B747 "Whale": If anyone cares----but someday you might.
We do it both ways. Crab or wing down/top rudder. For me, it usually depends on the actual wind/WX conditions--how stong is the X-wind, am I IFR, if I just crossed the Pacific and am I tired, etc....... no one-size-fits-all.
Wing down/top rudder (WDTR)---that's my friend......until @ 50' AGL when you make your transition to landing flare----after touchdown put the aileron back in to keep the upwind wing from rising. You also have to steer with the rudders/nosewheel steering--obviously. In some limits X-wind conditions I could not really keep centerline with both working--just minimize the drift. You also must be very judicious with your ailerons to not skag #1 or #4 engine pod on the ground---some have, to their dismay.
Some guys--myself included--favor a slight, repeat: SLIGHT upwind lineup orientation if we are going to "crab" all the way down glideslope. Makes the workload a little less on approach. We are on the end of a long "moment arm" way out there in the B747 cockpit. If you visually put the cockpit on centerline in a crab---you will be offset on the downwind side when you take the crab out to line up in close.
Actually, a typical Whale high X-wind approach & landing might be:
Crab for the approach..
to WDTR in-close ..
to finesse the CL and flare..
to wings level touchdown..
to immediate aileron into the wind & steer with rudder/NWS..
to go to the hotel.........
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTE: I AM NOT A SPOKESMAN FOR ANY AIRLINE NOR ALPA ... ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE MY OWN AND ANY POSTS COPIED FOR OTHER SOURCES ARE ATTRIBUTED TO THEIR ORIGINAL AUTHORS ... A4s
We do it both ways. Crab or wing down/top rudder. For me, it usually depends on the actual wind/WX conditions--how stong is the X-wind, am I IFR, if I just crossed the Pacific and am I tired, etc....... no one-size-fits-all.
Wing down/top rudder (WDTR)---that's my friend......until @ 50' AGL when you make your transition to landing flare----after touchdown put the aileron back in to keep the upwind wing from rising. You also have to steer with the rudders/nosewheel steering--obviously. In some limits X-wind conditions I could not really keep centerline with both working--just minimize the drift. You also must be very judicious with your ailerons to not skag #1 or #4 engine pod on the ground---some have, to their dismay.
Some guys--myself included--favor a slight, repeat: SLIGHT upwind lineup orientation if we are going to "crab" all the way down glideslope. Makes the workload a little less on approach. We are on the end of a long "moment arm" way out there in the B747 cockpit. If you visually put the cockpit on centerline in a crab---you will be offset on the downwind side when you take the crab out to line up in close.
Actually, a typical Whale high X-wind approach & landing might be:
Crab for the approach..
to WDTR in-close ..
to finesse the CL and flare..
to wings level touchdown..
to immediate aileron into the wind & steer with rudder/NWS..
to go to the hotel.........
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTE: I AM NOT A SPOKESMAN FOR ANY AIRLINE NOR ALPA ... ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE MY OWN AND ANY POSTS COPIED FOR OTHER SOURCES ARE ATTRIBUTED TO THEIR ORIGINAL AUTHORS ... A4s