806 Landings and I Still Can’t Get It Right

When you fly alone, any landing that doesn’t bounce you back into the air or slam you down hard, seems good enough.

So what if I’m a little too long in the flare? Who cares if I drop in from five feet as long as I’m on the mains? What’s a little bounce if no one is there to notice? 

Why the hell should I stress over whether the tires make that perfect little chirp every time I land?

I honestly think this has been my mindset for some time now.

A recent flight with my wife, Linda, has made me reconsider my attitude about landing. She told me that my landings make her uncomfortable.

This surprised and concerned me. The last thing I want to do is make my best friend and co-pilot uncomfortable in the airplane.

 I spent a little time re-living my most recent attempts at returning 34777 to earth. I had to admit she’s right – my landings are simply not good enough and not just for her sake. They are not good enough for me, either. I realized I have not been happy with them but didn’t want to face the fact until she brought it up.

Here I am in the middle of my IFR training and I need to go back to square one and try and learn the fundamentals of a good landing. This seems wrong somehow. I’m pretty sure smart people don’t have my problems.

I learned to land via the “power off abeam the numbers” technique. I rarely landed fast, but my approaches could not be considered stabilized. The technique is now out of vogue with the FAA, though it is good to practice for engine out emergencies.



The Fundamentals of a Stabilized, Partial Power Landing

The most important concept for stabilized approaches and good landings is to fly the entire approach at the proper airspeed (Cessna Cardinal, Vso = 57 mph):

·         Downwind                Vso x 1.5= 85 mph

·         Base                        Vso x 1.4= 80 mph

·         Final                       Vso x 1.3= 75 mph (at max. gross 15% flaps) ; 70 mph (2300# ; 15% flaps)

Learn the power setting that provides the initial airspeed and attitude. (12” manifold pressure? Check!)

As you enter the downwind, review the pre-landing checklist:

·         Verify the runway you are landing on

·         Runway length?

·         Wind direction and speed?

·         Fuel tank on both; Mixture rich; Prop forward; carb. heat full on; engine instruments; radio frequency confirmed

·         Parallel distance from runway, approx. 45° down

If you fly the approach too fast the following may occur:

·         The pattern will be larger than necessary

·         It will be difficult to stabilize the approach and it will be harder to fly properly

·         You will need to make steeper turns

·         It will take longer to get the plane into a nose-up flare attitude

·         Raises the risk of “dropping in”

·         Runs the risk of ballooning

Abeam the Numbers
Verify the runway number! 

Review runway length AND width. Narrow runways can cause too low an approach. Wide runways may cause too high an approach. Short runways deserve extra consideration - go around if things aren't perfect! 

Reduce power, add a notch of flaps and trim for 85 mph. This should result in a 300 – 400 FPM descent rate.

Note the sight picture over the nose and the angle of the wings to the horizon.

As you make the turn to base do not let the nose drop. Use a little backpressure. Letting the nose drop will increase airspeed, which we do not want in a stabilized approach. There is a tendency to drop the nose to subconsciously avoid the stall/spin scenario. This should not be an issue if the nose is already pitched down and the airspeed is correct.

Turning Base
Add the second notch of flaps; pitch nose down and trim for 80 mph.

Check final approach for traffic.

Review height above touchdown aiming point and make slight adjustments.

On Final
Add full flaps, pitch nose down and re-trim for 70 mph.

Make little corrections early – so slight that your passengers do not notice.

If too low, bring power up and nose up. DO NOT RE-TRIM. Once you are back on the glide path the plane will return to the pre-set trim speed.

If too high, bring power back and pitch down. DO NOT RE-TRIM.

At an altitude of 20 to 30 feet, pull off the power completely. 



As you get near the runway look overt the left side of the cowling and 100 to 200 feet ahead. Don’t fixate, keep your scan moving. Do not look straight down. The blurring effect may be interpreted by your brain as being the correct time to flare when, in fact, you are still too high.

If too high, do not move the yoke forward. This can cause a nose gear strike. If the runway is short – go around.

Ensure the plane is not drifting to one side or the other that would impose side loads on the landing gear.

