Crosswind landing pointers?

[JasonM]

Low pass over the runway at 12 inches in the flare attitude. At first, do it with your instructor and let him handle the power.

I'll ask him to do that. We did that when learning to land without wind. I could see that helping here.

 

[Alexb2000]

The most common problem I see with crosswind landings is too much speed, because everyone tends to add speed for a crosswind. When the wind is right down the runway an extra 5-10 knots isn't such a big deal. In a crosswind that extra lift causes all the classic problems. Think about it like this if you touch down with NO excess lift, then if you do nothing the aircraft will stay on the ground. If you touch down with excess lift then letting out the aileron, etc. will cause all kinds of problems.

Just as you are about to touch down on a normal non-crosswind landing if you give the yoke a good pull and go back up in the air that's excess lift. That causes problems in a crosswind IMO.

 

[txflyer]

Driving down the runway just below liftoff speed balancing on one wheel, tail up in the air, maintaining centerline, then rolling over on the other wheel and balancing down the runway with the throttle and controls on the other wheel is a very good exercise that helps coordination and mastery of the aircraft.

I'm guessing it can be done in a nose dragger. I never had a nose wheel aircraft instructor do this with me, but my tailwheel endorsement instructor made you do it a lot.

 

[lr60plt]

I have never used the crab and kick method myself. How does that work in a strong crosswind in a small airplane? Are you adding aileron into the wind as you kick? Do you land wings level?

That will also only work for a tricycle gear airplane. The cg being forward of the mains helps pull it straight once the mains are on the ground. If you try the crab/kick method in a tailwheel airplane you could have disasterous results.

But yes, you land wings level with that method. You come down, don't touch straight, hit the mains, then straighten the nose before the nosewheel reaches the ground, adding aileron in after the fact.

Its really not a great method in small planes if you care about your tire life at all. Airliners do it because 1) they have limitations regarding wingtip/engine clearance and 2) they have gear that is built to do that.

 

[alfadog]

That will also only work for a tricycle gear airplane. The cg being forward of the mains helps pull it straight once the mains are on the ground. If you try the crab/kick method in a tailwheel airplane you could have disasterous results.

But yes, you land wings level with that method. You come down, don't touch straight, hit the mains, then straighten the nose before the nosewheel reaches the ground, adding aileron in after the fact.

Its really not a great method in small planes if you care about your tire life at all. Airliners do it because 1) they have limitations regarding wingtip/engine clearance and 2) they have gear that is built to do that.

Oh, I get it. You land on the mains, scrub a bit as inertia carries you forward, and then straighten it out while the nosewheel is still in the air?

 

[gismo]

I think the low pass at the landing speed is a dangerous excercise. Due to the apparent motion the speed seems very high, while it's actually very low, so it's extremely easy to lose the speed control and stall, in particular if the pilot is busy with learning cross-wind control. I saw a video once upon a time where one guy did just that with a CFI onboard. Since they only were a few feet up, they didn't do a fatal lawn dart, but the nosegear collapsed.

IMO, the right way to perform this maneuver is to let the CFI control the power and maintain airspeed. Besides that fact that adjusting power and monitoring airspeed is distracting to the person trying to learn crosswind techniques, a CFI should easily be able to prevent the airplane from getting too slow.

 

[gismo]

That will also only work for a tricycle gear airplane. The cg being forward of the mains helps pull it straight once the mains are on the ground. If you try the crab/kick method in a tailwheel airplane you could have disasterous results.

But yes, you land wings level with that method. You come down, don't touch straight, hit the mains, then straighten the nose before the nosewheel reaches the ground, adding aileron in after the fact.

Its really not a great method in small planes if you care about your tire life at all. Airliners do it because 1) they have limitations regarding wingtip/engine clearance and 2) they have gear that is built to do that.

Huh? I used crab & kick in taildraggers on most of my crosswind landings and the only issue I've ever run into is that with some it's possible to make a good landing in a crosswind strong enough to leave you without sufficient rudder/tailwheel control when you get slowed down below stall speed.

But perhaps we're talking about different things here as "C&K" covers a pretty wide range of techniques. What I'm calling C&K is leaving the airplane coordinated until it's just about to touch down and then applying simultaneous aileron (into the wind) and opposite rudder. This yaws the airplane into alignment with the runway just like slipping all the way down final but because the longitudinal inertia of the airplane opposes sideways drift and the polar inertia will briefly yaw the airplane beyond what you can achieve with static control inputs.

