I’m with Timothy. Interestingly, our mutual MEP steed (the PA31) prefers a wing down landing technique; try that in a DA42/62 or a Baron and you’ll probably be modifying propellor blades, in a negative manner.
When training, it is often easier to teach the student to lower the wing (sideslip) nice and early, prior to the flare. The rationale is that the flare itself is a rather tricky manoeuvre and adding a bit of cross-control whilst trying to manage pitch and power can be too difficult. There’s also an argument that wing down will allow you to ascertain whether you have enough rudder authority, before you hit the ground. If I’m playing with a really gnarly crosswind I will be aligned with the runway centreline by about 100ft and my passengers are just going to have to lump it.
One final thought – as an instructor/examiner, I don’t really mind which technique is used as long as the pilot doesn’t make best effort to pull the tyres off the sides of the wheels.
No I don’t think so. You can sideslip yourself from 10.000ft down if you want to, any time. That’s not my point. You can even fly the whole trip in a side slip if you want. Just because oftentimes the minima are ‘mostly’ (your expression) above 200ft doesn’t mean it can’t happen. And as I said, once being in VMC, it’s a personal preference where you go from crab to wing low. My point still is: why do it so early ?
why do it so early ?
I can’t say any more than I said above. If that doesn’t speak to you, so be it.
I prefer the way Lufthansa teaches it, on all airplanes: Crab until short final, transition to low wing/cross controlled method until touchdown. This is much easier to do than to try to kick the airplane straight at the right moment before touchdown. Do it too high and you’ll be blown off the centerline, do it too late you’ll not late safely but crabbed. It’s much less risky to land on the upwind wheel/s.
With airliners there’s a certain limit for “low wing”, especially the four engine types – beyond a certain crosswind component they use a mixture of crab and low wing to land with as little crab as possible, although some landing gears allow a slightly crabbed touchdown.
This is how it was explained to me by a LH flight training instructor many years ago, and I stayed with it, even in the SEP.
This is how it was explained to me by a LH flight training instructor many years ago, and I stayed with it, even in the SEP.
How is that applicable to light GA?
That’s how they teach it in the Bonanza and Baron, and always did – to my best knowledge. But I will ask again.
That’s fine and very relevant to the thread.
But why are you trying to impress us with what a Lufthansa pilot says about big jets? That’s irrelevant and not as impressive as you think.
Come on, he’s not trying to impress you ? He’s just stating what these instructors teach their students early on in their SEPa, which happen to be Bonanzas and Cirrus SR20 now. And, I hate to tell you, without meaning to impress you, that’s also the way they teach it at two professional ab-initio ATPL schools I know.
I think you’re just trying to yank our chain :)))
I’ve kicked straight in a Pa28, but never in a Jodel DR1050. I think kicking straight needs a higher mass/inertia to work. I thought the control movements in the video were for artistic effect – too fast and too short to have much noticeable effect. My effort. Windsock can be seen on extreme left at about 35s.
