Techniques in a high wing

[XL319]

Landing in a high wing is a handful in a stong wind. Landing today (152) in 20kt's and immediately felt the wind lift the wing and I applied aileron to compensate.

Any other pointers from fellow ppruner's?

[Mikehotel152]

Yep, it's a handful! I landed a 172 today in wind apparently gusting 28 kts from around 060. And that's on a 02 Runway. It was pretty much a 172's cross wind limit! Not fun. Or should I say, great fun! :p

I performed my usual crab approach, left rudder to align with the runway, right aileron to dip the right wing and touch with the right wheel first, then left wheel, nosewheel and then increase into-wind aileron as speed decreases. Exciting stuff. :eek:

[Shunter]

Don't be afraid to proactively tip the wing down. It might feel a little strange, but it's the right way to handle the situation. You can experiment when on final by using the rudder to de-crab (so you're aligned with the runway), then use aileron to retain the centreline.

When you first start doing it, it really does feel like you're going to land wing-tip first, but you won't. Practice is all that's required. Once you've cracked it you'll wonder what all the fuss was about. Don't forget to apply some into-wind aileron once you're on the ground aswell!

Also, with most Cessnas, if you're landing with more than a moderate xwind, don't bother with the flaps. Landing flapless makes a huge difference in terms of how much you get tossed around at low speed late in the approach and in the flare. Don't fart around trying to grease the landing, just put it down firmly. A squirt of power during a flapless landing can often help.

[XL319]

It was being on the ground after I landed which cost some problems....had to apply some into wind aileron...but then had to apply some oppsite to compensate which was strange. Then again there was still 40kts going over the wing at the time.

[SNS3Guppy]

XL319,

The best way to learn winds and crosswinds is to get out and fly in them, just as you're doing.

The way you respond to the wind will vary with the type of airplane you fly, and the nature of the wind in which you're flying.

What I do most commonly see, however, is that new pilots naturally make too many control inputs. It's very easy to feel as if you need to respond to every single bump and ripple in the air. I feel the same way. Sometimes it takes a conscious effort to resist making too many control inputs. I often find that pilots do more to fight themselves through the airplane, than they actually do the wind.

On the ground, you may well have to put in opposite aileron, depending on the direction of the wind in relation to the airplane.

[Monocock]

That's top advice from Shunter and sums up the best cross wind method in high wing tricycle types really well