Originally Posted by
scotbill
One of the Vanguard quirks I haven't seen mentioned is that X-winds from the right were easier than those from the left.
It was customary to initiate the flare with power on giving better flow over the elevator. When the throttles closed there was a yaw to the left which was helpful in a right x-wind but aggravated the effect from the left. I assumed this was gyroscopic effect of those huge props in the flare.
If you wanted a short landing you could close the throttles before the flare - provided you were ready for the necessary heave!
Just as well the Vibrator never ventured into the non-equatorial Southern hemisphere! Crosswind landings would have been trickier!
Explanation: In the northern hemisphere the surface wind is usually aligned a few degrees left of the wind aloft (due to friction partially reducing the Coriolis effect). In strong winds a gust temporarily increasing the surface wind will also bring about veering (clockwise directional change) due to the wind aligning more closely with the wind aloft. Therefore if an aircraft making an approach with a crosswind from the left encounters a gust the crosswind component will not greatly change - the veering offsetting the increased wind speed.
Conversely, a crosswind from the right will be trickier - the crosswind component will be increased by both of these factors: wind speed and veering. Other factors being equal, pilots making crosswind landings in the northern hemisphere will find crosswinds from the right more difficult than those from the left. In the southern hemisphere of course the opposite is true.