Originally Posted by
speedracerntrixie
cfircav8r, I think this is where the split in opinion is happening. I am of the opinion that the cross wind is the outside force and the applied rudder is to null the effects of flying in a drifting section of air. Remember the goal is maintain ground track. So essentially the guys are correct in that the airplane is constantly turning but at the same rate as the air is moving. kinda like walking the wrong direction on an escalator at the same speed the escalator is running. Sorry best example I could think of at the moment.
This is simply wrong. A steady crosswind carries the plane in the direction in which the wind is blowing, but it does not change the plane's heading. Applying rudder changes the plane's heading, and until the rudder is neutralized the heading will continue to change. It is therefore impossible for applying and holding rudder to "null" the effect of a crosswind, unless you do something else like using opposite aileron. Or neutralizing the rudder once you've reached a good crab angle.
I thought we had agreed on this quite a few posts back.