Crosswind Landings On FSX (PLEASE READ AND HELP ME!)

[Ian Leviseur 1007004]

Hello, I have been trying to learn how to operate crosswind landings for the longest time now, and have yet to figure them out. I know how to do the ILS approaches well, I just need to be tutored on the pitch/trim and yaw methods when in landings, also, things such as "crabbing" and "slipping" for crosswind approaches. Oh and does anyone know if in real life, pilots doing crosswinds and such, when established with the localizer and using the ILS app., and just set the pitch and trim while in the ILS approach or do they use visual approach and correct the pitch and trim and everything with the visual? HELP ME OUT PLEASE!

[Harold Rutila 974112]

The APP button on the autopilot can correct the aircraft's pitch and bank angle for a crosswind landing. Whether or not pilots decide to use that equipment is usually at their own discretion.

 

I don't think commercial aircraft normally use slips. A slip involves opposite aileron and opposite rudder. It creates a generally uncomfortable push to one side of the aircraft cabin. A slip can give a really generous descent rate and airspeed decline, and it is mostly used in small aircraft. It is part of private pilot curriculum in the US.

 

The way I learned crabbing is just the way you point the aircraft to acheive a straight flight path in crosswind conditions. For instance, if there was a 10-knot crosswind in a Cessna 172, that pilot might crab a few degrees left or right depending on the crosswind to correct for the wind. On approach, this is basically what the large aircraft do. In a crosswind landing situation, pilots will crab their aircraft to acheive a straight glide path. As they approach the threshold of their [Mod - Happy Thoughts]igned runway, they will push the rudder pedals in the opposite direction of the crab to properly align their aircraft and wheels with the runway. Just look at the crosswind landing videos on YouTube.

 

This one is good:

 

The pilot continues in a crab on final. At 00:40, he applies right rudder and straightens out the aircraft, perhaps a little less than he should have as well.

 

In small GA aircraft, pilots have the option to land on one wheel. Tricky, yes, but we learn how to do it. Those landings are basically a slip all the way down to the runway, landing on the downwind wheel and using light rudder to put the upwind wheel on the ground.

[Garry Morris 920567]

In a gusty crosswind, don't you risk impacting the downwind wing if you are leaving the upwind side of your aircraft in the air?

 

I thought it was put the upwind wheel down first? Could be totally wrong.

[David Baker 1004102]

In a gusty crosswind, don't you risk impacting the downwind wing if you are leaving the upwind side of your aircraft in the air?

 

I thought it was put the upwind wheel down first? Could be totally wrong.

 

This is correct. You will have you ailerons turned into the wind to counteract drifting across the runway with opposite rudder applied to point your nose down the center-line. This will result in the

 

I believe that commercial jets do the same thing, only they crab until the last minute then transition into a slip. This I believe is a good way to do it for private aircraft as well. As a slip is a uncoordinated maneuver, it is uncomfortable on p[Mod - Happy Thoughts]engers.

 

Of course, some aircraft are actually able to land crabbed in which case they remain crabbed until the mains touch down, then use the rudder to center the nose.

[Roy Evans 1061333]

Harold's got it right. in small GA aircraft, either of the two methods is fine. Using both of them (ie, initiating a slip, returning to crab) can be an easy way to reestablish your aircraft back on your planned approach path as gusty winds sure do knock you around. In the jet world, most are taught to keep it in the crab until the mains are about to touch the runway. Some airliners, like the 737, have main landing gear that actually rotate on the vertical axis to allow the pilot to land in a crab in a good crosswind to negate any chance of dragging a cowl on the runway. But, for aircraft comparable to the CRJ-200 in terms of wingtip to ground clearance, the slip, or, getting the wheels ready to roll parallel to the centerline, is done as close to the ground as possible, as long as you have the rudder authority to do so. Most aircraft with much more wingtip clearance don't have as big of an issue as the -200 (there's been a handful of -200 operators having wingtip strikes on landing with a good crosswind due to poor pilot technique).