Stalls in a crosswind
Dear PPRuNers,
Apologies for the strange thread title.
I came across an interesting discussion in another forum, which, to my surprise, actually made me think.
I am probably missing the obvious here but I thought I'd ask.
Someone claimed that during stall exercices in a particular light aircraft, one wing would drop if there was a crosswind. Then another poster comes in and says: There is no such thing as a crosswind inflight, as you are moving within an airmass which limits the relevance of crosswinds to take off and landing.
Now, I think that may not be an accurate statement.
Imagine a ferry that wants to cross a river. There is a current downstream so if the ferry skipper points the nose directly at the other side of the river, he will drift downstream. So he points the nose a little upstream to correct for drift. Now, doesn't that mean that the ship experiences a force on the sidewall on the upstream side? Only if it is headed directly parallel to the current does it not experience any forces on either side, right?
So that must have an affect on how an aircraft handles in a stall, or not?
I know this is a very basic question and I may well be missing the obvious but I am interested to hear your opinions.