Student Landings

[PhatAJ2008]

So I'm lading for the first couple of times this week and I'll be honest, I'm aweful at it. My instructor has to take the controls almost every time and somehow we have survived a couple of possible whipe-outs. Is this normal? We spent a whole lesson on them today, and granted there was a serious x-wind, I still couldn't nail one...

AHHHHHH

 

[gkrangers]

Try it without the serious crosswind, use light control inputs, don't overfly the airplane, and RELAX.

 

[midlifeflyer]

Yep. It's normal.

 

[troy]

remember to ensure that the nose of the airplane is pointed at the other end of the runway. The other guys are correct, just relax and fly the airplane until it will not fly anymore (in the flare). It will tell you when to touch down.

And yes, it's normal.

 

[SEVEN]

We've all been there. Just part of the whole "learning to fly" experience. You'll get it.

 

[pilotguy143]

You should have seen my landings. It took me forever to get my landings down. Then I started to fly tailwheel gliders and I learned how to land.... again

 

[DrewBlows]

It's normal, especially if there was a decent cross-wind and/or turbulance. I've noticed from my experience and my students that with landings in particular students don't get it, don't get it, don't get it, then BOOM it all comes together at once and they get it.

 

[MFRskyknight]

It's normal, especially if there was a decent cross-wind and/or turbulance. I've noticed from my experience and my students that with landings in particular students don't get it, don't get it, don't get it, then BOOM it all comes together at once and they get it.

That's exactly how it played out for me. Sometimes, it just CLICKS.

I forget how many "landings" (read: potentially weed-trimming, rubber-squealing, cow-scaring events) I logged before that click came for me. Probably upwards of 30 or 40.

One thing that helped me was getting the flow of the approach set up drilled into my head. Airspeed control, carb heat, 10 deg of flaps, check airspeed, base, 20 deg of flaps, check airspeed, final, 30 deg, or whatever it is for you.

Just think, nice approaches will tend to produce nice landings.

MFR

 

[minitour]

MFR is correct exactly!

A properly trimmed aircraft flown on a proper approach, will tend to produce better landings than those "well this looks funky..." approaches.

It'll come. Mine took forever...now it's just second nature. I fly - I land. You'll get it.

-mini

 

[RockbrigadePC1]

http://www.aviationexplorer.com/a319_hard_landing_commercial.htm

 

[aucfi]

Some of the best lessons are learned from others.

I used to and still do watch planes landing and critique what they did right and wrong. It gives you a good opportunity to see whats going on outside of the airplane so when you get inside and do it for yourself, you have something to relate with.

Sometimes while landing I will picture whats going on outside the airplane during the approach and flare. Works well for me, just might work for you also. Pull a chair up as close to the approach end of a busy runway as you can and simply watch, learn, and apply.

au

 

[aviator1978]

Here's what I do with students that are having problems with landings. Typically the problem lies with flaring properly. Have the instructor take control of the power. Come in with slightly more power and keep it in throughout the flare. The extra power will help you adjust to ground effect, and "feel" the plane better in the flare. Keep the plane flying as long as possible, and keep the nose high until you hear, chirp chirp.

Good Luck

 

[blzr]

After you solo, self preservation takes over and you find you are much more locked on. Takes time and practice, but also do some CHAIR flying at home going over power settings and sight pictures. soon enough you will be able to do it the same way every time. A stabalized approach will usually lead to better and better landings.

small corrections below 250' and if it doesn't feel right, go around and try it again.

 

[indianboy7]

Hell...I still can't land....passengers tell me that every day I go to work.....

Don't worry about it. After a bad lesson, go to the bar and have a few (or more) of your favorite adult beverages (if you're legal to do so). Get good and varnished, take a couple days off, then go back and give it a whack. Lather, Rinse, Repeat until you're satisfied with the results. You're never gonna get it if you're all worked up about it all the time............