As you round out the flare pitch the nose up into a climb (or slow flight) attitude and hold off the runway. The increased drag from the nose-up pitch will cause the plane to descend gently to the runway.

Finally, leave the flaps down until exiting the runway. This is a good habit to establish for a future transition to a retractable gear airplane.

Well it sounds simple, doesn’t it?

Gary

The Stress and Trauma of DME Arcs

When my instructor said we would fly DME arcs on my next lesson I was sure my day of reckoning had come. Yes, I had learned quite a bit of this IFR stuff already. I had even passed the FAA written test. However, I was certain that DME arcs would be the linchpin of my ultimate failure. DME arcs would finally prove to my instructor that I was too mentally deficient to learn to fly IFR safely.

I could hear him now, “You know, Gary, a career in air traffic control could keep you connected to aviation without the stress of IFR.”

DME arcs can sound confusing when they are explained or diagrammed on the ground. In the air the process becomes quite simple. This may be one of those issues in flying where it may be better not to try and figure it out on your own. Let an instructor show you so you don’t learn the wrong way to do it and complicate what is a very simple procedure.

I know this because I did try to figure it out on my own. I wasted a bunch of time and mental energy. This created an added stressor when my instructor announced we would fly our first DME arc. By then, I was convinced this was another of those mathematical quagmires that my feeble brain was not going to grasp.

Even when my instructor tried to explain and diagram them on the ground before our flight, my brain was fogged with my preconceptions over the damn things. Then we got in the air and flying the arc was so simple it was ridiculous. Flew my first one, and then a second one, perfectly.

Arcs are flown either clockwise or counter-clockwise (not right and left). Make a note of which way the arc will be flown.

While inbound to the DME arc, look at the heading indicator and note the heading that is currently 90 degrees from the inbound intercept course, and in the direction of the arc (clock-wise/counter-clockwise). This will be the heading to turn to for intercepting the arc. Make sure you pick the exact 90 degree heading (don't just get an approximate heading).

Set the heading bug on the 90 degree course.

Reduce the speed to approach speed. Do not try and fly the arc at cruise speed. The rate of change is too great to adequately make adjustments on the arc.

Begin the 90 degree turn 0.5 miles from arc - if the arc is 7 or more miles. If the arc is 5 or 6 miles you should start a little sooner.

Turn 90 degrees in the direction of arc. When wings are level, center the VOR needle with the OBS. Remain on this course until the needle deflects 2-1/2 to four dots in the direction of the VOR.

Now center the OBS again and immediately note where the magnetic heading is, on the VOR, 90 degrees from the centered OBS.

Now turn the plane to the heading indicated (90 degrees from the centered OBS).

On the above VOR, we have centered the needle after turning 90 degrees. If we have turned to the left (clockwise) we look 90 degrees to the left on the OBS which indicates 150 degrees. We now turn the plane from our present heading to the 150 degree heading. (Note that the VOR is not set for the heading we are flying - it is simply set for the radial we are on. This can be somewhat confusing when we are used to flying the same heading as the VOR.)


Now note the distance from the VOR. Is it greater or less than the desired arc? If the distance is greater/less than the desired arc, then on the next heading change add +/- 5 degrees correction to the next heading change.

As the OBS needle reaches 2-1/2 to 4 degrees from center - re-center the OBS and look 90 degrees to the left. This, again will be our new heading. Now is the time to add in any correction. In our example of a clockwise arc, turn +/-5 degrees less than indicated if we are beyond the arc and +/-5 degrees more if we are inside the arc.

Continuously monitor DME distance (on the GPS if you don't have a DME) but do not make small heading adjustments. Correct the heading only after you have re-centered the needle and select a new heading that will correct the under-shoot or over-shoot of the arc. Also adjust the heading to correct for any effects of wind.

You are flying a series of straight segments; not trying to fly a curve. Pick a new heading and stay on that heading.

Continue the process making heading corrections as required to remain within 1 nautical mile (or less) of the arc.

Note that as you fly around the arc the effect of the wind will change with the course changes. A crosswind may become a head-wind, or some other combination.

Turn to the final inbound course when approximately 20 degrees from final course line.

Simple, stupid.

Gary