Mike made a good point about the difference in stall characteristics
between a slip and a skid. Based on my reading and from really
thinking about the aerodynamics of both, a slip is more spin
'resistant' than a skid for several reasons. Notice I said resistant
and not proof. Probably the most important reason is that in a slip
the roll and yaw component have been decoupled. In other words the
direction of roll and yaw are opposite. This is one reason why the
wings return to level first in a stall from a slip. If you think
about what each control input is doing to the AOA on each wing in a
slip it should become clear that the high wing stall first. In a
skid, the opposite is true and both roll and yaw are in the same
direction, which is a bad thing. In a skid the lower wing stalls
first and as Mike said, you'll probably find yourself inverted
quickly.

Another benefit of a slip is that a large area of the elevator is
blanked by the vertical stabilizer because the relative wind is
coming more from the side. Therefore, because airflow is blocked over
a portion of the elevator, there may not be enough elevator authority
to stall the plane. The third point is that with the relative wind
coming from the side, the fuselage is also acting as a lifting
surface, just not an effective one. A few good books to read on the
subject would be Emergency Maneuver Training by Stowell, Stalls,
Spins, and Safety by Sammy Mason, and Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators
to name a few.

Dave
(Ekim) wrote in message . com...
"Never cross control!!!"
"Keep that ball centered!"
"Never use more than 20 degrees bank!"
"Too high on final - go around. Never slip unless its an emergency
landing."

These are things that were hammered in my head by my numerous CFIs
during pattern training as a student pilot. Now that I have my PPL,
you would think I should have this understood. Unfortunately, now this
is really twisted up in my head.

Was all that preaching JUST to reduce the chance of invoking a deadly
spin in case the wings are accidentally stalled? It seems to all
contradict everything about slips on final and the famous
"low-wing-into-the-wind" crosswind landings?

In my mind, as long as I keep my airspeed sufficiently high and keep
the nose pointed down, (ie. keep my AOA under control) things like a
steeper banks and routine slip to landings should be relatively safe.
Right?

Thanks,
Ekim