BoeingBoy wrote:I do cringe when I read about there being two methods for crosswind landings. There is only one, and that is to arrive at the point of touchdown with downwind rudder and into wind aileron applied in sufficient amounts to counter any crosswind and land the aircraft aligned with the centre line and with zero drift. What does exist are two ways of arriving at that state.
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There is nothing to stop you using offset heading to drift down the centreline for comfort until you're approaching the threshold, but at that point, maybe 100'+ you slowly and smoothly put enough crossed inputs in to keep the wings level and the nose down the centreline.
I don't really agree with your analysis. From the point of view of the aerodynamics, you cannot fly:
- in an unaccelerating state; and
- with symmetric power; and
- with a slip angle (e.g. aligned with the centreline in a crosswind); and
- with wings level.
Something has to give.
The "wing down" technique gives up wings level, and maintains an upwind wing down slip to touchdown.
Alternatively, you can approach the runway without a slip angle, in other words, crabbed into wind, but to line up the nose wheel with the centreline before touchdown, you must initiate a slip angle by yawing. If the wings are kept level, you will accelerate downwind, since, without the lift vector tilted upwind, the forces on the aircraft are unbalanced, whatever you do with the ailerons. If you commence the slip late enough, that acceleration will not result in much downwind drift velocity by the time you touch down, and the gear will happily absorb it.
I think those are two different techniques: in the former, the touchdown is with a roll angle into wind, in the latter it is wings level.
For the reasons you outline, I prefer to land the Twin Comanche wing down. It's too easy to mis-time the yaw and find myself drifting downwind.