Viewing page 157 of 206

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

154   U.S. CIVIL AERONAUTICS AUTHORITY

required to practice until they offer no difficulty or hazard. The apt student will usually have no difficulty with them if they are given well along in the course, since he will have had enough experience in the effects of drift and the means of counteracting it to grasp the principles quickly and to execute them.

In some instances it may be desirable that they be demonstrated to the student prior to solo as a precaution and, in cases where the airport facilities are not all that might be desired, it may be necessary to go further with this instruction. In any case the student's technique in them should be perfected during the intermediate and accuracy phase.

In cross-wind take-offs it is advisable to hold the airplane on the ground to gain an excess of speed before it is allowed to take-off. The stick must be pushed forward and the tail lifted more rapidly than for the normal take-off, and an effort must be made to keep the ship on the ground until the desired excess speed is attained. While this is being done, the ailerons and rudder should be coordinated to keep the roll straight, and the windward wing kept a little low to counteract the effects of the wind in tending to drift the plane. In a stiff cross wind it may even be necessary to lift one wheel off the ground near the end of the run, although this should be avoided if at all possible.

The reason for keeping the ship on the ground until excess speed is attained is to prevent its bouncing and contacting the ground while drifting, while places severe side loads on the landing gear. These loads are particularly severe when the ship touches again after taking off, as sometimes happens when the take-off is made at minimum speed.

After the take-off is accomplished, the ship should maintain a straight line over the ground until normal climbing speed is attained, if this is possible and practical. This may be accomplished by turning into the wind enough to keep the path straight, or by slipping slightly into the wind. As soon as normal climbing speed is attained, a normal shallow turn can be made either way that is necessary, but preferably into the wind, due to the greater gain of altitude per unit of forward distance covered. This must not be confused with the rate of climb in feet per minute however, which for all practical purposes, is the same in either direction.

CROSS-WIND LANDINGS
Circumstances often require that landings, as well as take-offs, be made otherwise than into the wind. These are a little more difficult of execution than the take-offs, mainly due to the difference in the difficulties presented in maintaining control while speed is decreasing instead of increasing, as in the take-off.

Many airports are such that practically all landings have to be made more or less cross wind, and it is wise to have all students as well prepared as possible to meet emergencies that may arise in the solo flight or in early solo work. Therefore, it is frequently very desirable for the student to have had the technique of making cross wind landings demonstrated to him and for him to have a clear understanding of the principles involved before he is allowed