Originally Posted by
Fly-by-Wife
From the FAA airplane flying handbook:
From the FAA airplane flying handbook:
Technically, there is no difference between a forward slip and a sideslip, in that they both require crossed controls. However, the purpose of each is different, in that the intention of the forward slip is to lose altitude without increasing airspeed while maintaining ground track and flightpath, even though the nose of the aircraft will no longer point in the direction of the flightpath, while the intention of the sideslip is to maintain aircraft heading and flight path, relying on a countering crosswind to maintain ground track - essential in landing to ensure that the nose is pointing straight down the runway, i.e. aircraft heading is aligned with flightpath to avoid drift and lateral loading on the undercarriage.
so what do you call it if you are high on final and are crabbing to maintain centreline and then decide to enter a sideslip to drop some excess height and in doing so align the aircraft's nose parallel to the centreline? a side forward slip maybe?
It is probably just me but I struggle to see the need to give a sideslip 2 different names when it is the same manoeuvre with identical control inputs. You can use it to lose height without speed or lose speed without gaining height or to assist an observer look out the window or whatever.