Bart, I experienced that it helps a bit to trim the plane for cruise instead for take-off when taking off in a cross wind.
That keeps the nose down, but not with too much of a pressure. It is still a bit wobbly at times, but it feels easier to steer. More complicated is the landing in a strong cross wind, when the plane is trimmed nose up. My worst experience was on a grass field with a strong cross wind. Soft field procedure called for lifting the nose as soon as possible, but we need the nose wheel for steering, so down it stays, but then the nose wheel does not really track on the soft ground. One has to find the trade-off between keeping the nose down for steering and getting the nose up to gain speed. On one of my last landings in a strong crosswind, I had the feeling to guide the plane down the runway on the nose wheel and the leeward main wheel only - I came in too fast. The wing was coming up high and stayed so for a while. The manual recommends using the brakes then, but it is really something to get used to first. Hartmut ----- Original Message ----- From: robertbartunek To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, February 08, 2008 10:29 PM Subject: [ercoupe-tech] Crosswinds I haven't heard anyone address an airspeed adjustment for the gust factor during a crosswind landing. In many aircraft operating manuals, adding half the gust to your computed final approach airspeed is recommended. Sounds like a smart thing to do. And I am still not impressed by the crosswind handling characteristics of the Ercoupe. The tendency for the aircraft to weathervane into a strong crosswind durning takeoff/landing roll requires an opposite (downwind) application of yoke steering force to steer the nosewheel and keep the aircraft moving straight down the runway. That same control input lowers the aileron on the upwind wing which increases the lift on that wing. If and when the upwind wing rises under this circumstance, any attempt to lower the wing by applying aileron to decrease the bank also turns the nosewheel into the wind and a rapid turn into the crosswind occurs. Just hope you have enough speed to become airborne before you depart the hard surface and remember to say to yourself, "Hold er' Newt, she smells alfalfa". Bart
