"Stubby" wrote in message
...
Gary Drescher wrote:
/snip/
A constant crosswind is a component of velocity, not acceleration, so
again it is physically impossible for you to perceive it directly. You
have to look out the window or whatever.

Actually, the crosswind is a force but it is counter balanced by drag and
the control surfaces of the airplane. If the pilot didn't resist the
cross wind, the plane would drift with the wind and achieve some terminal
velocity limited by drag and the wind velocity itself.

In the steady state, with a constant crosswind and constant control
surfaces, the crosswind contributes a constant component to your velocity,
which is not directly perceptible. So, for example, if you're staying on the
runway centerline by crabbing into the crosswind, it feels the same (if you
close your eyes) as unbanked flight without a crosswind; or alternatively,
if you're slipping into the crosswind, it feels the same (if you close your
eyes) as a side-slip with no crosswind.

--Gary