Depends on what level of model flying you are doing. Fair weather, calm day flying? Fine to wait another day if the winds are not favorable to the runway surface direction you are attempting to fly from. However, anything more than park flying and especially at the competition level, more often then not, the wind is not in alignment with the runway in use, therefore, the pilot must be proficient and comfortable with the use of all flight controls on the aircraft being flown. Generally speaking, the use of rudder(s) during all phases of flight is just as important as all other primary flight controls, because the flight performance of the aircraft can and will be affected just as much by the use, or lack of use of the rudder(s), especially in a crosswind.


And we all know how quick conditions can change from calm and sunny to windy and rainy in south Florida don't we?


It's important to use all of the flight controls properly to maintain positive control of the model at all phases of flight regardless of what the weather conditions may have become during the course of the flight. Weather and wind are dynamic, and thus should be the use of all flight controls throughout the flight.

Bryce

P.S. From what I've seen in the pictures from our friends overseas, taking off and landing on snow doesn't seem to be much of a problem either.

Indeed. Instead of "What next how to land in ran or snow condition", I'd ask "What next - will you e.g. advocate only flying when the wind is left to right, because you can only turn in one direction ?".

Gordon

I certainly wouldn't, and anyone who does is misguided to the detriment of those who are willing to follow their advice.


Now there are times when it is prudent and safe to only turn in one direction. For example, a standard Briefing departing LAX to the west from someone I know, usually includes the line, " and if we happen to lose one on takeoff, once everything is complete as previously briefed, turn left, Don't turn right. . ."

Situational awareness is paramount in all forms of aviation, model or full-size, in the air and especially on the ground. Anything less will most surely lead to problems later.

Bryce

......but surely, Bryce, that briefing must be ONLY because of terrain clearance problems due to reduced climb gradient , NOT aircraft handling. Why, because you don't yet KNOW which engine has failed so you can't decide in advance which way to turn and (b) the B757 and 767s turn equally well either way with an engine out and the wheel centered, ie rudder trimmed ! Unless its changed since I finished flying them there is NOTHING in the manuals about turning into dead engines etc and that was never mentioned when I did my original 737 captain course at Boeing many (over 30) years ago !

and SOME of you guys seem to be TOTALLY confused about rudder and aileron useage in crosswinds and unbalanced flight.

Regards,

David Gladwin.

PS........ and Mike, its never too late to correct the slip/skid by using rudder in a turn to achieve balanced (slip ball centered) even if the entry was not perfectly co-ordinated !

Jason , Harry and Alisdair you are spot on guys !

True that!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4Dm8xu0tP4[/youtube]

It is best if you don't go to fly at Florida Jets then, there is always a strong cross-wind there.

Watching the jets at Lakeland, I noticed that half of them, maybe two thirds, lurch off downwind immediately after lift-off and have to be roughly hauled back again as that is usually towards the pits. Most modellers seem to have a poor cross-wind takeoff technique.

What we were taught full size was, at the start of the take off run, to apply aileron into the crosswind and steer down the runway centreline on rudder. On lift-off you still have a little into-wind aileron applied which prevents the common "lift and roll downwind" problem (caused by X-wind on a swept or dihedral wing).
In the couple of seconds after lift-off you centre the rudder (and leave it there the rest of the flight) and fly on aileron. The cross-wind takeoff technique works well on models too.

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?

Huh? Call sign blocked.


Yea, what they do? Although they might not come on here often, because they may be out flying for real.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlctwfL1TkQ[/youtube]


Bryce


p.s. [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_9879166/tm.htm]mosquito bite?[/link]

PPS

Too late

Did that about 7 time ( F-18C, XXl jet, Viper jet lost a complete elevator in flight manage to land it, and a F-15, all flown with heavy wind condition. At what point do you decide its too much wind 15-20 or 30 mph cross wind.?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liEDbOjv_Do[/youtube]

Depends on lots of factors...aircraft capabilities/chracteristics, pilot's abilities/confidence, width of runway, steady or gusty winds etc..

If, however, you find yourself in a situation where you have to land in a really strong crosswind (say, 20mph +), use it to your advantage and turn some of it into a headwind by making an angling approach across the runway. Assumes the runway is not particularly narrow but your ground speed will be reduced to the point that the landing roll is minimal. Also, after touchdown you can steer it back down the runway.

This is how I got my A-10 back on the runway a couple of years ago at FL Jets during a flight when crosswinds were recorded as high as 38 knots. Don't ask we what I was doing flying in those conditions in the first place.

Craig

Craig,
I saw you fly the Warthog at Florida Jets in some quite bad wind conditions and I was suitably impressed by how well you coped.

Thanks for the compliment, but however well I coped is offset to some degee by my poor judgement for flying in the first place!

Sometimes, despite the conditions "A man's gotta do...."

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbxBml6Ph-k[/youtube]


Takeoff RWY 27, wind 270 @ 15kts

-Frontal Passage-

Landing RWY 27, wind 330 @ 34kts


Good advice Craig.

Sometimes, conditions can change very quickly.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SjHUNt4xSQ[/youtube]


I'm sure your judgement was "justified."

Then again, like they used to say in that old woodpecker cartoon. "If Woody had used a gyro. . ."