RE: Rudder question
That post above arrived while I was composing.
Shows some really interesting landings, all good (aircraft re-usable) but some were non-optimum. Just turbulence I'm sure.
Back in the seventies when I flew HS Trident we were taught the late kick-off-drift technique, in which you fly the approach with controls centred and drift applied so that the aircraft tracks the centreline but the nose is pointed slightly into-wind.
Note for modellers, the airflow on the aeroplane is dead straight along the centreline.
On arriving at the runway we started the landing flare still with drift applied and a moment before touchdown we kicked in rudder (DOWNwind as Harry said) to align the aircraft with the runway. It takes careful judgement because if you kick late the aircraft starts to drift off centreline towards the runway edge, too late and you touchdown with the maingear at an angle to direction of motion.
The technique option taught on L1011 and Boeing's light twins (757 etc) was to kick off drift before the flare. At between 100 and 300 feet you push the rudder (DOWNwind rudder) to align the aircraft's heading with the runway. At the same time, to prevent sideways drift off the centreline you dip the into-wind wing to create a side-slip using INTOwind aileron. So for a few seconds you are flying with crossed controls.
You start the landing flare like that, rudder downwind, aileron into wind to hold the wing down and you land on the into-wind wheel first, then the other main and then lower the nose (but keep some into-wind aileron to hold the wing down).
P.S.
This method not advised on 747 as you might scrape the outboard engine nacelle. Wings have to be within a couple of degrees of level.
PPS. On models I don't bother. I use the Xwind takeoff technique but on landing I just get it down as best I can. Maybe I should try one of the above methods - probably the late kick off drift would suit models.
What do the super-pilots do? Ali? Shui?