BTW I'm not suggesting that this is the "right" way to land in a crosswind and it's certainly a bit more difficult to learn so I wouldn't start with it for a student, but it is a good technique to have in your bag of tricks.

 

[Silvaire]

This is the way I do it as well. I think it's more efficient and don't see any reason to maintain a slip through the entire final approach. You fly the runway heading just as you would on a crosswind takeoff, coordinated flight with the ball in the center and apply the necessary control inputs to align the nose and maintain track once over the runway.

I don't know if that's what everyone considers crab and kick but I always thought it was. You don't land with a side load or use the gear to straighten out.

 

[bluerooster]

So much good information everyone!! Thank you all very much.

So, I think gotime242 pointed out something I was doing wrong. I was holding everything together good until right before flaring when I would try to level out the plane and use some aileron into the wind at the same time and just couldn't get it in the right position.

Should I be flaring in the same setup I have before touchdown? Basically, if I am left aileron and some right rudder, do I just keep that the same and flair with that setup?

I was definitely changing my setup before the flare, thinking I needed to be more level for the flare.

Yes
You want to touch down on one wheel (preferably a Main), and hold the airplane straight down the runway, as the other main settles to the runway. As the airplane slows down, you'll find that the inputs will need to be more pronounced, but you'll do it automatically in order to keep the drift and yaw under control.

The hardest for me was in a 59 c-150 tailwheel. as the gear box prevented my heels from sliding forward far enough to get full rudder deflection, and when I had my heels off the floor, I would work the rudder, and brake at the same time, (I'm not a short person). But I soon figured it out, and worked around it.

 

[bluerooster]

I have never used the crab and kick method myself. How does that work in a strong crosswind in a small airplane? Are you adding aileron into the wind as you kick? Do you land wings level?

You fly a forward slip down to a point where you're uncomfortable landing sideways, then "kick" rudder to align nose, and drop windward wing to correct for drift. IOW transition from forward slip to side slip, and land windward wing low.
It works about as well as anything else. But takes away from the "stabilized approach", as you are maneuvering while very close to the ground.
Kinda like slipping to lose altitude, with a crosswind, then landing.

 

[alfadog]

For all of y'all below, I believe the crab and kick is to fly final in a crab - wings level. Not a forward slip. Then kick it straight as it touches down. Again wings level, not adding aileron into the wind. Inertia carrying you forward long enough to get all the wheels down without banking the wing. I was not so familiar with this but that is what my reading leads me to. This technique is primarily for heavy transport aircraft and perhaps swept wing fighters because the swept wing does not lend itself to slips and the heavies have an issue with scraping the turbine pod if the wing goes down.

What some of you are calling crab and kick is more, to my mind, simply a combination of crab and slip.

Huh? I used crab & kick in taildraggers on most of my crosswind landings and the only issue I've ever run into is that with some it's possible to make a good landing in a crosswind strong enough to leave you without sufficient rudder/tailwheel control when you get slowed down below stall speed.

But perhaps we're talking about different things here as "C&K" covers a pretty wide range of techniques. What I'm calling C&K is leaving the airplane coordinated until it's just about to touch down and then applying simultaneous aileron (into the wind) and opposite rudder. This yaws the airplane into alignment with the runway just like slipping all the way down final but because the longitudinal inertia of the airplane opposes sideways drift and the polar inertia will briefly yaw the airplane beyond what you can achieve with static control inputs.

BTW I'm not suggesting that this is the "right" way to land in a crosswind and it's certainly a bit more difficult to learn so I wouldn't start with it for a student, but it is a good technique to have in your bag of tricks.

This is the way I do it as well. I think it's more efficient and don't see any reason to maintain a slip through the entire final approach. You fly the runway heading just as you would on a crosswind takeoff, coordinated flight with the ball in the center and apply the necessary control inputs to align the nose and maintain track once over the runway.

I don't know if that's what everyone considers crab and kick but I always thought it was. You don't land with a side load or use the gear to straighten out.

You fly a forward slip down to a point where you're uncomfortable landing sideways, then "kick" rudder to align nose, and drop windward wing to correct for drift. IOW transition from forward slip to side slip, and land windward wing low.
It works about as well as anything else. But takes away from the "stabilized approach", as you are maneuvering while very close to the ground.
Kinda like slipping to lose altitude, with a crosswind, then landing.

 

[LDJones]

I'm still in the rut , but I am glad I asked the questions on here. How were your students when in the flare? That seems to be my difficult point. I'm 100% until I go to flare, then it seems like I don't know exactly how to control things when at that angle.

