Stick and Rudder's 'Safety plane'

On Tue, 8 Jul 2003 13:49:10 -0400, "Bob Martin"
wrote:

In addition, it comes in REAL handy during crosswind landings when you
cross control to hold the airplane straight while holding a wing down
into the crosswind.


I still have yet to learn how to do that. When I was training for my
license, my instructor told me I could either approach wing-low or crab
(with a kick of rudder just before touchdown to straighten out). I chose
the second option.

Now, of course, I need to learn wing-low to land our RV-6...


The concept is pretty basic: A crosswind wants to blow you off the
runway, you have to counter that affect and you can do it either way,
crab to just above the runway or drop a wing into the wind.

If you choose to drop a wing, the airplane thinks you want to turn in
that direction. You don't, you just want to stop from being blown off
course. To prevent the airplane from turning into the wind, you apply
opposite rudder. The stronger the wind, the more rudder you must
apply. When you reach the rudder stop and are still being blown off
the runway you have discovered the maximum crosswind the airplane can
handle, and beyond. Then it's time to find another runway.

You can and do touch down with the wing still down into the wind.
First the upwind wheel touches down, then the downwind wheel.

The only problem with the crabbing into the wind landing is that once
you kick it straight, you have to get down on the runway right away,
or you'll be blown sideways again.

With the wing down method, you can fly a stabilized approach right to
touchdown without worrying about being blown sideways.

Gusting crosswinds of course make things more complicated.

Corky Scott