PROFICIENCY & EFFICIENCY 9 82 TECHNOLOGY 84 WX WATCH 88 AVIONICS 92 FRUGAL FLIER 94 NEVER AGAIN TIPS | TECHNIQUE • Turn downwind 1/2 mile from the runway • Pick ground references for the downwind • Note where the wing or strut intersects the runway • Reduce power abeam the touchdown point • Set flaps • Pick a touchdown point • Maintain airspeed within 5 knots of manufacturer’s recommendation • At 300 feet, check for proper trim • Aim for the second stripe, land on the third | Remedial landing school It’s not always students who need help B Y A LTO N K . M A R S H WEB http://www.aopa.org/pilot/1303landings THE V-TAIL BONANZA pilot approached Camarillo, California; leveled 20 feet above the runway; and raised the nose. Perhaps the goal was to make the first turnoff, and it was a success, but the airplane couldn’t taxi afterward—it was damaged. The aircraft stalled from six feet and landed on its prop. There was a similar problem at a flight school in Frederick, Maryland. One renter tried—and failed, thanks to his instructor—to do the same JOHN UELAND 78 | AOPA PILOT March 2013http://www.aopa.org/pilot/1303landings