Mastering crosswind/bad weather landings?

[Guest zimmerbz]

I have a question for all the experts out there. What are your techniques for landing the NG when weather is creating crosswinds or just poor weather. I have this thing for not using the A/P for approaches, but ever since I got Active Sky 2004, my manual landings have been horrid! My speed will continue to fluctuate and I can never keep the bird straight, making me feel like everyone in the back of the plane is throwing up! Now I decided to do an autoland to see what the plane should look like and in the crosswind, the bird came in at an angle like it should and kicked out the rudder at about 50ft over the runway. Yet whenever I try to keep the crab angle, I can never keep it. What should I do? So my question here is for anyone that can chime in....what are some techniques to landing in situations where there is weather that is more than clear and calm? Also, in the real world, what is the deciding factor for the pilot to use A/P APP? Is it preference or are there times when you use APP until a certain point? Thanks a lot for all the help. This board/plane is great!Brad Zimmerps...anyone that uses Active Sky 2004 and has good realistic results without cloud pop-ups and awful wind shifts and wrong weather data please tell me how to do so! I cant figure it out!!!

[Guest zimmerbz]

bump

[Guest zimmerbz]

nobody?!

[Guest Iz]

Well, I just did a x-wind bad weather landing in Pisa this afternoon with a 737-700 (real world). There are actually multiple techniques you can use when doing a crosswind landing.How it happened that the plane kicked out the rudder during the last part of the landing is beyond me, because the autopilots don't have any rudder control at all. In an autoland with crosswind, the plane lands with the crabe angle. This is why there are strict limitations to the crosswind for an autoland.First, all approaches are of course done with a crab angle. Make sure your trackline on the ND is right on the final approach track. Follow the flight director, but most importantly: No large corrections! Overcorrecting is a major cause of an unstabilized approach.One way to do the landing is to de-crab at around 500 ft, very slowly. Add aileron into the wind as you apply opposite rudder, so you land wing-down into the wind. This is a very easy method, and the method that CATIIIb autoland autopilots use as well. You arrive stabilized and only really have to flare above the runway. It's very easy, but the problem is that on very strong crosswinds, you risk striking the ground with your upwind engine.Another way to do it is to come in crabbed, align the aircraft with the runway with rudder during the flare. This is harder because it will cause all kinds of sideward moments, drag, lift etc. and if you don't do it correctly and end up floating, you can easily end up on the downwind side of the runway, or worse, off the side.A third way is to land the aircraft crabbed, this means at an angle with the runway. Then start to align the aircraft with your rudder while already on the ground. A fourth way is to land part-crabbed/part-wing down. This is the preferred method for very strong crosswinds.When it's gusty and there's a good crosswind, I like to disengage the autopilot early on the approach (but usually after glideslope intercept) to get a 'feel' for the aircraft.