Exec Flight Services

✈️ Aviation Brief — Issue #36

Weekly insights for student pilots and the instructors who train them.

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC

PA.IV.H — Crosswind Approach and Landing (Private Pilot ACS)

### 1. ACS STANDARDS SUMMARY

For Private Pilot (PA.IV.H.1), the FAA ACS requires you to demonstrate knowledge of crosswind effects on approach/landing, crosswind limits, and procedures for exceeding limits. Risk management includes verifying suitable landing conditions for the wind. Skills include: completing checklists; maintaining a stabilized approach with airspeed ±10 knots of target, track alignment, and heading ±10° on the directional gyro; touching down within ±400 feet of the aim point with no side-slip or skid; maintaining control throughout; and completing post-landing procedures. The examiner expects precise directional control, no drift at touchdown, and smooth coordination without excessive corrections.

### 2. THREE COMMON STUDENT MISTAKES

- **Releasing crosswind corrections too early**: Students often neutralize aileron input 50-100 feet above the runway, allowing wind to push the airplane off centerline during flare—leading to a drift or excursion.

- **Over-controlling with rudder during touchdown**: In the wing-low method, pilots kick too much rudder at touchdown, causing the upwind wheel to lift excessively or the nose to yaw, resulting in a bounce or loss of directional control.

- **Failing to maintain airspeed in gusts**: Chasing the runway centerline distracts students from airspeed control, often resulting in ballooning (too slow) or floating (too fast), which extends the landing rollout and increases crosswind effects.

### 3. CFI PRO TIP

"Practice the 'visualize and divide' method: Imagine the runway centerline as your steering wheel—use full aileron deflection into the wind to keep the nose pointed at your aim point (crab or slip as needed), then hold that aileron through touchdown until the upwind wing is down. This builds muscle memory for coordination without thinking about numbers; I've seen students nail checkride crosswinds after just 3-4 sessions of this on Henderson's runway 12L with 10-knot quartering headwinds."

### 4. SAFETY SPOTLIGHT

Runway excursions during crosswind landings are a leading cause of general aviation accidents, accounting for about 20% of fixed-wing landings per NTSB data (e.g., 2022 stats show 150+ incidents). A classic pattern in ASRS reports: pilots exceed the airplane's demonstrated crosswind limit (15 knots for C-172), leading to loss of control—like the 2019 NTSB case (ERA19LA140) where a Cessna 172 veered off at KLAS in 18-knot gusty crosswinds due to improper slip technique. Always brief your personal go/no-go limits pre-flight.

### 5. DID YOU KNOW

The Cessna 172's demonstrated crosswind component is 15 knots steady, but pilots routinely handle 20+ knots gusts with proper technique—per Cessna's POH. Just remember, it's a demonstrated value, not a hard limit; exceeding it wisely keeps you safe.

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