[NSRCA-discussion] Weather Vane

[Duane Beck]

> At touch down the plane isn't crabbed. It is perpendicular to the  
> runway headed into the wind, and it got there without me touching the  
> rudder.

For this to happen, either you turned it into the wind by banking with 
the ailerons, or you're flying "uncoordinated" - that is, with the 
fuselage not parallel to the slipstream.

Did you fly approaches in both directions?
What happens if you fly the approach without rudder or ailerons (just 
use throttle and elevator trim)?
What happens if you fly the approach without changing the throttle?
What happens if you establish a crab angle to correct for crosswind 
drift flying along the runway, trim for level flight, and take hands off 
the controls?

An airplane does not turn into the wind on its own until it contacts the 
ground (or any other fixed object).

Duane