The problem I observed in the flare as a tendency to try and roll wings level. When I finally got them to hold the bank all the way to touchdown things worked really well!

 

[LDJones]

I have never used the crab and kick method myself. How does that work in a strong crosswind in a small airplane? Are you adding aileron into the wind as you kick? Do you land wings level?

The last ten seconds of a crab-and-kick approach and a wing-low approach are exactly the same. It's only what you do prior to that last ten seconds that varies.

The reason I tend to use crab-and-kick is I think it's more comfortable for passengers since they are wings level and there are no uncomfortable forces til the last seconds of the approach. But the wing low is good for training as it lets the student fine tune how much bank and how much rudder is needed to counteract the crosswind.

 

[Silvaire]

You fly a forward slip down to a point where you're uncomfortable landing sideways, then "kick" rudder to align nose, and drop windward wing to correct for drift. IOW transition from forward slip to side slip, and land windward wing low.

Well that's kind of how I'd describe it but on final I'm not in a slip, the controls are coordinated, ball is in the center and wings are level. The ground track is aligned with the runway but obviously the nose isn't. Once over the runway you input rudder to align the nose while simultaneously putting in opposite aileron in a fluid motion which is the initiation of the side slip. Flare and land.

I know plenty of people who do it this way. I really don't feel there is any need to initiate the slip when you're a half mile out on final unless you need to dump some excess altitude.

Edit: I agree with Jonesy though, for students it's best to practice the slip on final and learn what's going to be needed.

 

[txflyer]

The last ten seconds of a crab-and-kick approach and a wing-low approach are exactly the same. It's only what you do prior to that last ten seconds that varies.

The reason I tend to use crab-and-kick is I think it's more comfortable for passengers since they are wings level and there are no uncomfortable forces til the last seconds of the approach. But the wing low is good for training as it lets the student fine tune how much bank and how much rudder is needed to counteract the crosswind.

The student is 'feeling' the airplane and the wind better than in a crab. He can feel the force.

And he automatically then knows about how much force he will need at touchdown already programmed into his muscles.

 

[lr60plt]

Its my understanding that CnK or wing low are not about the approach, but only what happens during and direclty after touchdown. Either way you are going to come down coordinated.

So basically from 500ft to 5ft are exactly the same. From then you either go wing low and fly a main on, or do nothing hit both mains and straighten out the nose before the nosewheel touches (what airliners do).

I dont think KnC means just adding normal xwind correction in right before touchdown.

But....thats just one persons opinion.

 

[Clark1961]

Its my understanding that CnK or wing low are not about the approach, but only what happens during and direclty after touchdown. Either way you are going to come down coordinated.

So basically from 500ft to 5ft are exactly the same. From then you either go wing low and fly a main on, or do nothing hit both mains and straighten out the nose before the nosewheel touches (what airliners do).

I dont think KnC means just adding normal xwind correction in right before touchdown.

But....thats just one persons opinion.

Ummm, I hope there is a lot of disagreement with some of your opinions. I agree that crab-n-kick isn't about making crosswind corrections right before touchdown. Crab-n-kick if done right can avoid going wing low by landing before the aircraft starts drifting with the wind. Inertia is your friend but the time between kicking it straight and landing has to be short. Wing low control inputs are required after touchdown to keep the aircraft straight on the runway.

Do not land in the crab unless the POH calls for it. A few aircraft are landed that way but most aren't. Side loading the gear is usually a bad thing. Yes, airliners are designed to handle it but they aren't typically landed that way. When they do it is a rough ride for the passengers. One of the best airline crosswind landings I've ridden through was wing low from about 5 miles out. It was truly a work of art. One of the worst airline crosswind landings I've ridden through was a crab arrival. You know the caution about being careful when opening the overhead bins because things might shift in flight? Well, everything shifted on that landing. All of us in back were slammed forward and to the right. The pilots didn't open the cockpit door after that one...

 

[alfadog]

Its my understanding that CnK or wing low are not about the approach, but only what happens during and direclty after touchdown. Either way you are going to come down coordinated.

So basically from 500ft to 5ft are exactly the same. From then you either go wing low and fly a main on, or do nothing hit both mains and straighten out the nose before the nosewheel touches (what airliners do).

I dont think KnC means just adding normal xwind correction in right before touchdown.

But....thats just one persons opinion.

Exactly. Here is one 747 pilot's description:

http://askcaptainscott.com/faq/how-...ut-crab-or-wing-low-side-slip-method-which-do

"How does a 747 do crosswind landings, (crab then kick out the crab), or wing low side slip method? Which do you prefer?

