Gusty cross-wind landings

[a64pilot]

Is the M4 any better at crosswind landings than the others, due to the different empenage?

I don't know, don't have any time in one, but would bet the shorter winged Maules would handle crosswinds better than the longer ones would, so maybe if it does, it may not just be the tail?

[Christine]

If you have a 15-25 knot wind from 45 degrees, and a 150' wide runway you can easily visualize your landing track to eliminate 30 deg or more of the wind angle. With the later torque tube flaps, I would approach with 48degree flap flying parralel to the runway on downwind side until I am 45 degrees across from a taxi exit if there was one but even without, I would then land on downwind edge of runway, immediately prior to touching run flaphandle to the floor for negative 7 deg, firm braking and you would not fully cross the runway. With flaps up the wind will help hold tail down and it will need over 50 knots to lift the plane off.
This method allows you to use the wind to your advantage.

Jeremy taught me this technique he mentions. And it works.

Careful though - you need to practise this before you do it in actual bad conditions as it takes some practising and visualizing (be especially prepared for a go-aroud applying this technique). It works great, but it it is easy to get drawn into aligning with something visually (such as runway markings) which in this case will NOT be parallel to your flight path, which would have you touch down with a side drift and set you up for a recovery of a beginning groundloop. You really need to be proficient before applying it - same as for a wheel landing. It is never good to "practise" any bail out techniques when you actually need them - be proficient BEFORE you use them.

[Christine]

Well first off, 25 knots is a lot of cross wind for a Maule. When things really go south the FAA starts asking, "Why did you decide to fly today?" And then you get to go have a "special meeting" with a Fed and he will then want you to walk him through how you make your go/no go decision and what is the demonstrated crosswind component of your airplane etc.....

Well, you may find yourself in conditions which hadn't been that way when you took off nor may they have been forcasted. Since we all check on weather and NOTAMS before taking off, don't we ?
If you find yourself with such conditions and can't find an airport with better conditions you may be stuck in landing with what you got. So, having a technique and be proficient to prepare you for such or any other condition which differs from what you fly in day to day is a good qualification to have

[MikeW]

Absolutely. The more tricks you have up your sleeve the better. There is a philosophy within the FAA that basically says, if an accident/incident happens, one of three things went wrong, Man, machine or enviroment. If all three categories were properly taken care of there should be virtually no accidents. This, of course, does not account for so many things that can pop up on a flight. However, we should be comfortable defending our decision to fly based on the information we have. I'm not with the FAA but have had peers over the years that have had that conversation with an FAA person. My point is that sometimes they feel we just shoudn't be flying that day. Clear as mud right!

MikeW