New take on xwind landings

[flyguy]

In central Calif we have left crosswinds. You get pretty casual about handling them, but here in Los Banos we get a pattern of them blowing in from the coast every summer that can be a bit challenging. I think today we just switched to our summer pattern and I learned to my surprise that it is easier to land a BC12D in a left cross wind that it is with the wind blowing right down the runway.

I had never considered it before, but today we had 13 kts gusting whatever right across the runway and I just did my thing and found out that the lefty lets you land a Tcraft just like a regular (read fat wing) airplane. A slip is a slip is the message, and drag in the flare is good. Interesting. I had never thought about it before.

DC

[flyguy]

Re: New take on xwind landings

This is really funny, I was looking at a crosswind thread from 7/2007 and this is what I said:
"One other little thing--I recently noticed and had forgotten about it while this thread is going on: I find the T has a more controllable flare in a cross wind. It is really consistent with me. If it isn't too gusty I make a smoother and better controlled flare with a left crosswind than with no wind at all, or one head on. Think about the T wing characteristics and what is going on in a slip and you will see this makes sense."

I guess sometime we have to relearn things we have not used for a while.

I suppose I should add that I haven't fought the afternoon crosswind here for some time as I do my flying in the morning in the summer or if I come back from somewhere and the crosswind is roaring I just land on the turnoff to the taxiway that has an overrun onto a helipad. It is exactly into the wind and was once the end of a cross runway.

[lfries]

Re: New take on xwind landings

Missed you at Frazier Lake. Mostly headwinds there.

[flyguy]

Re: New take on xwind landings

Yeah I pulled some neck muscles crawling under my truck to change the oil and was really out of it yesterday and just getting better this PM. Was going to fly over yesterday and then drive down to the Hollister Air Show today, but didn't make either one.

How was the fly in? Have any pix or stories?

DC

[lfries]

Re: New take on xwind landings

Posted some pic's on the thread. Good food, visiting, grass strip, your fortunate to have such a good one so close. The wind dropped the temp's and most of us slept in the hangar. Grandson and I stopped in Los Banos to top off so we would have fuel to fly straight home. 66kn GS to LSN and 102kn to Visalia. Both legs calm wind forecast.