If the wind is pressing the demonstrated crosswind component of the airplane, I’ll fly the crab. With that much crosswind, I will have been flying a crab on downwind, so the airplane will be trimmed for it, and therefore my typical landing “by-the-numbers” configuration changes will keep me on the runway numbers. Also, stronger winds are generally gusty, which I find to be less upsetting in a crab.

Rather than “kicking out at the last minute”, I “follow the wind” to transition into the slip on short-short final. As I lessen the crab angle to adjust for the reduced wind force near the ground, there will be a point at which I transition into the slip, maybe add a little power and get aligned for the flare. I liken this to the reverse of taking off into a stiff crosswind, where I transition the upwind-wing-down rotation into a right-rudder-heavy, stick-slightly-forward crab, accelerating in ground effect along the centerline.

In lighter crosswinds, I’ll set up the slip to maintain the centerline early on final and then use some additional power management along with the flight controls to make adjustments. In this case, the transition is simpler, “relaxing” the slip into the flare.

My objective with either method is to respond continuously to the wind with small adjustments, such that the final approach transitions into the upwind-wing-down, longitudinal-axis-on-centerline configuration in ground effect, ready to flare. In retrospect, the slip was probably a better fit with my early training, since there was so much that was new to me, and the seat of my pants had not yet worn in to fit the seat of the airplane. The crab feels more like flying.