Crosswind Drag Tail 
Fear of Landing
FEBRUARY 7, 2025
A poster on PPRuNe asked about the landing conditions: Is it pretty much standard for operators of this particular aircraft type in the UK to land in 35 knot crosswinds on 1800m wet runways? They came down crabbing, a technique used to counteract the effect of the crosswind. The responses were characteristically blunt.
Pilot Institute
MARCH 28, 2025
As seen from the aircrafts tail, the vortex rotates in the anti-clockwise direction on the right wingtip and the clockwise direction on the left wingtip. This horizontal component of lift is called Induced Drag. Its called induced drag since it only exists as a consequence of lift. Increased Drag Moving air around is hard work!
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Airspeed Junkie
AUGUST 2, 2024
Notable design changes included the introduction of a swept tail design in 1960 and a new cowl design in 1961, which improved aerodynamics and performance. Micro vortex generators are also a popular upgrade, optimizing airflow over the wing and tail surfaces to enhance control.
Northstar VFR
JULY 21, 2024
As air flows over it, a force like lift results, and the tail is pulled in the opposite direction of the deflection. But instead of an upward force of lift on a wing, it’s a horizontal force pushing the tail of the plane causing the nose of the plane to move left and right. This is especially vital during crosswind landings.
Pilot Institute
FEBRUARY 20, 2025
The problem is that the aileron can only be deflected to a point after which the drag becomes significant. Most of the ailerons mass lies behind the hinge, making it tail-heavy. Tail-heavy ailerons droop downwards when they arent being pulled by the control system. potentially reverting the aileron back into a tail-heavy state.
Pilot Institute
MARCH 26, 2024
However, the increased drag might make it impossible to take off again. A faster, reduced-flaps approach improves aircraft control during strong crosswinds or gusts. Make sure not to pull back too hard, or you could cause a tail strike. This does two things: it keeps the load on the wings and increases drag.
Pilot Institute
APRIL 12, 2025
The reaction in the form of increased thrust allows the aircraft to overcome drag and accelerate or climb. Helicopters use a small rotor mounted on the tail that produces sideways thrust to counter the main rotors torque reaction. The tail rotor pushes air to one side ( action ), and the tail moves the other way ( reaction ).
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