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X-Plane Assignment 1

15 points

Nathan Tyler Rose

Last edited 3 hours ago by Kenzie Michelle Florkiewicz.

Overview

/Generated by Coda AI

This assignment requires students to answer questions about interpreting METAR information, runway usage, and the effects of headwind and crosswind during flight. They must set up a flight simulator, then record and upload screen recordings of two stabilized circuits with headwind and four with crosswind at varying speeds for runway 28. Tips for flying in these conditions are provided. Deliverables include a completed PDF of the document uploaded to Brightspace, along with the recordings from specified tasks, which should be titled appropriately and uploaded to the same platform.

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Tasks

Task 0 - Questions

Answer the following questions. Some questions can be answered after completing the assignment.

General

KLAF 100213Z AUTO 27005KT 10SM SCT027 OVC031 18/15 A2982 RMK AO2 T01830150

When reading the winds in the METAR above, what is the wind direction and speed?

270 at 5kts coming from the west

If you are standing with your back to the west, on which side of your body will you feel the wind given in the above METAR?

on your back

Which runway at KLAF should we use?

runway 28

Headwind

When flying into a headwind (relative to calm conditions), what considerations do I need to make for:

Turn to base: turn sooner and keep base leg shorter

Turn to final: turn slightly earlier and anticipate a steeper descent

Is landing with a headwind easier than in calm conditions? Why?

yes a headwind lowers the aircrafts ground speed which makes the landing slower, and gives pilot more control and reduces landing distance.

In a short paragraph, compare landing with a 5 kts vs 20 kts headwind. Be sure to discuss airspeed, ground speed, descent angle, power input, and landing roll distance.

5knot headwind airspeed remains the same but ground speed is only slightly reduced with a 20 knot headwind the ground speed is much lower even though the airspeed stays the same.

Crosswind

Define these techniques:

Side Slip:a crosswing landing where pilot banks into the wind with aileron while applying opposite ruder

Crab: aircrafts nose is pointed into the wind during approach to compensate for wind drift while the aircraft track stays aligned with runway

When flying into a left-quartering crosswind and using the crab method:

Which single control input (and direction) do I use to align the aircraft's nose with the centerline?

right rudder to straighten nose with runway

What happens to the aircraft if all other control inputs are null? Include direction.

the aircraft will drift to the right because the wind is pushing it sideways

What control (and direction) will counteract the movement described above?

left aileron (bank into the wind)

In crosswind flight training, your instructor will ask if it's a “sticks in” or a “sticks out” kind of day. What the heck does that mean?!

stick in is into the wind when the wind is coming from the front to keep the upwing wing down sticks out is away from the wing when the wind is from behind to stop the wind from lifting the wing.