A: What happens is you point the nose into the wind and fly towards the runway crabbed at an angle to the runway. The 747's certified for a 30 knot direct crosswind. When you begin the flare, normally at thirty feet, you can do one of two things.

Number one you can land with the crab or number two apply rudder pressure to take the crab out and align the airplane with the runway.

I prefer method number two, the tricky part of it is to keep the wings level. If you drop the wing more than five degree's you'll scrape the inboard engine on the runway. Not good. Ironically it's usually the downwind engine pod that strikes the runway not the upwind side. The reason for that is forgetting that the airplane is still "flying" even though it’s on the runway.

The biggest mistake I see new guys make is relaxing control input after touchdown thinking we're on the ground and all is good. The problem with that is the upwind wing still wants to fly so you have to input aileron to counter the lift. If you dont, the upwind wing will start flying again and thats how you scrape an engine on the ground. Not good!

It takes a while getting used to looking at a runway out the corner of the window. As well it takes a while to get used to the visual profile of five degrees of bank when the planes on the runway.

So in a nutshell when you hit thirty feet you apply the rudder and apply aileron at the same time. When it’s really blowing the cockpit hangs over the runway edge lights which is an interesting site but you have to keep in mind the main landing gear is tracking the centerline way behind you. When that’s the case I don’t take the crab out until I’m five to ten feet above the runway."

So he is not adding "normal wind correction" with aileron but just a bit to keep the upwind wing on the ground. Failing to add down aileron on the upwind wing after kicking straight can lead to a scrape. Some pilots leave it in the crab possibly leading to the type of landing described in the post above.

 

[Silvaire]

...or do nothing hit both mains and straighten out the nose before the nosewheel touches...

I don't know of anyone who does it like that. Do that in a Luscombe and you may as well have the trailer waiting on the runway to haul it off. I know that Cessna 195's had an optional "crosswind gear" that allowed landing in a 15 deg crab but I don't think it's very popular. Just about any conventional geared aircraft landing in a serious crab is going to ground loop.

So no, crab and kick (for me at least) just means not crossing the controls to enter a slip util after crossing the fence. The actual landing is no different.

 

[alfadog]

I don't know of anyone who does it like that. Do that in a Luscombe and you may as well have the trailer waiting on the runway to haul it off. I know that Cessna 195's had an optional "crosswind gear" that allowed landing in a 15 deg crab but I don't think it's very popular. Just about any conventional geared aircraft landing in a serious crab is going to ground loop.

So no, crab and kick (for me at least) just means not crossing the controls to enter a slip util after crossing the fence. The actual landing is no different.

Right, the principal that makes CnK work on a trike will ball you up in a taildragger.

What some of y'all are calling CnK is nothing more than good piloting skill and adding the slip in the flare so you land the same as if you had started slipping a mile out. Unless I am slipping to lose altitude, that is exactly how I often land - crabbed until the last moment and making the adjustment to a slip as I round out and flare. I do not consider that crab and kick.

 

[lr60plt]

Ummm, I hope there is a lot of disagreement with some of your opinions.

Disagreement on an internet forum? I'm shocked.

We might as well start talking about dutch rolls.

There are obviously a few different understandings of what crab n' kick means. With some transport category aircraft, that could mean touching down in a crab and kicking the nose over. I fly transport category aircraft, so when I hear the term thats what I think of.

Otherwise a normal xwind landing to me is crab on approach, add wing low xwind correction over the numbers or so, touch down straight with the upwind wheel first. There is no "kicking" involved. Its a smooth transition from crab to wing low. I dont think passengers would really appreciate if everyone started "kicking" the rudder around.

I don't know of anyone who does it like that. Do that in a Luscombe and you may as well have the trailer waiting on the runway to haul it off.

As I just stated...transport category aircraft. And the Ercoupe since the ailerons and rudder are coupled. I see people in Cessnas do it all the time...now if they mean to or not...that is a different story. No one is saying anything about your Luscombe...in fact, ill do you a favor and quote MYSELF from just a few posts up:

That will also only work for a tricycle gear airplane. The cg being forward of the mains helps pull it straight once the mains are on the ground. If you try the crab/kick method in a tailwheel airplane you could have disasterous results.

As I said, different people have different understandings. That is mine. I don't really think anyone out there is flying the entire final with wing low / xwind correction in. It would be quite unnecessary if they were. Having said that...what is different from normal approach and application of xwind correction before touchdown and this "CnK" then??...If they are exactly the same thing, why even have a term for it? To just say that you added the xwind correction 2 seconds later than the other guy?

