When deciding whether winds are conducive to flying, consider the crosswind component for departure as well as landing, along with the aircraft’s performance limitations—and your own. The wind direction and speed at your departure airport may differ significantly from your arrival airport, even if the distance between them is relatively short. Do a thorough weather briefing and check conditions at both airports, as well as en route, and base your decision on all available information.

If you decide to fly, have a Plan B in case you can’t land at the intended airport—and be ready to execute that plan. Expect that surface wind variations in the airport environment created by obstructions (e.g., tree line, surrounding terrain) may also be an issue. And do not forget gust effects. An 8-knot crosswind may seem perfectly manageable, but the possibility of a 20-knot gust changes everything. Be ready to use a lower flap setting and higher approach speed in certain wind conditions. Oh, and don’t forget that crosswind control continues after touchdown. Too many pilots relax after touchdown only to lose the runway centerline and even control.

Aircraft and personal limitations are essential components in your decision making. For example, you may be flying an airplane with a max demonstrated crosswind of 17 knots, but that is the airplane’s maximum limitation. Yours will be much less to begin with, will increase with experience, and will vary. Variations include how recently you have flown, experience in the aircraft you’re flying that day, and personal factors (such as stress and fatigue) that may affect your readiness to fly.

There are techniques that you will practice with your instructor to prepare for flying in crosswinds.

For takeoffs, the roll begins with the ailerons deflected into the wind. The amount of deflection varies with the crosswind component and is reduced as the airplane gains speed. Once off the ground, a transition to crabbing into the wind can be used to maintain heading.

For landing, there are two methods: slip and crab. It’s important to be familiar with and practice both so you can choose which works best in a given situation for you and your airplane. Some pilots use a hybrid of both methods. Chapters 6 and 9 of the FAA’s Airplane Flying Handbook describe the techniques in detail and will serve you well as an introduction to the maneuvers before practicing them in the airplane.