At 14:18 10 February 2004, Pat Russell wrote:
Is 'crabbing' a maneuver?

Sort of... in the US Practical Test Standards for gliders,
the term 'crab' is not used. I suppose this is because
there may be instances when a flight test is performed
with little or no wind aloft, making a crab difficult/impossible
to demonstrate. There are, however, four tasks which
may involve using a crab:

- the 'Normal and Crosswind Takeoff' task for aero
tow requires that the applicant maintain 'directional
control and proper wind-drift correction throughout
the takeoff.'

- the 'Normal and Crosswind Landing' task (which is
separate from the 'Slips to Landing' task) refers to
the applicant maintaining 'crosswind correction and
directional control throughout the approach and landing.'
Arguably, a crab on downwind is in many/most instances
the preferred crosswind correction.

- similarly to the above, the 'Traffic Patterns' task
refers to the applicant recognizing and making appropriate
corrections for the effect of wind.

- the 'Straight Glides' task refers to the applicant
tracking toward a prominent landmark using smooth,
coordinated control.

Judy