Question

Why is the kick off drift maneuver executed?

(a) To align with the runway

(b) To reduce airspeed and rate of descent

(c) To stabilize the aircraft during crosswinds

(d) To conserve fuel

I got this question in a national level competition.

This interesting question is from ILS/MLS Coupled Landing System and Automatic Landing in division Autopilots and Flight Management Systems of Avionics

Answer 1

Right answer is (a) To align with the runway

The best I can explain: Just prior to touchdown a ‘kick off drift’ maneuver is initiated through the rudder control so that the aircraft is rotated about the yaw axis to align it with the runway. This ensures the undercarriage wheels are parallel to the runway center line so that no sideways velocity is experienced by the wheels when they make contact with the runway.