SEL 'FIRM' landings

1) In any choice situation, take the crosswind from the right. Be
especially wary of left crosswinds. (I have not seen this published
anywhere)

Can you expand on that a bit, please? I'm not sure I see where you're going
with this.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:
1) In any choice situation, take the crosswind from the right. Be
especially wary of left crosswinds. (I have not seen this published
anywhere)

Can you expand on that a bit, please? I'm not sure I see where you're going
with this.

When the nose is high in the flare, if you have to add power for any reason,
P-factor will tend to add to your problems with a wind from the left and help
you with a wind from the right. In addition, I've always found that slipping
into a wind from the right gives me better visibility in the high-wing aircraft
I've owned.

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
your slightly older self.

Jay Honeck wrote:
1) In any choice situation, take the crosswind from the right. Be
especially wary of left crosswinds. (I have not seen this published
anywhere)

Can you expand on that a bit, please?

I should have clarified the sentence & said for takeoffs only. It
already takes right rudder in a zero wind to compensate for the
rotating slipstream etc, but it takes still more right rudder for any
left crosswind. The result for me (C172M) is that a 10 knot left
crosswind is like a 20 knot right crosswind in terms of rudder-needs
and pucker factor.

Is this true in the Cherokees? It may not be so much so because of the
fixed nosewheel steer connection, although when the nose is raised it
has to be true.

NRP

nrp wrote:
I should have clarified the sentence & said for takeoffs only. It
already takes right rudder in a zero wind to compensate for the
rotating slipstream etc, but it takes still more right rudder for any
left crosswind. The result for me (C172M) is that a 10 knot left
crosswind is like a 20 knot right crosswind in terms of rudder-needs
and pucker factor.

I'm still not sure I follow you. If your objective immediately after
takeoff was to have the fuselage aligned with the runway, as it is
immediately before landing, I'd agree that more rudder would be
required against the rudder weathervaning. Takeoff is not the same as
landing in this respect though. Upon liftoff you should make a
_coordinated_ turn into the wind in order to add the appropriate amount
of crab angle required to stay above the runway (left aileron and left
rudder into a left crosswind). Asymmetric rudder usage shouldn't
really apply, I think, aside from the usual net left-turning
tendencies.

If you're not flying in a coordinated manner on takeoff you're throwing
away performance and operating at less than optimal efficiency - at a
time when you can use all the performance you can get.

Or maybe I'm misunderstanding. I'm still licensed to learn.

-R

If you're not flying in a coordinated manner on takeoff you're throwing
away performance and operating at less than optimal efficiency - at a
time when you can use all the performance you can get.

Or maybe I'm misunderstanding. I'm still licensed to learn.

Makes sense to me!

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Asymmetric rudder usage shouldn't
really apply, I think, aside from the usual net left-turning
tendencies.

This was intended for takeoffs only and has nothing to do with
post-lift-off handling. It is the amount of rudder required to
maintain directional control during the takeoff acceleration.

I use full aileron at the start & come off it during the roll. I find
that it requires rudder inputs to counteract both torque (actually it
is mostly spinning slipstream) effects and weathervaning due to the
crosswind. Sometimes the inputs have to add (such as a left crosswind)
, and sometimes they cancel (right crosswind).

I try to leave the runway in a near minimum airspeed and tire scrub
condition. Climbout etc is coordinated (I hope!)