Crosswind landing?

[rosariomanzo]

Hello friends!
I was so happy that, after your preciuous advices, I've been able to make the last three flights without boiling my engine... but now something worst has happened.

I've just destroyed my MkIIa after a wrong crosswind landing.

I only fly online over IVAO, rel weather. Wind was at 30 kts, about 20 avross the runway.
I took a fine crab angle, but, as the first wheel has touched the ground, the wing has dropped and... boom!
Is there a better technique to land the Spit?

Thanks in advance.

[DHenriques_]

Hello friends!
I was so happy that, after your preciuous advices, I've been able to make the last three flights without boiling my engine... but now something worst has happened.

I've just destroyed my MkIIa after a wrong crosswind landing.

I only fly online over IVAO, rel weather. Wind was at 30 kts, about 20 avross the runway.
I took a fine crab angle, but, as the first wheel has touched the ground, the wing has dropped and... boom!
Is there a better technique to land the Spit?

Thanks in advance.

The demonstrated crosswind component for the Mk2b Spitfire is 20 mph. I would assume about the same for the Mk1.

With 30kts and 20kts across the runway you are really pushing it with a Spit. Remember kts mean higher mph and as well any tailwind crosswind component (past your 3-9-line ) will also add to the groundspeed.
These landings can be done of course but require some fairly good technique and a LOT of practice. NOTE that although 20mph is the demonstrated crosswind component, the angle of that 20mph wind component across the runway isn't included in this figure. The greater the crosswind angle to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft the harder it would be to handle the crosswind.
General rule is to try and land a Spit as close to into the wind as possible. If a strong crosswind is unavoidable, I would leave the flaps up, use a higher than normal final approach airspeed using a crab technique to the flare. Plan to touch down on the mains only with the tail low NOT in a full stall. I'd plan to gain ground contact on the main into the wind letting it settle in from there. After you get it down assuming you're still in one piece, I would use full aileron into the wind to kill the lift on the wings and as little brake as possible. Any tendency to swerve should be stopped as early as possible. The deeper you get into a swerve the harder it will be to control it.
As I said, it takes a LOT of practice to do all this correctly as timing and technique are everything when it comes to handling a high performance prop fighter in a strong crosswind.
But hang in there. It will be VERY satisfying when you get it just right.
Dudley Henriques

[rosariomanzo]

Thanks Dudley.

Looks like the only thing i did right has been not to use flaps.
You gave me a great information about ailerons. I used them in the wrong way.

Thank you so much, will keep practicing.

Have a nice day.

[DHenriques_]

Thanks Dudley.

Looks like the only thing i did right has been not to use flaps.
You gave me a great information about ailerons. I used them in the wrong way.

Thank you so much, will keep practicing.

Have a nice day.

I have faith in you )

In any cross wind with the airplane on the ground and rolling or taxiing, just visualize your ailerons and the elevators as where you put them with the stick effects how the wind hits them and how that force is transmitted to the aircraft and you'll be automatically be positioning the controls to help you with the aircraft in no time.
DH

[pj_3]

Of course, one can always use the old, original method... land into wind on the grass!

[DHenriques_]

Of course, one can always use the old, original method... land into wind on the grass!

My personal philosophy for enjoying a long career flying these high performance airplanes was ;
"Always practice for and expect the worst, then be a real happy camper if it doesn't turn out that way"
)))
Dudley Henriques

[RichardS]

Good advice, i made a perfect crosswind landing yesterday right until all my wheels were on the ground and i was slowing down, the wind pushed a wing over and i caught it to late causeing my precious spitfire to scrap a wing along the runway in an undignified way, didnt crash but it would have cost alot of time to repair.

Next time i'll pay more attention to working out how strong a crosswind is and be ready to counteract it with aileron once on the ground

[Killratio]

Yep...as they say:

"You haven't finished flying a taildragger until the key is out of the ignition and she is tied down"

Darryl

[rosariomanzo]

Mmmm, ok, now I should apply every advice I got in this thread during my practice!
It will be hard!!!

Ciao e grazie a tutti!

[torejohs]

After having read this thread, I did a crosswind landing, 24 kts at about 50deg to the side...

I actually managed to do a regular landing at low speed with flaps down, crabbing all the way down and GENTLY giving it some rudder during the flare. GENTLY is the word, feeling your way. I actually gave it about half deflection. The tricky part is to keep the wings reasonably level, perhaps a tad wing low into the wind. If you touch down wing low you've got to be ready to counter the sway that's inevitable. By keeping the wings level you avoid that. So IMO with extremely careful use of the rudder and balancing the wings level you CAN do a three pointer in a crosswind.

Now if only I were skilled enough to make that kind of landing consistantly.

[Adam_NZ]

Aren't we lucky to be able to practise this sort of thing in a sim??? Think of a 19yr old B.O.B. pilot with only a few hours in a Spit!

[Prozac]

As all instructor pilots will tell their students: remember, you are flying the airplane until it is parked with the engine(s) shut down. Goes for landings, taxiing, etc. One of the most common mistakes made by new/inexperienced pilots is to let their crosswind controlls out and stop flying the airplane once they put wheels on the ground. Tricycle gear airplanes tend to mitigate this problem a bit, but the Spit has a tailwheel, a narrow track, and is very light. All of these things tend to make challenging wind conditions even more challenging.

[rosariomanzo]

Well, going on with some progress, but still very far from perfect.
Just made a crosswind landing in about the same conditions (if you love to fly real weather, as I do, check east Aussie airports these days). Good crab, some jumps on runway, but full aileron into the wind.
I ended my run on the grass, with a big headache, but still in one piece.
Let's go on practicing.

[Killratio]

Baby Spitfire + Crosswind = Bad idea

....so don't feel too badly about it!!

Darryl

[guenseli]

You shouldn't also not forget, that the A2A Spit gear can fold back in when you're landing to hard.
As you describe, that your wingtip has dropped, I assume you where landing much too hard...
Maybe you get one chance to pull it out but normally its damaged then (if you don't drop the plane and make a go-around)

Even with this damaged gear its possible to do a successfull bellylanding to get you out in one piece