ORIGINAL: harikeshpk
can any one tell how to fly in strong wind. i mean what all one has to look out for regarding the model,etc. i had a bad crash last week trying my first RC solo in wind.
I'm afraid the technique is far too nuanced to explain on a forum, but I can give you some tips. Some airplanes get flipped taxiing on a windy day, so learn how to taxi properly. Remember this phrase, "dive away from the wind." For example, if you are taxiing and getting wind from five o'clock give down elevator and left aileron input as you taxi. This will make your airplane much harder to tip by a gust and will save you from many prop strikes while taxiing on gusty days. Wind at the ten o'clock position will require left aileron.
Now that I've covered ground stuff let's move on to flight.
Learn to use the rudder efficiently! Constantly correcting for gusts with your ailerons on approach will not give you a good stabilized approach. There are two ways to handle crosswind landings. The easiest method is called 'crabbing.' Essentially, you use that rudder to yaw the aircraft into the wind. Your airplane will look like it's going to fly away from the runway, but the wind is keeping it properly lined up. The airplane looks like it is flying sideways a little. As you flare ease up on the rudder to get your flight path parallel with the longitudinal axis of the airplane and set her down. The other way to do this is to use a method called slipping. I prefer this method because the approach looks a little prettier and more impressive since your airplane will appear to just not be affected by the wind. I've actually had guys think the airframe of the model was just so good that it wasn't affected by the wind. WRONG! I was just fooling them using a good slip technique. Slipping requires cross coordinated inputs. Basically this means the rudder and aileron inputs will be constantly opposite. Imagine a crosswind coming from the left side. Bank the airplane
slightly left (into the wind) and give enough right rudder to keep the nose lined up and the aircraft from drifting. You do this right down to the ground, but remember that the slower you get the more correction you must add. Basically you will be correcting more and more until touchdown because your airplane is decelerating throughout the approach.
Let's talk about how the airplane will look in a strong headwind. More specifically, let's discuss
perceived speed. Remember, the speed you are watching the airplane fly at is with reference to the ground. Unfortunately, airplanes fly with reference to an invisible entity called the wind. How can we judge airspeed when our reference is invisible? I personally watch the angle of attack of the airplane along with monitoring how much elevator I am giving. On an approach with a strong headwind, a slower
looking airplane will actually be going the same airspeed as a 'faster' one on a calm day. How much more? Only experience can give you the answer. This is why everybody seems to float halfway down the runway on windy days. They are mistakenly using the ground as a reference to gauge their speed. Effectively, they are trying to land the airplane much faster even though it 'looks' the same!