Landing an airplane feels hazardous...

[UnAnswerd]

At 13 hours, this is what landings seem like...

The airplane is descending toward the numbers, and hopefully lined up squarely. There is little or no power, the flaps are down, and the airspeed is pretty slow. This seems intimidating, because you feel like even a minor corrective turn could stall the airplane and kill you...

As the airplane gets closer to the pavement, the urge is to pull back to avoid smashing into the ground at 80MPH...

So we pull back, and now the airplane is floating along, perhaps 10 feet about the ground or so. The power is all the way out, and we keep the nose up to bleed off the airspeed and hopefully drop to the ground not too violently. We may even stall it, but hopefully not at 10'AGL. It almost seems like a roll of the dice...Anyone ever feel this way???

 

[TrafficInSight]

"We're gonna have to come in pretty low on this approach."

"Is that difficult?"

"Well sure it's difficult. It's part of every textbook approach. It's just something you have to do when you land."

 

[Cardinal]

I'm reluctant to instruct by proxy, but what the heck

you feel like even a minor corrective turn could stall the airplane and kill you...

This might be a misunderstanding. You have the airplane in trim, presumably. That means it's pitch will pretty much stay the same unless you change something like flap setting. Aircraft seek their "trim speed." When you move that wheel or crank, you are selecting a speed, not a pitch attitude, or climb/descent rate. The airplane will hold that speed until you physically displace the yoke from it's neutral, hands free point. If you use a reasonable bank angle to turn, the aircraft will still continue to hold that speed. To actually stall your Cherokee in this circumstance would take a concerted effort, pulling the yoke back into your lap, and would involve much grunting and straining. Perhaps you need a bit more time in slow flight prior to tackling landings, to get a feel for how the aircraft really behaves at low speed, high angle of attack. Becasue that is the realm you're in when landing.

As the airplane gets closer to the pavement, the urge is to pull back to avoid smashing into the ground at 80MPH...

You're moving forward at 80, but the vertical component is only about 5 mph if your vertical speed indicator shows 500 ft/min. There won't be any smashing, and the instructor will save if you manage to get creative.

So we pull back, and now the airplane is floating along, perhaps 10 feet about the ground or so

This one is easy to solve. Pull back ten feet later Time and experience will fix this. If EVERY time around the pattern you find yourself in that position, fix it. Recognize at what point you feel you "should" flare, and delay that action by 5 feet or so, even if it feels uncomfortable. You'll fnd that the ground won't rise up and smite thee, so trim a foot or so off each time around the pattern. Eventually you'll "find" the runway, and be better able to work out the timing of your flare.

 

[Milkdud99]

after 50 hours, your landings will be like budda! it just takes time and experience.

 

[UnAnswerd]

Cardinal, thanks for the insight. I guess it will just take some time...

 

[pilatus96]

"We're gonna have to come in pretty low on this approach."

"Is that difficult?"

"Well sure it's difficult. It's part of every textbook approach. It's just something you have to do when you land."

......Doesn't he say dangerous, not difficult?

 

[Goose Egg]

So we pull back, and now the airplane is floating along, perhaps 10 feet about the ground or so. The power is all the way out, and we keep the nose up to bleed off the airspeed and hopefully drop to the ground not too violently. We may even stall it, but hopefully not at 10'AGL. It almost seems like a roll of the dice.

Whenever any of my students are having issues in this area, it's usually because they are not looking at the right part of the runway to judge their height when they flare. If you are flaring too high, it's usually because you are looking right at the numbers--you appear to be approaching the runway faster than you actually are (so termed "ground rush") so you react by flaring too quickly and too soon, and the result is that you float. If the student is looking down at the other end of the runway to judge their height, they usually end up flaring late (or not at all) and the landings tend to be flat.

Try looking about halfway down the runway for reference when you flare. See how it works and then let us know how it went. I think you'll find that it will be a lot easier to determine how high you are above the runway and consequently the right time to begin the flare.

-Goose

 

[texflyguy]

my instructor always tells me to pick a spot on the runway and then pitch for speed and power to hold it and then on flare just hold the nose back and dont let it down until theres not enough airflow over the tail to keep it raised.

 

[Stifler's Mom]

My old instructor David Starsky used to talk me through my landings all the time. To this day I still hear his voice in my head.

 

[TrafficInSight]

......Doesn't he say dangerous, not difficult?

I don't think so... I think it's difficult. I could be wrong though.

 

[Metro752]

After a few dozen more landings, you'll be greasing em, then with some practice with an instructor onboard you'll attack big old crosswinds, smaller ones at first, then really gusty nasty mean ones, and still grease landings.

I've flown with some older guys, who will land a 172 with full out stall horn for several seconds, and touch down like a feather. That and flying them onto the runway is the most fun.

 

[TonyC]

Landing an airplane feels hazardous...

... you feel like even a minor corrective turn could stall the airplane and kill you...

... the urge is to pull back to avoid smashing into the ground ...



Anyone ever feel this way???

No.





Wait, you're talking about the student's perspective, and not the instructor's perspective, right?












.

 

[Tina Fey's Scar]

WOw you guys keep falling for this sucker and instructing him online.... I bet he's laughing

 

[Bluto]

Landing is scary and dangerous. But it beats the alternative....

 

[Kream926]

i second more slow flight training. landing was the hardest thing for me to grasp. just remember, TO's are optional, landing as mandatory