At 03:33 PM 2/8/2006, you wrote: >Larry, >Please explain how to do a "crab". >Daniel R. Heath
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ It's no different than when you are flying cross country and turn the nose of the airplane into the cross wind so as to give you the desired track across the ground. On the approach you simply turn the nose into the wind so that your path across the ground brings you to the runway. It is a wings level attitude the same as at altitude. That's why I stated that it give the passengers a better comfort level. You have to make sure that you are on runway centerline when you start the crab and not approaching the runway at an angle or it will require a turn to runway heading when you get to the runway. But then you knew that. I also think it is easier to determine the amount of heading change required in the crab than knowing how much "wing down" you need to kill the drift. You're also in a better flight mode if you get too slow on final and stall than if you are in a cross controlled side slip. When I reach the runway I kick in rudder to align the fuselage with the direction of travel , hopefully down the centerline of the runway or slightly on the upwind side, and put the wing down to kill the drift. This calls for a bit of smoothness on the controls but it only takes about 2 seconds to accomplish. That's the story I've been telling for 1100 flight hours and 200 hours tail wheel time and I'm sticking to it. :-) As always, ................... Larry Flesner P.S. The only use for the rudders when landing a tail dragger is to keep the fuselage aligned with the direction of travel down the runway. That can be down the centerline or at an angle across a wide runway, which I've done a few times to kill some of the effect of a cross wind. Ailerons (wing down) kills the drift. You're actually directing some of the wings lift in the direction of the wind to neutralize it.
