Hello, everyone! Lately, Virginia has been a blast furnace. I'm sure plenty of other places have been as well. I'm flying a Symphony 160 now, which some of you may know has detachable doors. I LOVE THAT! Nice and cool, you can look down just past your left leg and see everything below you...quite a nice experience. I showed up for a cross country yesterday, and the pilot's side door was on. It was 93 degrees and I was late (no time to take it off), so I knew I was going to bake. Seems the student before me was not so into flying without the doors. Apparently, a lot of people are not OK with it. I'm just wondering how you guys feel about it. I think it's an amazing way to enjoy the aviation experience, and there are, after all, three point harnesses in the plane. The first day I flew without the doors, we went up and did stalls and steep turns for a while, and I thought it was a hoot. Maybe I'm just nuts. I would think it is equivalent to flying upside down in a Stearman or something comprable -- you know you're not going anywhere, right? I had a heck of a time with crosswinds yesterday. Flew down to Elizabeth City, NC from Chesapeake VA, then over to Currituck, NC and back to VA. Elizabeth city was windy as all hell, not a 90 degree Xwind thankfully, but enough of an angle to require putting the left rudder pedal through the firewall. So, for the first time in 40 odd hours, I got to experience what it's like to REALLY establish a crab and hold it while working the throttle all the way down. It was actually...a lot of fun. I feel like my airmanship has increased exponentially just because of those few landings. The way back home was a bit nerve wrecking. The nice, clear day unexpectedly turned into a VERY hazy one, and a brush fire that had started in Gates County, NC was not helping things. All in all, a very good day for experience!
Tripp, If you know that your final approach has a strong cross wind, I always found that setting up long before you land will assure a better landing and keep you on the runway. Aileron and rudder in the direction of the wind and crab all the way in, concentrating on your target at the end of the runway.And a bit more throttle than usual if the wind is strong and gustig. Keep adjusting as you get closer. In a tail dragger it is much easier to land with the up-wind wing DOWN and still crabbing. Put it down on the upwind main and maintain aileron and rudder until you have it on all three and still maintain aileron into the crosswind. If you turn off the strip and have a strong tailwind (from the crosswind), push the stick FORWARD to keep the tail down. I have seen several airplanes do a front flip because the old "stick back" habit prevailed at the wrong time. Nose draggers are tougher in this situation but the same rules apply, I guess.
Thanks for the advice, Switches! Looks like there is going to be a taildragger in the rental fleet out at my home airport soon, so your post comes at a good time!
I failed to mention something that will help. If the field permits it, it is always best to fudge your approach set up by starting it upwind of the runway, that is , to the side of the X-wind. That way you wont be chasing drift and crab corrections close to the threshold. I am recalling my landings on the beach in front of my home on Siesta Key in Florida. I set up my approach well out over the gulf and let the cross wind work me into the shoreline where I was able to land on the beach where I wanted to without chasing and fighting hard last minute corrections to stay on target. I have flown with my son who has done the same thing in a nose dragger and it works with anything. Aileron into the wind, a little rudder into the wind ( or a lot if necessary), and maybe some forward stick. If it's gusting add some power.
