But, in my opinion, that still requires more skill and judgement, and is therefore more open to error and misjudgement, than getting the wing down somewhat earlier. I am absolutely not talking 1000’ (though that’s OK, if it floats your boat) but maybe between 150’ and 50’.
Than that was a misunderstanding. Yes for 150, maybe 100 feet … I guess I don’t do it lower.
Ah. I think that quite a few people are advocating doing it pretty much in the flare, at maybe 5-15’.
With a Jodel DR1050, in a max possible sideslip, it is possible for the fuselage to affect airflow over an aileron. I’d heard about it, but never experienced it, until I was observer in last year’s Permit air test.
The result was innocuous, but surprising – the wings just leveled suddenly.
dublinpilot wrote:
The pilot in this case, simply didn’t take account of that and apply the appropriate corrections before the effect was observed.
Late comment on the Lufthansa incident….I believe part of the problem was related to the Airbus control system meaning that although Pitch is in Direct Law during landing Roll is (was?) not….so when the pilot belatedly rolled right the computer would only command something like 2deg/second roll rate which did not overcome the rolling inertia….then when the aircraft finally reacted by rolling right, with pilot commanding full right roll…the pilot was then unable to prevent the right wing tip strike due again to inadequate roll response….I believe Airbus changed the system to Direct law for roll during landing….
Ah. I think that quite a few people are advocating doing it pretty much in the flare, at maybe 5-15’.
I am not advocating it, but I am certain it doing it that low. It did take me some time to get there and I used to transition into a sideslip higher.
A related question is how you perform a takeoff in a strong crosswind. Surely you do not want any side load on the gear either, especially on an icy runway, so you apply rudder into the wind and compensate with nose wheel steering or rudder. But when do you straighten the wing and kick in neutral rudder? You certainly do not wait until 500’ to do that because with the controls crossed the plane will probably not climb very well. So once I am at such height above the runway that there is no risk that the plane might settle back down, I uncross the controls, and that would usually happen at a few feet (5-10) above the runway with positive climb.
Yes. On take-off I adopt crab immediately I am definitively off the ground.
I change from crab to wing down rather later than earlier but not in the flare itself. Just so that I can get stabilised, at ca. 50’. Sometimes a bit earlier, sometimes a bit later (when landing). On takeoff immediately crab.
Aviathor wrote:
A related question is how you perform a takeoff in a strong crosswind. Surely you do not want any side load on the gear either,
Like the Haynes manual always says, “assembly is the reverse process of disassembly”
Essentially I do a crosswind takeoff like a crosswind landing in reverse. Start with full upwind aileron and maintain whatever it requires to run straight (it’s important to do this in a tailwheel aircraft). Once off the ground with no risk of settling, then transition to a crab to maintain runway track.
