Crab to Side-Slip for landing

Do you normally flare to 8.5 degrees? That seems awfully high for a transport aircraft, and that bank ange sounds low. Most transports have a chart in their manuals on where you get ground contact of components.

I reply to the issue of flaps hitting first, I'm not sure that is an intentional design item, but I do know that even on aircraft that have REALLY low pods, like a -70 series DC-8, the geometry of the aircraft will have the flaps hit first. That was obviously not part of the orginal design, and I'm not sure it is a factor normally, and you can get around that with a very flat landing as well.
 
My 757/767 manual says you can 1) establish a sideslip for the entire final, 2) crab on final and then de-crab in the flare, or 3) land in a crab. None of them is printed as preferred over the other. It also says the autoland system begins "runway alignment" at 500"...establishing a sideslip at this time.

99.9% of pilots I fly with will crab until over the numbers and then longitudinally align the nose with the centerline at this time. Once you're confident of your skills and your airplanes characteristics...this to me is the smoothest and most professional method. Until you reach that confidence though...I would align early and never ever stop working toward the centerline. Actually, the best method for you...should be the one that keeps you on the centerline 100% of the time. It really, really gets me when I fly with someone who 1) doesn't land on the centerline...or 2) even worse, lands off centerline and doesn't work back towards it.

One other comment about de-crabbing in the flare. As you add drag in the slip...the sink rate may increase and the upwind wing may have a tendency to rise. This was really prevalent in the MD80...not so in the 767. Know your airplane's characteristics and make all inputs smoothly and adjust accordingly.
 
Are you reading the Company flight manual or the actual manufacturer FCOM? In any event, I was quoting Boeing South, as they call it now, Boeing North does it differently. Heck, they do it differently if the airplane was built at a different facility in the SEA area, which is why there are so many underlying differences between the 757 and 767, which you're likely aware of.

As for not landing on centerline, etc., I agree 100%.
 
This info is in the FCTM. Several years back, DL converted all of their "company" operations manuals to the Boeing publications. I was under the impression that they were the basic Boeing publications with DL info added as appropriate.
 
I like to take the crab out and start side-slipping as Im about to begin the flare. My current instructor is the only instructor at UND that I've come across that agrees with me. Every other one I've had has wanted me to start slipping right when I turn final. This has really only been a problem with stage check instructors. I havent ever had anyone criticise this on an instrument approach though. Hmmmm

I feel its more unsafe to make me change my technique to something I've done maybe three times, than the instructor getting his panties in a bunch when I do it "different". Really, there's nothing different about it.
 
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