1/12/13: Flight Lesson - Advanced Crosswind Circuits with Intro to Sideslipping and Short Field Take-Off and Landing

I didn't fly last weekend as I was at the Ashes cricket on Saturday.  Best not fly after a day at the Gabba  :-)

I was scheduled to fly Saturday 30th November but unfortunately my flight was cancelled due to a deluge of rain in Brisbane that day.  The following day Sunday, on the other hand was a perfect day for flying  :-)

Taking advantage of the prevailing winds, my Instructor today, Mick advised we would be doing some dual circuit time looking at more advanced crosswind techniques.  I'd also get some exposure to the sideslipping manoeuvre and short field take-off and landing procedures.

• 1st circuit - runway 28R touch-and-go (right hand turns).  Wind coming from the left at this point so needed to fully deflect left aileron and gradually reduce the amount of deflection during the take-off roll.  On the upwind leg I use aileron to keep wings level and rudder to balance.   On the crosswind leg, the wind was pushing me along so I needed to steepen my bank slightly so as not to overshoot my downwind entry point.  On the downwind leg, I tracked to maintain parallel to the runway with my nose heading into the wind (crabbing slightly right).  On base leg, I had some headwind component so needed a very shallow continual turn and a touch more power.  On the approach, I crab with the nose into the wind tracking down the runway centreline.  A few feet over my aimpoint, I simultaneously close the throttle, adopt level attitude, hold some right rudder to keep the nose straight on centreline and gradually increase and maintain back elevator pressure and touch-down  :-)

• 2nd circuit - runway 28R touch-and-go (right hand turns).  Similar to first circuit

• 3rd circuit - runway 28R touch-and-go (right hand turns).  Mick demonstrated the sideslipping technique which is basically flying the aeroplane sideways out of balance.  This presents more fuselage into the relative airflow and increases parasite drag which increases the rate and angle of descent greatly .  Sideslipping allows you to get the airplane into somewhere if required without the need to do a go-around.  On late downwind abeam the threshold at 1000ft, Mick dropped to 2000RPM (no flap and no elevator trim needed), set up the crosswind landing technique early for left wind on approach, held full right rudder while using varying degrees of left aileron to manoeuvre and control the flight path towards the runway making a tight base leg.  The sideslip caused us to drop about 900-100ft/min.  Raising the nose slightly will reduce some speed on approach.  On approach, maintaing the sideslip crosswind landing technique, the nose is straight to the centreline with the into wind wing down.  Landed on the into wind wheel (left) first while holding a lot of right rudder and left aileron.  As slowing down, let the other main wheel touch down then ease the nose wheel down.  The Cessna 152 and 172 operating manuals say not to use flap with sideslipping given they have so much flap and can shield the tail.  Its best practice not to use flap with sideslipping on any airplane as the speed will probably increase above the safe flap operating range (white arc on airspeed indicator).

• 4th circuit - runway 28R touch-and-go (right hand turns).  Now my turn at sideslipping in crosswinds with a sideslip approach to a crosswind landing.  I did ok and got it on the runway although couldn't hold it on one wheel for long.  Landing on one wheel first (into wind wheel) is usually required with above 10 knots winds.

• 5th circuit - runway 28R touch-and-go (right hand turns).  I had another go at a sideslip landing

• 6th circuit - runway 10L stop-and-go (left hand turns).  ATC changed us to runway 10L after the 5th circuit 28R touch-and-go.  We requested a 10L stop-and-go.  Mick did a teardrop manuouve (turn around 180 degrees) directly back onto the 10L final for a instructor demonstrated short-field landing.  Only difference on approach is slower speed at 60 knots still with full flaps.  All crosswind corrections were now reversed as landing in the opposite direction - left rudder and right aielron.  For a short-field landing, the aimpoint is just before the runway threshold knowing the airplane will fly level momentarily when rounding-out and going into flare attitude.  Aiming to touch-down right on the runway "piano keys", idle throttle and maxiumum braking while holding back elevator to keep pressure off the nose wheel.  We came to a complete stop on the runway then took off again (stop-and-go).  The short field take-off involves setting normal take-off flaps, set neutral elevator trim, hold brakes, full throttle, release brakes and set ailerons for crosswind, rotate around 50KIAS (instead of 55-60KIAS) and climb out at best angle (60KIAS for this airplane).  Best angle climb straight after rotation would be used where the limiting factor is an obstacle at end of runway, for example.

• 7th circuit - runway 10L stop-and-go (left hand turns).  I flew a standard base leg and setup on final for a short-field landing - full flaps and nose up trim.  Maintaining 60KIAS on final and aiming just before runway threshold, I landed right on the "piano keys" and braked hard.

• 8th circuit - 10L full stop landing (left hand turns).  After taking off starting the 8th circuit, we noticed birds had started to wander onto runway 10L so we suggested ATC send a truck out to disperse them.  ATC suggested we could land runway 10R but we said runway 10L would be fine but will land deeper into the runway (using an imaginary displaced threshold) to clear the birds.  I messed up this landing a bit as focusing on the imaginary displaced threshold and watching the birds saw me get my aileron and rudder co-ordination mixed up :-)

There are basically two crosswind landing techniques:

1.  On approach, crab the nose into the wind and track to the centreline.  Over the runway aiming point, close throttle and "kick" in the rudder to straighten the nose with the centreline.  Touch-down and keep into wind aileron deflected (eg wind left, aileron left)

2.  On approach, sideslip using rudder and opposite aileron during whole final leg.  Nose should always be in line with centreline

Here's a YouTube video of the best demonstration I've found on these two crosswind landing techniques.  It's demonstrated using Microsoft Flight Simulator.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF0Su06eBLs

My next flight lesson is a Flight Test (aka checkride) review!  This is where I'll be doing all the flying with an instructor and will need to demonstrate all the flying manoeuvres and emergency procedures learnt to date in preparation for my real Pilot Certificate Flight Test.  Yikes!  Have some revision to do  :-)

Until next time, have fun and fly safe!