Using Ideal Flight 10, I saved this flight about 2 min before landing. I must of tried to get this plane safely on the ground 10 times now. Each time the plane tips over. The video is my best landing that almost stuck but didn't.

 

How is one suppose to land this properly and safely?

 

What strength cross wind is it? It might be exceeding the aircraft desgin limits.

 

Try imputting rudder earlier, to line up a bit better with the runway before touchdown.

Your plane seems rather unresponsive when applying the rudder when trying to de-crab. Also, i can see no aileron action to try to level the wings out?

 

Have you tried some crosswind landings without Ideal Flight in the back-ground just to eliminate the 3rd party possibility?  I've had some really weird characteristics with my (especially GA, light) planes in Ideal Flight with their Thermal and Ridge Lift system activated. 

 

Nico

I'm not familiar with this aircraft, but a few suggestions:

 

1) Make sure autorudder is turned off. It looks like you are kicking over the rudder OK but the aircraft is not yawing in response until it slows down. Instead of rolling down the runway it is sliding sideways.

 

2) Try to land on both main gear before allowing the nose gear to touch down. You may need a slower approach speed so the aircraft is more nose up on landing. Or you can try a smaller flap setting, which will increase the nose-up attitude at the same speed. Unfortunately a lower speed will increase your crab angle more. As cva1077 said, the cross-wind just may be too strong.

 

3) Make sure you are more on the upwind side of the runway center line so you have more room to drift down wind across the runway.

 

An additional thought: maybe you are trying to steer with the ailerons rather than the nosewheel (due to sliding sideways), causing the left main gear to lift off the ground. This would not be necessary if the plane were better lined up with the runway direction at or shortly after touchdown.

 

Mike

Aren't you suppose to kick just as you land?

 

And someone fill me in - once you kick do you ease the rudder back to the central position?

 

Real life car driver here...

Not doing much wrong, full rudder just before touchdown, full left aileron also, but the twotter is easily blown around so looks like the wind is simply too strong. Fsx doesn't model ground handling that well either which doesn't help.

I agree that maybe the conditions you are simulating are too much for the Otter. Still, in a heavy crosswind with a small plane like that, you should touch down first with the upwind wheel. In this case, the left. It should help in preventing the wind from blowing you out of the centerline. 

There's always the missile approach,

Full flap, High Speed, as above in that situation, left wing down slightly, force yourself onto the runway, then throttles back as required to hold the direction,

as soon as you are happy with the direction, throttle down, brake hard, hard rudder / differential braking as necessary, bush the nose down into the ground.

It won't be pretty or nice on the plane, but will get you down if you have no choice but to land there.

Your approach was one of two types of crosswind approach techniques employed by pilots and you did it fine. The only thing that appeared to be amiss form where I was sitting, is that when you kicked in the rudder, the plane didn't respond. I suggest you check your settings with that in mind. The other cross wind approcach technique, which is not as popular and I understand it to be employed more so when flying GA, is to keep the wing down into wind and use opposite rudder to maintain a forward track. By employing this technique it is possible to fly directly to the runway without any sideways drift. Effectively you are side slipping into the wind. BTW, it must be mentioned, it is EXTREMELY important when using any crosswind landing technique to ensure that when the plane actually touches down, it does so with the landing gear in the correct forward direction, ie parallel to the runway. Otherwise sideways forces can severly damage the landing gear  :wink:

I almost always slip into a crosswind landing as kicking straight at the last moment is a bit tricky, and much more important to get right in the tailwheel aircraft I often fly. Rockllife has described the basics. Approach with whatever rudder input keeps you aligned with the runway (you'll be adjusting inputs constantly) and then feed in enough upwind aileron to keep you from drifting. Fly this all the way to the runway, lined up all the time, and through the flare. Land on the upwind main and keep whatever upwind aileron is needed to keep from drifting still. As you slow you will settle on the other main, and then finally the nose gear. Keep upwind aileron all the way to stop, and steer straight with the rudder as normal.

 

I find it easier to land consistently well using this technique rather than the crab even on aircraft with nose gear. Of course, every plane has a crosswind component that simply exceeds its ability to handle, as others have said. Then no technique will work. Then you go find a fp different airport.

I agree with previous two posts, I use that technique in RL and it works fine. 

I just think the plane isn't modeled correctly...  some planes can't do slips in FSX.

 

Also that's one heck of a crosswind, I'm not sure what the max component is for that plane...

ryanbatcund, on 31 Mar 2013 - 11:07, said:

I just think the plane isn't modeled correctly... some planes can't do slips in FSX.

 

 

 

Also that's one heck of a crosswind, I'm not sure what the max component is for that plane...

Looks like the max crosswind component is 20 knots. He might have been over that. Still, the airplane didn't seem to respond at all to the rudder input, Even over max crosswind it should respond. If it were me, I'd try cutting the crosswind velocity by half and seeing how it does but I do agree with Ryan...it doesn't look like the airplane is modeled right and, in particular, the rudder.

 

In a small airplane proper procedure is to apply the rudder and, as the plane comes around, lower the wing that's on the wind side (left wing, in this case) keeping the airplane aligned with the centerline. Then put the airplane down on (in this case) the left wheel first. The right wheel will settle as you slow. Once you land, gradually add left-forward yoke as you get slow (dive into the wind) to keep the nose and the left wheel on the ground. Practice it at a mile final and keep it lined up, leaning to the left all the way down to the runway. If it drifts to the right add more right rudder and more left aileron. If it won't do it at a mile final you're probably in trouble because of too much crosswind. (RW the wind reduces quite a bit below the treeline.)

 

EDIT: If it were me learning how to do a good crosswind landing, I'd probably use one of the Bernt Stolle modeled Carenado aircraft or the Real Air Duke. Keep in mind that FSX doesn't model ground effect or tire friction well so you won't get the benefit of that.

In the video the wind is 30kts, with an Airspeed of 46kts, not a lot to maneuver with, even if you had to make that landing for real,

I think the only way round it would be with power, and hope you don't get a strong gust that knocks you over.

Re my above post, might even consider pulling the flaps up, and just relying on the wings.

Thereby you are counteracting some of the crosswind component and not crabbing as much in one direction for when it's time to straighten out,

the last piece is rapidly slowing down so you pass through the phase where you are likely to be

blown sideways by the wings wanting to lift still.

 

I have only been in 1 real approach where the pilot gunned it, in an Embraer 135, so slightly more power anyway and faster approach,

but runway length wasn't so much an issue, that will hold you back if you know can't slow down in time

Sara makes a good point. Maybe not enough airspeed to have any rudder authority?

 

Also, since it's a twin, could you use more power in the left engine to help yaw the plane?