Flight Training - June 2011 - 28

APPROACH • Stable • On speed • On glidepath

FLARE • Dynamic • Transition from descent to level • Requires patience

ROLL OUT • Don't give up • Requires patience • Speed still matters

THE APPROACH. Ever hear the phrase, “Every good landing begins with a good approach”? Well, it’s true! And a good (stabilized) approach means being at the proper approach angle to the runway (glidepath), properly aligned and tracking the runway centerline and at the proper speed—all the way down the final approach. Too often, pilots are lax in achieving and maintaining these parameters early enough during the approach—if at all—and then on short final, hope these details will magically fall into place on their own. This wishful thinking strategy is the stuff that accident reports are made of. Instead, stabilize the approach early and remain highly alert for any deviations from the desired approach course, glidepath, and speed, immediately making any power and/ or flight control inputs needed to return the airplane to the desired, stabilized approach to the runway. What does a stabilized approach look like? The next time you happen to see a larger airplane—perhaps a corporate jet or an airliner on its final approach (the last 1,000 feet above runway)—notice how stable the airplane appears, very little rolling or pitching. And if you’re close enough, you’ll also hear the engines maintaining a fairly stabilized power setting—no throttle jockeying! This does not mean the pilot isn’t making any inputs. On the contrary, that pilot is very likely making more inputs to all the controls (throttles, ailerons, elevator, and rudder) than at any other time throughout the flight, especially if the winds are strong

or gusty. It’s just that the timely inputs needed to control the flight path are being made so steadily and subtly, that from outside the airplane, it appears as though the airplane is gently settling along an invisible guidewire toward the runway, almost as if by itself. How? The moment the pilot observes the slightest deviations from the desired approach path or speed, he is correcting for them immediately, without overcontrolling. Admittedly, smaller general aviation aircraft do not demand such tight tolerances for their approaches to be safe. In part, that’s what makes GA aircraft so much fun to fly. But the

down side is that if you’re not paying close enough attention, the aircraft can quickly become a tiger with a mean bite. For GA pilots, speed control is often a huge factor in botched landings. For every airplane there is a specific airspeed that works best for the particular conditions that exist: aircraft weight, flap configuration, runway length, and wind or gust conditions. For example, on a windy or gusty day, the normal, still-air approach speed is probably too slow. Conversely, a very short runway might demand something slower than normal. So before you begin your approach, make a conscious decision regarding the best approach

BRAGGING RIGHTS
Our editors describe their best landings
"At Nantucket, Massachusetts, in a Piper Archer with the owner sitting in the rear seat. Talk about performance anxiety—no slamming it on when the person who has to pay the bills is right there." —Jill W. Tallman, associate editor "I landed not once but three times with little notice of touchdown except for the wheels turning. The flight instructor said, "Can't do it any better than that." Then he told customers at a restaurant, one of whom was a cashier at the local bookstore who greeted me with news of my airmanship on my next visit. If the whole town is talking about it, it must have been a good one." —Al Marsh, senior editor "Flying is rife with selective memory and conscious self-deception—especially when it comes to landings. As a master practitioner in the art of self-deception, I try to convince myself that my best landing is always going to be my next landing." —Dave Hirschman, senior editor "My logbook shows I have made well over 2,000 landings. Fortunately, few are memorable. But the best happened just a few months ago when, on a pristine calm day, I rolled my Bonanza onto the runway so gently that I truly wasn't sure we had touched down for a couple of seconds. They're not all that way, of course. But I didn't admit that to the impressed airline pilot in the right seat." —Tom Haines, editor in chief Tell us about your best on Facebook (www.facebook.com/aopaflighttrainingmag).

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Flight Training - June 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - June 2011