Windy Landings in the SSW-DIV

[Todt_Von_Oben]

WINDY LANDINGS IN THE SSW-DIV

 

I recorded five Touch n Goes in the Schuck so I could study what I’m doing wrong and improve my landings. Check ‘em out.

 

Know ye all: to land in a crosswind, the rule is AILERON INTO THE WIND AND OPPOSITE RUDDER.

 

Whether you establish the landing attitude on final approach or use the “crab-kick” method just prior to touchdown, the airplane’s fuselage must be aligned with the runway centerline and the wings will be banked into the crosswind when you land. The intent is keep the plane rolling straight and prevent it from being blown sideways on rollout.

 

Fly it on under control. Touchdown banked on the upwind wheel first; then smoothly transition to add the tailwheel next and the downwind wheel last.

 

The one-wheel touchdown is a maneuver I’ve had milkstool pilots call “daring” (probably out of jealousy because my Luscombe looked so good doing it) but it’s actually how a taildragger should be landed in a crosswind.

 

It’s easier to do IRL where you have actual sensations of motion; but FC is based on the same physics and you can do it in this simulation if you understand, anticipate, and properly apply the necessary control inputs at the right time. (i.e. before you sense the need for them. Acting reactively is too late. We must know, anticipate, and act proactively.)

 

If we can learn to do that, our crosswind landings will improve and we’ll discover a new maneuver that’s really gratifying to accomplish.

That's what I'm trying to do here, anyway. Here’s what I saw in the video.

 

INTO THE WIND: Not bad but engine torque (redirected by gyroscopic precession) rolled me to the left when I firewalled the throttle so I had to recover.

Correction: be smoother applying power and anticipate the need for a little right aileron.

 

LEFT CROSSWIND: (Notice how far downwind I was carried in the turn and how far back I had to come! That’s a strong wind!) My controls were about neutral; I touched down crabbed into the left crosswind and my upwind left wing got high. All wrong.

 

Correction: Anticipate the need for Left Aileron and Right Rudder applied with proper coordination and force to keep the upwind wing down and the fuselage aligned with the flightpath.

 

RIGHT CROSSWIND: I bounced and did get the upwind right wing down into the crosswind; but then lost it and the right wing was lifted by the crosswind again. And what rudder?

 

Correction: Right Aileron and Left Rudder. Fly it on. R / T / L wheels down in that order.

 

DOWNWIND: I deliberately slopped the approach (had it under control all the way) but she rolled straight with no problems.

 

RIGHT QUARTERING CROSSWIND: No Aileron or Rudder; expectable results. Not good at all.

 

Correction: Right Aileron and Left Rudder. Fly it on. R / T / L wheels down in that order.

 

Prosit!

 

 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Todt_Von_Oben