Flight Training - July 2014 - 49

INSTRUCTOR REPORT

Older students and landing troubles
Look for the sweet spot

EVERYBODY AGES. WE'RE reminded
of this every year as we count the
candles on our birthday cake. Then
one day, we discover that we can't
have a birthday cake because the
city won't issue us a fire permit.
Age affects everyone, and it's particularly relevant to the challenges
that older students face when
learning to land an airplane.
Several years ago, I spoke to
flight instructors at a major aviation
university. These were younger
folks in their early twenties. When
I asked them about where they
told their students to direct their
vision during the landing flare,
nearly all said they had them look
directly over the airplane's nose.
Then I asked how it's possible for a
student to see the runway when the
engine cowling blocks its view during the flare (as it does with most
airplanes). Nearly all responded
by saying they instructed their students to look at the horizon line to
the left of the cowling and use their
peripheral vision to gauge their
height above the runway.
Does this viewing strategy work?
It works quite well if you're a
20-year-old flight instructor who
already knows how to flare an
airplane for landing. This is the
landing strategy that experienced
pilots with good vision often use
for flaring an airplane. It's not,
however, the best strategy for
introducing someone to the landing
flare, especially older students or
older pilots returning to flying from
a long hiatus.
As we age, we don't see as well.
We have more difficulty focusing
on any object, and our peripheral
vision diminishes. It's the latter
item that's particularly relevant
when training older students and
older pilots.

If older students are taught to
rely on peripheral vision to flare
the airplane, then they'll have difficulty sensing their height above
the ground-especially if they wear
corrective lenses. Think about it.
You have to look through the lens
for vision correction. Peripheral
vision occurs primarily beyond the
frame that holds the lens. Depending on the type of vision correction
applied, the student might have
very little visual acuity in his
peripheral field. If you'd like to add
salt to this wound, allow a student to wear polarized sunglasses
(corrective or not) during landing
practice. This further reduces the
information (light) that enters

sweet spot because it allows older
students (or students of any age) to
properly gauge their height above
the runway. Sweet.
As the airplane decelerates, the
sweet spot will move closer and
closer to the airplane. To keep this
spot in sight, your student should
shift his or her focal point on the
runway closer and closer to the
airplane until touchdown occurs.
This technique is useful not
only for older students learning to
land but also for older certificated
pilots who've lost their landing
finesse. Over the years, I've heard
older pilots confess that they can't
land as well as they used to, even if
they're wearing corrective lenses.

IF OLDER STUDENTS ARE TAUGHT TO RELY ON PERIPHERAL VISION
TO FLARE THE AIRPLANE, THEN THEY'LL HAVE DIFFICULTY SENSING
THEIR HEIGHT ABOVE THE GROUND-ESPECIALLY IF THEY WEAR
CORRECTIVE LENSES.
the student's eyes. Remember, the
purpose of polarization is to limit
incoming light to that aligned primarily in the vertical plane while
reducing that in the horizontal
plane. Less light is less information, resulting in less accurate
landing flares.
So where should a student look
(especially older students or older
pilots) to properly flare an airplane? When the nose rises for the
landing flare, the only area where
the runway and horizon line can
be clearly and consistently seen is
to the left of the engine cowling.
Direct your student's vision to this
area as soon as the runway ahead
disappears beneath the cowling.
Instruct your student to look at
the spot on the runway to the left
of the centerline, 50 to 80 feet
ahead, that appears neither blurry
nor motionless. I call this the

One reason for this lack of finesse
is that they're still relying on the
technique of using peripheral
vision to land without the benefit
of having their youthful peripheral
vision. Once they begin using the
sweet spot method to evaluate their
height above the runway, their
landing problems often disappear.
If you're an instructor, please
keep in mind that the techniques
you use to land an airplane might
be a bit too advanced or physically
inappropriate for older students
and older pilots. The sweet spot
method works for pilots of any age.
Give it a try. While aging has its
benefits, an increase in peripheral
vision isn't one of them.
Rod Machado is a flight instructor, author,
educator, and speaker. He has been a pilot
since 1970 and a CFI since 1973.
Visit his blog (www.rodmachado.com).

JULY 2014 FLIGHT TRAINING

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Flight Training - July 2014

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