I don't "Crab and Kick" anything. I just do normal xwind landings and they seem to have worked out this far.

 

[LDJones]

Its my understanding that CnK or wing low are not about the approach, but only what happens during and direclty after touchdown. Either way you are going to come down coordinated.

So basically from 500ft to 5ft are exactly the same. From then you either go wing low and fly a main on, or do nothing hit both mains and straighten out the nose before the nosewheel touches (what airliners do).

I dont think KnC means just adding normal xwind correction in right before touchdown.

But....thats just one persons opinion.

Uh, nope....read the Airplane Flying Handbook on crosswind landing techniques.

 

[LDJones]

So he is not adding "normal wind correction" with aileron but just a bit to keep the upwind wing on the ground. Failing to add down aileron on the upwind wing after kicking straight can lead to a scrape. Some pilots leave it in the crab possibly leading to the type of landing described in the post above.

Ummm....I've only flown the 747 in NWA's simulator, so I'm no expert, but the techniques needed for a four-engine jumbo approaching at 150-180 kts and landing at 150 kts is going to require a lightly different technique than a C-150 or Cherokee.

 

[LDJones]

What some of y'all are calling CnK is nothing more than good piloting skill and adding the slip in the flare so you land the same as if you had started slipping a mile out. Unless I am slipping to lose altitude, that is exactly how I often land - crabbed until the last moment and making the adjustment to a slip as I round out and flare. I do not consider that crab and kick.

Exactly. Ultimately, unless you have a articulating main gear like the Ercoupe or the B-52, both methods should end up with the same control inputs and in the same attitude at touchdown. The difference is control inputs getting to the runway.

 

[txflyer]

Flaring right out of a crab is a little late if the wind is too strong.

Try an exercise one day if you can. Go out on a blistering day and find a field with a direct crosswind that there is no way to hold centerline and you know it. Start from about 1/4-1/2 mile out on final and line up wing low and see if you can hold center. You can't.

But you can in a crab. That's the rub. It's a trap. When you get down to just above the pavement, then kick it, you get blown into the next county. You shouldn't have tried it in the first place is my point. You can know this beforehand if you kick it and line up well before the flair.

 

[lr60plt]

Uh, nope....read the Airplane Flying Handbook on crosswind landing techniques.

Not one place does it say "Crab and Kick".

It says approach with wing low or approach with a crab. Both of them touch down wing low / aligned with the runway.

All im talking about is this term Crab and Kick, like i said. I relate it to something else.

 

[LDJones]

Not one place does it say "Crab and Kick".

It says approach with wing low or approach with a crab. Both of them touch down wing low / aligned with the runway.

All im talking about is this term Crab and Kick, like i said. I relate it to something else.

Call it whatever you like. Technique doesn't change.

 

[tmyers]

Flaring right out of a crab is a little late if the wind is too strong.

Try an exercise one day if you can. Go out on a blistering day and find a field with a direct crosswind that there is no way to hold centerline and you know it. Start from about 1/4-1/2 mile out on final and line up wing low and see if you can hold center. You can't.

But you can in a crab. That's the rub. It's a trap. When you get down to just above the pavement, then kick it, you get blown into the next county. You shouldn't have tried it in the first place is my point. You can know this beforehand if you kick it and line up well before the flair.

Exactly, if I can't hold the center line at 1/4 mile what makes me thing I can do it in the flair.

 

[Alexb2000]

Exactly, if I can't hold the center line at 1/4 mile what makes me thing I can do it in the flair.

If I find I can't hold center line, I can usually still land. Bring it in slow in a crab, line up on the upwind edge of the runway, transition to a slip about a foot off the ground with just enough flair to touch the mains first (flat attitude), simultaneously give it a blast of power to increase rudder authority, stick it vs. float it, and as soon as a wheel touches raise flaps and start braking.

If I give up some lateral runway in the transition, OK, I planed for it.

Non standard but could be useful in some situations.

 

[JasonM]

Another one incorrectly performed?

 

[JasonM]

Seems like the correct method applied here.

King schools explaining this.

 

[JasonM]

Great video I just found.

