Real crosswind landings

[Guest SD Sim]

Good afternoon all,I came accross these pictures of a virtual crosswind landing, and it got me thinking. If I were a passenger on this jet in real-life, I would have been scared to death :-boom. I have traveled in some pretty severe weather, and while it's hard to judge when your a passenger, I don't think I have ever been in a plane that has landed in any conformation other than parallel with the runway. So, how do real pilots (or you virtual experts) make those picture perfect landings in a crosswind? Is it controlled by selective thrust from the engines, or do you just "kick out the crab" right before touchdown? And while on the topic, if I have a jet with three powerplants, can I set up my mixture and pitch levers to control the second and third engines. I know I can try and do this through the assignments (and I will try!), I'm just curious to know if anyone else does this. The only reason I would have for doing this relates to the above. Are there any other reasons why I might want independant control of the engines?

[Guest]

well,I know one thing for sure:Martoni didn't kick out his crab :-lol

[Guest lawyerpilot]

In an airliner you typically crab and kick it out after you reduce power over the threshhold.(on autopilot, you are crabbed, then once you disengage at 500 AGL or so, depending on company procedures and type, you will "kick it in" to the degree needed). In a general aviation aircraft (172 up to maybe a Baron), you lower the upwind wing into the wind and use opposite rudder to stay horizontally aligned with centerline.. Although it sounds counterintuitive, you actually want to touch down the upwind gear first, even though you have been taught to keep the wings level soas to not land crabbed in a normal situation (to avoid a ground-loop).But, I am only finishing up my multi and instrument, so by all means if there is a different procedure for airliners, beyond the one that I have seen on videos and cockpit tapes, be heard now!Ciao,Christopher Michael BraunP4 1.8768 ram 80 gig hardriveVisiontek Ti4 4600CH yoke/pedals19" inch monitor-Soundblaster PCI 512Win XPPrivate PilotAOPALawyerPilots Bar Association"Men without dreams are never free, twas thus this way and thus will ever be."

[Guest RiddlePilot]

After reading an article in AOPA or Flying magazine a few months ago, I started using the airline technique when flying the 172. Matter of fact, I used it today on a 10 knot direct crosswind, and it worked flawlessly. First time I greased multiple touchdowns in one day. One thing though...remember to lower the wing into the wind. I missed that little part on one landing, and was dancing on the downwind wheel for a bit. Kinda interesting to see how fast you can cover the 50 foot width of the runway...But the article also said stick with what works best for you. Any landing you can walk away from is a good one.

[Guest]

>But the article also said stick with what works best for >you. Any landing you can walk away from is a good one.Any landing you can use the aircraft again is a GREAT ONE!!! :-hahFred Zealor, Private PilotUnder looong final to 30 at KSAC

[Guest SD Sim]

Thank you for the advice Gentlemen. I gave crosswind landing a try myself today. You can view the outcome here. Definitely not that easy if you have very little room to work with ;).

[Guest]

"And while on the topic, if I have a jet with three powerplants, can I set up my mixture and pitch levers to control the second and third engines. I know I can try and do this through the assignments (and I will try!), I'm just curious to know if anyone else does this. The only reason I would have for doing this relates to the above. Are there any other reasons why I might want independant control of the engines?"Hi David,Yes you can set this up. Do it in the FS assignments section. Remember to set up and calibrate the two new levers in FSUIPC.If you intend to do it on the Falcon 50, you need to download a fix (available here search using "falcon 50 throttle" in file library).Not sure if RW pilots would use differing thrust levels to achieve a good cross wind landing or to assist with taxiing. Its all simulated so give it a try!Andy (YSCB)