This is a shortened version of a paper I once wrote for professional airline pilots. It is based on painful experience gained in the north of Scotland where operations in winds of 60+ knots were not uncommon
An immense amount of harm has been done to pilot confidence for decades by training establishments of the RAF and some commercial schools which continue to teach the so-called "kick off drift" method of crosswind landing. For those of us steeped in the technique at a formative stage it may be difficult to accept - but this was a blind alley in the history of aviation.
It is understandable that crosswind landing finesse need not command a high priority in military aircraft, but the method gained respectability in commercial aviation in the heyday of such aircraft as the Viscount when it was considered that there was a risk of touching the inboard prop in a wing-down situation.
Leaving aside the use of the word 'kick' (which should have little place in the vocabulary of a professional airline pilot ) this technique requires a measure of fine judgement often acquired at the cost of some heart-stopping moments along the way. Its most notable drawback is that, if misjudged, it leaves the aircraft drifting downwind in a highly vulnerable state. Once the line of inertia departs from runway centre-line, the possible consequences on a slippery surface are obvious.
There is a better way!
Skilled exponents of the Kick-off-Drift system apply into-wind aileron simultaneously with the rudder input. The Controlled-Slip technique merely moves the timing of this crossing of the controls further back along the approach path. The B757/767 autopilot (which is capable of a very polished demonstration) initiates the side-slip at 500' radio. However, it should be remembered that side-slip involves a performance penalty - and there may well be windshear below 500'. It can be easier for the human pilot to stabilise the situation approaching the threshold - when the wind is more representative of that on the runway.
The Full Programme :-
1) Ensure the aircraft is tracking along extended runway centre-line. Thus, even if the pilot takes no corrective action at all, the wreckage of a tricycle undercarriage aeroplane will continue to track along line of inertia (i.e. down runway centre-line). Clearly last-minute attempts to get on centre-line cause the line of inertia to deviate from runway heading with possible serious consequences.
(If Kick-Off-Drift goes wrong and the nose is pushed down in a desperate attempt to retrieve the situation, a nosewheel-first landing will almost inevitably cause damage to large aircraft)
2) Remember that strong winds do not
necessarily require more power than normal. In the 90 degree crosswind situation there may even be a tail-wind on finals.
Use normal flap settings.
3) If landing from an instrument approach, resist the temptation to align the aircraft with the runway on going visual. The consequent rapid downwind drift makes it extremely difficult to accomplish step 1) above.
4) On short finals, smoothly co-ordinate an application of into-wind aileron with downwind rudder. Once the aileron input is made,
this becomes a new datum position. See-sawing of the ailerons must be avoided at all costs as this is known to have given rise to go-arounds in the past.
Notice that the control inputs required are modest - and (because of the secondary effect of opposite rudder) the ensuing bank is even more modest. Thus the technique is more correctly described as ‘aileron-into-wind’ rather than 'wing-down'.
5) Having achieved a stabilised crossed-controls flight regime, a normal landing technique becomes possible. Flare as usual and close the throttle(s) smoothly. Even if the aircraft does not touch down immediately, the crossed controls ensure that it continues to track centre-line.
This is the greatest advantage of the technique.
6) A common fault is to centralise the ailerons in the flare. On swept-wing aircraft in particular this allows the upwind wing to lift. For the reasons stated above, into-wind aileron must be maintained right through the flare and landing run - particularly if the runway is wet and/or limiting.
Finally :-
It must be recognised that this technique is not instinctive. Do not rely on playing it by ear close to the ground in conditions which may change rapidly. Remind yourself beforehand of the specific aileron and rudder inputs required on the day.
But - although this was written with the swept-wing B767/757 in mind - the method works for any aircraft from the Tiger Moth upwards. (Airbuses require adaptation). Tailwheel aircraft should be landed on mainwheels only with a gradual lowering of the tailwheel/skid - but the technique permits tricycle-geared aircraft to make a normal flare - thereby removing the risk of vulnerable propellers touching the ground or nosewheels being damaged.
In aircraft without lift-dump the flaps can be retracted on touchdown to kill lift and curb any tendency to become partially airborne again!