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Old 10th September 2001 | 23:44
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Genghis the Engineer
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There are two methods of flying a crosswind approach.

The first method is to fly "wing-down" on the approach, that is to correct for the crosswind with bank but keep the aircraft straight with rudder. This is continued through the flare, and the aircraft will land on the into-crosswind maingear first, then the other, and finally the nosewheel.

The second is to fly a "crabbed approach", that is point the aircraft slightly into a crosswind but keeping the wings level. As the roundout / flare is initiated the aircraft is kicked straight onto the runway heading with rudder. To keep on the centreline, this is matched with into-wind aileron, causing the aircraft to touchdown on the into-wind gear first - essentially the same as the wing-down approach at the end.

Which is best depends partly upon the personal preferences of the pilot, but mostly upon the handling characteristics of the individual aircraft. Whatever method, the greater the crosswind, the harder it is to fly. With the crabbed approach, timing is particularly important, making that method slightly harder to fly (but usually less unpleasant during the approach; continuous sideslip is not much fun).

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