Crosswind landings expose every weakness in a pilot's control coordination. On the checkride, the examiner will specifically request a crosswind — and they'll have a very clear picture of what good looks like.
What the ACS Actually Requires
The ACS for crosswind landings requires:
- Properly recognize and establish the appropriate crosswind correction
- Touch down at approximately stall speed with the upwind main wheel first, or simultaneously
- Maintain directional control throughout the rollout
- Touch down within 400 feet of the designated touchdown point
- Avoid side-loading on the landing gear
There is no published crosswind component limit in the ACS — but your POH has one, and you're expected to know it.
The Most Common Errors
- Touching down with a crab still in — the crab must be removed before touchdown or you side-load the gear
- Drifting downwind at touchdown — not enough aileron into the wind, landing on the downwind wheel
- Balloon followed by drop — flare too high in gusty conditions leads to a hard landing
- Losing directional control on rollout — wind correction must continue after touchdown
- Under-correcting into the flare — students reduce aileron input as they slow down; it should increase
How to Execute It Correctly
The sideslip (wing-low) method — the checkride standard:
- On final, identify wind direction and strength
- Bank into the wind with aileron — the amount of bank should track you straight down the extended centerline
- Apply opposite rudder to prevent the nose from turning with the bank
- You'll be slightly banked with the nose pointed down the centerline — this is correct
- Maintain this sideslip all the way to touchdown
- Touch down on the upwind main wheel first
- Hold aileron into the wind throughout the rollout — increase input as speed decreases
Why Students Fail This on Checkride Day
Students practice crosswind landings in light crosswinds and feel confident. Then the checkride has a 12-knot crosswind component and everything falls apart. The technique doesn't change — only the amount of control input does.
Checkride Ready tracks your approach and landing accuracy across conditions so you understand exactly where your crosswind technique is costing you.
Keep Training
- Short Field Landing Explained Step by Step — add the short field constraint to your crosswind work
- Soft Field Landings: Why Students Fail and How to Fix It — different surface, same coordination fundamentals