Tue, Sep 20, 2011
In the decades (yeesh, I'm getting old) that I've been flying as
a CFI, there are few skills more difficult to teach a new pilot
than dealing with the vagaries of a cross wind approach. It's a
tough skill to tutor because it takes so long to set up each
landing and there are a myriad of tasks to accomplish during each
takeoff and preparation for landing that the learning retention can
often take a dive. In really good conditions, a clear pattern, no
tower, and few distractions, you'd be lucky to get 5 or 6 landings
in each hour... and that is IF you can find the right conditions to
challenge your student.
SO... what would happen if you had the chance to do as much as
twenty an hour, with complete dedication to the task at hand and
without all the distractions that come with one of the worst
classrooms in the world... I.e., the average cockpit? Well, we now
know the answer to that questions and it can be found courtesy of
RedBird Flight Simulations who has "cracked the code" to the need
for a better way to teach the skillsets implicit in each crosswind
landing.
The Redbird XWind teaches pilots 'the proper techniques to meet
and beat these top two causes of weather-related landing accidents.
By placing pilots in gusty, crosswind conditions for extended
periods of time, the XWind gives the instructor all the time needed
to teach the pilot the proper technique and reactions for landing
in challenging crosswind conditions.'
The XWind utilizes an electric motion platform, which can be
operated off a 20 Amp outlet. The XWind offers training scenarios
that allow for winds up to 30 knots, gusts up to 15 knots, and
plenty of wind shear and turbulence -- if your instructor deems fit
(and has a somewhat sadistic streak). The XWind uses laser markers
for yaw and drift, includes an on-board Hobbs meter, and (depending
on your insurance carrier) the device may make you eligible for
insurance discounts...
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