What a thoroughly enjoyable and jolly thread - well written by everybody. Yet despite the cross-wind landing being one of the more tricky pieces of pure flying skill it is rare to find a simulator instructor who will devote time to allowing his brood to practice crosswind landings. I don't mean just one landing - but four five or six approaches from 1500 feet raw data and no automatics - dry and slippery runway
Very rare also, to see pilots practicing in the simulator the slippery runway crosswind landing where the aircraft starts to slide sideways under the influence of reverse thrust vector which drags the tail around, necessitating swift reversion to reverse idle, rudder and judicious use of brakes then back to application of full reverse when straight down the centreline. Phew!...I sweated that landing....
In order to simulate this it is sometimes necessary to whack in a strong crosswind of 30 knots plus in order to get the aircraft sliding sideways on the simulated slippery runway.
Of course one could argue one would not normally accept such strong crosswinds on slippery runways in real life so what is the point of practicing to such extremes in the simulator. And that is true. But if the aircraft manufacturer's have determined that sideways vector of reverse thrust has in the past caused a directional problem on slippery runways, and thus the technique is worthy of publication in the FCTM, then it is surely wise to observe this phenomenom and to practice counter measures - and what safer place than in the simulator? Beats the hell out of LOFT's on full automatics in real time A to B.
