I learned to fly at a field that had a runway on a knoll at the top of a hill.  You flew in level and the ground met your wheels at the highest spot.  In addition, there was a tree-line and a dirt road just behind it.  Between the wind eddys and the heat off the road followed by a down-draft from the cooler trees and swirling wind rolling across the knoll it was a notorious spot for those that liked a long and low approach.  Funny thing is the calm days were worse because you didn't have the headwind to reduce your speed over ground.

I'll add to the discussion that landings ate like hammers: you need different styles for different jobs.  Yes, a trainer is throttle dependant for elevation and, ideally, you run out of air and throttle at the same instant with a level elevator.  Not so sport models.  Or most biplanes.  I land most of my low-wing sporty models as good or better with a dead stick than I do a powered landing.  And with biplanes yopu geep up more power and fly them into the ground carefully . . . at least I do.  Then get on the elevator to keep them from nosing over.

Here's a practice drill for those of you with simulators.  Set your rudder trim full to one side or the other and then land.  Responses will be similar to a cross-wind landing in a good breeze.  There is nothing as pretty as a good Cub pilot who crabs in his model gracefully in a sidewind.  You can do it with anything but the slower ones show it off more.

Then there are take-offs.

I also had an old curmudgeon of an instructor who was a pattern flyer and he insisted on a scale take-off at about 25° angle.  Most of my models have bocu power and I have to conciously force myself to do that; but it is still my habit because it looks nice.  Next time at the field watch how many ballistic take-offs you see vs. a steady roll-out and climb to gain airspeed and height.  The warbird guys get to be experts at this: tail "flying" while the wheels are still on contact with the ground.  Also watch how many guys "cheat" and take off across a runway rather than use the rudder to keep it down the center.  Sure, you can do a torque roll, but can you take off properly?</p>