MD-80 hard landings

[PastFastMover]

Same as any air carrier aircraft and basically any pilot. Most landings nice and gentle and fairly consistent. Then you can go for a couple of months pranging it on and wondering what the heck. Seems like you come off vacation or a large number of days off you can roll it on consistently until you have been back awhile and then prang. Go figure.

 

[CaSyndrm]

The MD-80's, especially the long body ones, land like crap. I had to utilize the push over technique to make anything approaching consistent landings. You've got to remember that you're using a little tab to move the whole elevator and when you're bleeding off speed carried for winds and gust factor, you can easily run out of elevator authority before the beast touches down. I used to trim back and hold forward control pressure when I had more than a ten knot speed additive to counteract this tendency, and I didn't appreciate having to pull shizzle like that to attempt to make a decent landing. In calm or low steady state wind you can get in the ballpark for a decent landing, but if you touch one of the mains down gently (I can't remember which one) the freakin spoilers deploy all at once and make the thing plop down like an old man getting into a lazy-boy. Bottom line, if you try to flare late you'll drive the mains into the ground.

Wow, too much. Just fly and land normally but if you float then push the nose forward a little.



"Normally, just let the autothrottles pull the power back to idle at 50 feet while simultaneously pulling back just a hair on the yoke. At about 30 feet, start lowering the mains to the runway (flaring). Touch down at ref -5 and you've got it. I didn't like the push forward technique either, but it was nice to have in your back pocket".

Autothrottles frequently suck near the ground on this plane. Can't adjust fast enough to gusts and turbulence. Better to click the magic button a couple hundred feet above the ground.

 

[TurboS7]

Just pretend you are wheel landing a DC-3 or BE-18--works great.

 

[PastFastMover]

Just wondering, why would anyone use autothrottles on a visual landing ever?
I mean visual as other than a Cat III or Cat II.

 

[Patriot328]

I think I've been in the back with this guy a few times while commuting....

http://www.alexisparkinn.com/photogallery/Videos/MD-80.mpeg

 

[Jeff Helgeson]

I agree, however,

If you "fly" it on to the runway, it is very easy to get consistently good landings in the MD-80. I never subscribed to the "push" theory. I don't believe in it, I don't use it, I don't teach it. Good technique is all that is required. Don't over-rotate in the flare, know the pitch attitude required, flare just enough to break the descent, then hold it. It smoothly rolls on.

...if you release a little back pressure right as you think it will touch down, it will roll right on with the spoiler handle twitching.

I hold just a little forward pressure on the yoke (trim) and as you squeeze a little power off in ground effect, the trim is perfect. I find a lot of new pilots on the MD80 don't pay attention to the trim position of the A/C. When it's heavy the trim is almost to the far aft position. In that situation there isn't much left as far a being able to flare and if the pilot pulls the power back with extreme aft trim, it will land hard with a nose high attitude.

Target EPR settings for landing. If the Flaps 40 VREF is 130KIAS, then the target EPR setting of 1.30 will work pretty well. If the VREF is 124 then 1.24, etc.

Just a few thoughts.