some full hurricane-forced gusts at up to 126 km/h.

So, being a nerd for weather, aviation and photography, I decided to combine the dots and go plane watching. Thankfully, I was in the city I grew up in – Berlin – so knew my way around quite well and was aware that there is a parking lot right in the way of the landing planes, just east of the Tegel airport. It is located at Kurt-Schumacher-Damm 1, and you can click the link here to see it on Google Maps. As far as I know, it is also open on weekends, so is a perfect place for plane watching for just a few Euros of parking. When you’re on the top deck and the planes land overhead, they fly so low that you feel like you could almost touch them.

But anyhow, I digress. Below, you will find a selection of the 1,557 photos I took that day. My comprehensive and hour-long observations yielded the result that pilots from northern European countries seem much more skilled in crosswind landings than their southern or non-European counterparts. Budget airlines seemed the most capable of handling the adverse conditions, interestingly enough. Perhaps something to take into consideration when booking your next flight.