Hey guys,When taking off on a runway when having real-world weather set, it's quite often the wind will try to run the plane off the runway. It really blows that sucker way off the centreline. My queston is this: Does this much of a wind-blow really occur in real-life when planes are zooming down the runway to the point where the pilot is fighting on the joystick to keep the plane ont he runway? It just seems that when I fly, the planes have no problem keeping a straight line when going down the runway to take-off. How much of a rudder degree correction do I need to keep the plane heading straight ont he runway? On one hand, I'd like to keep the realism with the real-world weather, but ont he other hand I don't want my plane always being stubborn and wanting to drive off the runway into the grass/dirt!Zach Herin

Yes-crosswind takeoffs/landings have the potential to blow you off the runways if not correcting properly. You want to be correcting with ailerons which will be held into the wind. I pulled this quickly off a website to give you an idea of the procedure.Hope this helps you out.. :-)Crosswind takeoff procedures:Align the airplane as normal ON THE CENTERLINE of the runway, while using NORMAL CROSSWIND TAXI CONTROL DEFLECTIONS (ailerons FULLY INTO THE WIND, and NEUTRAL ELEVATOR).SMOOTHLY apply full throttle (2-3 seconds from idle to full).Track the NOSEWHEEL PRECISELY ALONG THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE with the rudder.Maintain a relatively FLAT PITCH ATTITUDE with the elevator while accelerating to takeoff speed.As the ailerons become effective (noted by the first indication of LEANING INTO THE WIND), begin to REDUCE the aileron just enough to KEEP THAT UPWIND WING JUST A LITTLE LOW.As the airplane reaches your desired takeoff speed, SMOOTHLY AND FIRMLY RAISE THE NOSE TO A CLIMB ATTITUDE.* * CAUTION * *IN GUSTY WIND CONDITIONS, be certain that ENOUGH SPEED HAS BEEN OBTAINED BEFORE LIFTOFF TO PREVENT SETTLING BACK ONTO THE RUNWAY if a gust quits.The aileron control being held into the wind will cause the airplane to BANK SLIGHTLY INTO THE WIND as the airplane lifts off the ground. Allow the airplane to ESTABLISH A SLIP ATTITUDE which will prevent drifting off the centerline until you are positive that the airplane will not settle back onto the runway, then...ESTABLISH A WIND CORRECTION ANGLE (CRAB) which will track the extended centerline of the runway.Adjust the pitch to maintain the appropriate climbspeed, and maintain a crab angle which will give you a ground-track along the extended centerline of the runway.http://mywebpages.comcast.net/geofa/pages/rxp-pilot.jpg

First,FYI, prop aircraft single engine require yaw correction due to several effects including p-factor, vertical stabilizer offset to counter slipstream effects at cruise, etc. As airspeed and power change, the amount of rudder correction changes. Twins with counter-rotating props (not on all) and jets do not have p-factor.Now, about crosswinds. As the crosswind component increases, that is that portion of the wind force perpendicular to your take-off and landing path, on the landing roll you need to steer into it. The amount of effect is dependent on the component speed and the weight of the aircraft along with the airspeed.There is yet another counter correction to consider but has the opposite effect of causing the aircraft to turn into the wind direction because of the wind current blowing on the vertical stab. It is called weather-vaning. Unfortunatly all the natural forces do not neutralize each other.Especially for lighter aircraft, at the slow IAS startup speed, you need to counter the crosswind with lots of aileron decreasing the amount as airspeed rises. This is because at slow speeds rudder effect is minimal except for nosewheel steering but the aileron correction is needed to relieve side stress on the nosegear. As airspeed increases, the rudder become more effective and less aileron is required due also to its increased effectiveness. If you do not decrease aileron with increasing speed, a wing could lift.Also, as forward speed increases, the horizontal crosswind component becomes less a percentage of the airspeed.You can find basics on all this at www.stoenworks.com on the aviation tab. It is a very enjoyable site with fascinating practical instruction.I maybe made some errors so I'm sure you'll see some comments.