Your crosswind landings will be smoother and more consistent when you avoid these common mistakes...
1) Removing Aileron Input Early During Landing Rollout
As you slow down during rollout, there’s less airflow around your ailerons, making them less effective. To counter the crosswind, you need more control input. As you slow to taxi speed, your ailerons should be held fully into the wind.
2) Neutralizing Crosswind Corrections In The Flare
As you flare your airplane for touchdown, don’t neutralize the controls in a crosswind. While you may fly straight and level momentarily, the crosswind will push your airplane off the centerline, you’ll touch down with a side load, and risk losing directional control on landing.
3) Overshooting Your Base To Final Turn
Overshooting final happens for several reasons, the first of which is wind. If you have a crosswind like the image below, you’ll have a high groundspeed during your base leg. And the higher your groundspeed, the more bank you’ll need to roll out perfectly on centerline.
The more bank you use to correct, the more risk you have of an accelerated stall.
Mastering Takeoffs and Landings Course
Better landings in 7 days or less.
Learn the techniques to make consistently great landings.
Join the email over 100,000 pilots read every week.
Real-world flying tips and information, direct to your inbox.
