Landing a CTSW, 10 years later

[Ed Cesnalis]

I do use 3 techniques for 3 different situations.

 

1. Normal landings:  I use a closed throttle, 30° flaps and approach nose low to maintain energy yet contact nose high to avoid nose wheel contact and contact with a full aft stick.  After 10 years it still feels a little like playing chicken with the ground.
2. Balloon on roundout:  When attempting a Normal landing but with too much speed and too little feel a balloon is the result. No need for a hard contact you can control the sink with throttle and contact soft, with practice you can likely control the sink by moving the stick to slowly to the aft stop.  Opposite rudder softens the contact when one wing wants to drop first and its often opposite of the rudder I am using to maintain alignment.
3. Flying it on: At my home field when winds are ~25+kts there will likely be little ability to control vertical speed with the nose low.  I may need up to 70kts to maintain a nose high attitude and large throttle adjustments to avoid a hard contact.  When I baloon hundreds of feet this technique is called for.

[ralarcon]

"Flying it on: At my home field when winds are ~25+kts there will likely be little ability to control vertical speed with the nose low.  I may need up to 70kts to maintain a nose high attitude and large throttle adjustments to avoid a hard contact.  When I baloon hundreds of feet this technique is called for."

 

Nose high 0 or -6 flaps helps me deal with high cross winds. Reciently landed at KTMB with 18k cross winds winds gusting to 23k fast approach. Challenging but nothing was bent or damaged and did not scare the wife. This is for the CTLS, but I figure the CTSW should be very similar.

 

Cheers

[CT4ME]

'have been impressed with the plane's ability to land in serious crosswinds.  0 flaps and flying it in, has served me well in 25+kt direct xwinds.  The quick response of the Rotax and slipperiness & nimbleness of the CT is a Godsend.   I wouldn't seek out these conditions but, sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do.

[Mike Koerner]

"You gotta do what you gotta do."

However... you should avoid landings where you're not confident of a successful outcome, which is easy to do with all the fuel our little planes carry.

I got up to Yakima, Washington once with my daughter on a day with no wind forecast. That was wrong. So was the runway alignment. I got Flight Watch on the radio and in an angry tone told them I was a light sport and I couldn't land in this much wind unless it was down the runway. He asked how much range I had. I said I was good for another 400 miles anyway. He sent me out to Moses Lake. Huge runways, taxiways and skirts going every which way. No wind.

Mike

[ralarcon]

That was a good choice for a divert in those conditions.

Moses Lake is where Boeing does most of their cross wind flight certifications. Many of them are viewable on uTube.

In my case , winds were supposed to be 40 degrees at 15 knots, runway 9, done this many times, I'm first crabbing then slipping, finally lined up, tower calls when I'm 200 ft agl, on final, winds 40 degrees 18 gusting to 23 K, Take a quick glance at the windsock, blowing completely perpendicular. I have another aircraft on final behind me. You got to do what you got to do ! By the way Flaps -6 .

 

 

Cheers