 

[Silvaire]

If I find I can't hold center line, I can usually still land. Bring it in slow in a crab, line up on the upwind edge of the runway, transition to a slip about a foot off the ground with just enough flair to touch the mains first (flat attitude), simultaneously give it a blast of power to increase rudder authority, stick it vs. float it, and as soon as a wheel touches raise flaps and start braking

Absolutely. also, flying final in a crab does not mean you have given up all ability to gauge the crosswind. You can judge it equally well or better than having your controls crossed up in a slip - which also BTW throws off the accuracy of your airspeed indicator. Furthermore, conditions 1/4 mile out and 300 ft up are not necessarily the same as directly over the runway at 3 ft. The decision of whether you can or can't make it isn't made out there.

 

[Captain]

Clearly my technique is best. I fly rich pax for a living and best ride and safety are my goal...not in that order. I've flown 194.2 hours in the past 90 days. (just updated my logbook)

I crab to just prior to the flare. Over the runway and into the flare I align with the runway and touchdown upwind wheel first, fly the downwind wheel on and lower the nose with crosswind ailerons increasing to the stops.

I know what a max crosswind looks like on final. If my crab angle is greater than max then I know it's not going to work a mile out. My technique is not a 'crab and kick'. It's a blend of the two to afford precision control to touchdown and provide the smoothest, most comfortable ride to those in back.

Y'all do what you want and hotdog it on however you can keeping the plane airworthy. But know that the best technique is mine...

 

[EdFred]

Clearly my technique is best. I fly rich pax for a living and best ride and safety are my goal...not in that order. I've flown 194.2 hours in the past 90 days. (just updated my logbook)

I crab to just prior to the flare. Over the runway and into the flare I align with the runway and touchdown upwind wheel first, fly the downwind wheel on and lower the nose with crosswind ailerons increasing to the stops.

I know what a max crosswind looks like on final. If my crab angle is greater than max then I know it's not going to work a mile out. My technique is not a 'crab and kick'. It's a blend of the two to afford precision control to touchdown and provide the smoothest, most comfortable ride to those in back.

Y'all do what you want and hotdog it on however you can keeping the plane airworthy. But know that the best technique is mine...

Maybe if you could actually explain it correctly you might have a little more creedence to your claim.

 

[MAKG1]

Great video I just found.

That's one of the UND Aerocast videos, right? They have quite a lot of good stuff. Nice way to kill a lot of time when you can't fly for real.

 

[Captain]

Maybe if you could actually explain it correctly you might have a little more creedence to your claim.

I did explain it correctly. Btw, the first paragraph was an over the top quip designed to be taken in jest.

 

[EdFred]

I did explain it correctly. Btw, the first paragraph was an over the top quip designed to be taken in jest.

How can you crab just before the flare, if you are already crabbed a mile out? Also, if you crab just before the flare, you aren't aligned with the runway, since a crab points the nose into the wind to maintain a specific ground track - in this case the runway centerline.

So again, you don't know what you are talking about.

 

[RoscoeT]

Exactly, if I can't hold the center line at 1/4 mile what makes me thing I can do it in the flair.

Wind at the surface is rarely the same as the wind 1/4 mile out.

Clearly my technique is best. I fly rich pax for a living and best ride and safety are my goal...not in that order. I've flown 194.2 hours in the past 90 days. (just updated my logbook)

I crab to just prior to the flare. Over the runway and into the flare I align with the runway and touchdown upwind wheel first, fly the downwind wheel on and lower the nose with crosswind ailerons increasing to the stops.

I know what a max crosswind looks like on final. If my crab angle is greater than max then I know it's not going to work a mile out. My technique is not a 'crab and kick'. It's a blend of the two to afford precision control to touchdown and provide the smoothest, most comfortable ride to those in back.

Y'all do what you want and hotdog it on however you can keeping the plane airworthy. But know that the best technique is mine...

Looks like EdFred's your personal troll. I do the same as you describe. It's a good technique. Never understood slipping all the way down final. That's good for student pilots, I guess...but fairly pointless once you've developed some skill and experience. But the technique you describe is beyond what your average weekend bugsmasher is comfortable and confident doing.

I never understood all the arguing over this slipping vs. "crab and kick" x-wind landing technique BS. Either way, you typically land in a slip...whether you transition 6" off the ground, or 600' AGL. What's the difference? Who cares? How you do it largely depends on your skill and comfort level...which runs the gamut among pilots.

 

[Captain]

RoscoeT: Personal troll? Looks about right. Maybe I should feel honored.

EdFred (personal troll?): either you are trolling me or you didn't grasp my words. Maybe read it again? It's exactly how I fly and I'm pretty good at what I do. The 194.2 hours in the last three months is a real number. I'm pretty sure I know what I'm talking about and I'm certain I've mastered cross wind landings.