Spot the correct control inputs.

Sep 30, 2026

Tower has cleared you to land runway 4. Use the METAR to determine where the wind is coming from. Then answer: which control inputs do you hold in the flare?

ALeft aileron, left rudder

You spotted the wind coming from the left and put the left wing down, which is the right start. With left rudder added, though, the airplane is in a coordinated left turn, so the nose swings off the centerline toward the wind. You need opposite rudder to keep the nose pointed down the runway. Option C is the answer.

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BRight aileron, right rudder

Right rudder is correct, and you clearly know the nose wants to weathervane into a left crosswind. The trouble is right aileron raises the upwind wing, which lets the wind push you right off the centerline. The upwind wing needs to go down, not up. Option C is the answer.

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CLeft aileron, right rudder

Correct! The wind is from the left, so left aileron lowers the upwind wing to stop the drift, and right rudder keeps the nose lined up with the centerline. You'll touch down on the left main first, then the right. Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Chapter 9.

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DRight aileron, left rudder

You picked a true sideslip, which is the right technique, just mirrored. Right aileron with left rudder is exactly what you'd use with the wind from the right. Here the wind is 330 true, about 343 magnetic, and the runway heading is 040, so the wind is about 60 degrees to your left. Option C is the answer.

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Pick an answer. You can try as many as you like.

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The explanation

C. Left aileron, right rudder

Find the wind

The METAR reads 33010G18KT: wind from 330 degrees at 10 knots, gusting 18. Runway 4 points roughly northeast, about 040. Overlay the wind direction over the runway and you'll see you have a left crosswind.

One catch: a METAR reports wind from true north, but runway numbers are magnetic. Caldwell has about 13 degrees of west variation, so 330 true is about 343 magnetic. That puts the wind roughly 60 degrees left of the runway.

Hold the sideslip

In the flare, you want the airplane's path and its nose both lined up with the centerline. Left aileron lowers the upwind wing, and that bank stops the wind from drifting you to the right. Bank alone would turn the airplane left, so right rudder aligns the nose with the runway. Those crossed controls are the wing-low sideslip. The left main wheel touches down first, then the right.

Crabbing on final

Plenty of pilots fly final in a crab, with the nose turned into the wind and the wings level. That works on the approach, but the crab has to come out before touchdown. Otherwise the airplane lands moving sideways and puts a side load on the landing gear. Switching to the sideslip on final gives you time to experiment with the correct control inputs before it's time to flare.

How much input to hold

As you slow in the flare, the controls get less effective, so it takes more aileron and more rudder to hold the same slip. On a gusty day, don't be shy about adding more control inputs, and keep holding it through rollout.

The gusts

The gusts push the crosswind component close to the 172's maximum demonstrated crosswind of 15 knots. Demonstrated crosswind isn't a limitation, but it's a good reason to check your personal limits before each flight.