Could you explain what you mean by this? I'm honestly confused. Are you saying it is impossible to "crab & kick" with no lateral movement while keeping the nose aligned in a stiff crosswind?
I don't think that's what you meant to say, but that's how it reads.
Yes, that's what I meant to say. Except I didn't say it is "impossible".
It is "very very difficult" for a beginning student to master this "transistion from a crab to a slip during fare".
If you actually transition into a slip and land on the upwind wheel first, followed by the downwind wheel the same as if you slipped all the way down final, then you will not develop a drift during the flare.
This maneuver takes more skill, timing, and judgement than simply holding a slip all the way down final.
A beginning student will develop the skill of a 3 point x-wind touchdown by slipping down final. he needs the 'time' holding the slip to get the feel so that he can advance to the 'transition to slip' during the flare.
My comment is based on thousands and thousands of hours teaching primary in tailwheel and nosewheel and most noswheel pilots cannot even tell that they are landing with a little side drift even with no x-wind.
Most pilots who use the "Kick and crab" method only staighten up the nose at the last moment before touchdown so that there is
very little side drift. As I have read on some of the replies, this is
little bit of side drift is acceptable to them.
That's because they are nosewheel pilots and do not even recognize a slight side-drift on touchdown.
As to the poster who coments, "If it is within PTS, it is acceptable", I feel very strongly that any person who lives with that low standard should not be in this community.
However, if you look at the PTS, one of the standards of every landing is "On centerline with no side-drift".
The DE's just don't enforce it. That does not make it acceptable.
And I'm not talking about RJ's, or bigger airplanes, guys, I'm talking primary students learning a basic skill in a light airplane. You cannot kick it straight without some drift unless you also coordinate the slip.
And I started this thing about slipping vs. crabbing just as an example of "Lost skill" because we have
accepted a lower standard. That's the issue of this thread - accepting a lower standard by having tools that do the work for us.
We have accepted this lower standard because we could, with the nosewheel airplane. You can allow a slightly side drifting touch-down. You could not 'kick & crab' a tailwheel, not unless you were damn good and learned the
precise skill of slipping by doing it all the way down a long final.
I always told them "to start preparing to act professional now so you don't get fired for doing this crap when you get in the real world."
