Weathervane effect strong?

[OneRobertOne]

@willisxdc

Upwind aileron input is key in counteracting weathervaning. This is a very misunderstood topic. There are currently two or three of these discussions. Most non-pilot simmers are taken aback by the difficulties of controlling an aircraft on the ground. While there are plenty of physics working to send you grazing in the hayfield, the least considered is that airplanes are meant to fly, not drive. That means they are exceptionally light and are adversely affected by wind when not travelling fast enough for their control surfaces to take full effect.

People also forget that once flying, there effectively is no wind. It is simply moving through a stationary airmass as far as it is concerned. If that airmass is moving across the ground then the aircraft is going to move with it. No power on earth can prevent that.

As the aircraft wings start to take the weight off the landing gear, the tendency to go with the airmass becomes greater and we need to induce drag to assist the wheels and rudder in maintaining directional control. That is what ailerons are for. Proper airmanship requires they be used from ramp to ramp to maintain proper control of the aircraft. They are not just to make a wing go up or down.

Blockquote

Fair but I may be misunderstanding you and what you feel is the significance of aileron input to counter weathervane in a light crosswind takeoff roll.
The example I keep giving is a 5 kt right crosswind. I’ve taken off plenty of times in a light crosswind as a student pilot with either no aileron input or improper aileron input (due to ignorance and, well, just being a dumb student pilot haha). Thankfully I was staying in light winds and could get away with it.
In those scenarios with a light crosswind, without the aileron input, I did encounter pronounced drift and the upwind wing rising, but never did I notice a pronounced or obvious weathervane. In a light right crosswind, the effect of no aileron input perhaps allowed for a very minimal amount of less right rudder, but nothing pronounced.
My point is I’ve never had to give any left rudder on takeoff in a 5 kt right crosswind in a 172 in real life. Do you agree that the weathervane model is exaggerated in the game, and aileron input is far from being any kind of major factor in countering the weathervane effect in a light crosswind?