 

[Fugawe]

Relax, take a deep breath on short final, shift your eyes to the far end of the runway as you flare to help with depth perception and drift. Be as consistent with these techniques as you can.

 

[Guitar Guy]

Definitely relax and fly the airplane all the way to touchdown. Don't get near the ground, flare and wait for the landing. Realize that you need watch the runway all the way down. And make sure you don't usually overly large control inputs (particularly in light winds), especially when you make an elevator input to flare.

If it's any consolation, a lot of great fighter pilots in history have had a terrible time learning to land. I recently finished a biography of Manfred von Richtofen (the Red Baron) and he struggled to learn how to land.

 

[RichardRambone]

It took me close to 500 hours and flying on a regular basis to really get a feel for an awesome squeeker. I grew from a numbers trained 141 school pilot to more flying by the seat of my pants and my landings have improved drastically. I think a big part of it takes flying on a regular basis to truly get a feel for when it does and doesn't "feel" right. Stick with it and you'll be a pro, landing on the mains and holding the nose off while dead on the center line. Oh yeah and remember even the best have a bad day. Chuck Yeager a few years ago even ran off a runway. I flew with a 10,000 hour jet jock yesterday that bounced a 182 twice. No biggy, noone bats 1000%.

 

[Waldom]

Welcome to the club in which all of us are members. Your experience is the same one Orville had in aught three when he spit the sand out his mouth and told Wilbur to try it himself if he thought it was so funny.

All the previous posters have great advice. You will have a few more sessions of landings after which you'll be certain that you will never "get it" and consider stamp collecting as a hobby instead. At some point, the light bulb will appear over your head and you will wonder what all the fuss was about.

 

[Pantherjon]

What a bounce landing..lol..Have seen that video clip before, and kind of presumed it was a 'doctored' video..now I know for sure..lol..I am sure that is how most of my first landings on MSFS would have looked like..Either that or watching the nose gear being pushed into the nose of the plane and the prop chewing up the runway..Got it down now, just waiting on finances to get healthy to transfer that knowledge to a real plane for my flight lessons After so many crashes in the sim when I went for my 'discovery' flight I did a pretty good job on the landing, tho I think the instructer did most of it,,But sure felt good when he said as taxiing back to the FBO "Helluva a landing"..Cant wait to get serious in my lessons.

http://www.aviationexplorer.com/a319_hard_landing_commercial.htm

 

[USMCmech]

The thing I do for my students that seems to help the most is, just before the flare I take over and fly down the runway just above the runway at the flare height (1-4 feet AGL, sometimes I do touch down for a second). This shows them the proper sight picture for the flare and they will rember that for the next time.

 

[PhatAJ2008]

Thanks for all your imput everyone. I will consider all your advice and let you know what my results were in a couple weeks...

 

[UA-RESURRECTED]

Don't worry dude. Even the best pilots have bad landings: http://www.neptune.com/users/unanswerd/videoWMP/unanswerd414673.wmv

 

[SkyQueenC152]

OMG landings took me forever!!! thats what slowed down my training but stick with it and don't give up-one day you're just like wow! i can land! its a great feeling! some tips: 1)never be slow on your airspeed. 2) look at the end of the runway when you start your flare!!!!! 3) make easy back elevator movements , when you feel the a/c sinking pull back some more!
you'll get it-just stay with it!

 

[9GClub]

Arghh, yeah it's normal. Get into the mindset that the buck stops with you, i.e. don't get in the habit of having your instructor bail you out.

Less aileron when making corrections late on your final, more rudder. Ideally you won't have much to correct, but make sure if you do, you're coordinated.

Stable approaches = smooth landings. If you get flustered trying to execute your base-to-final while dialing in flaps and talking on the radio, try to break it down. Don't rush and don't think everything has to be done simultaneously.

Sight picture. Don't be looking at the numbers. Same for takeoff-- sight down to the end and you won't be overcorrecting and/or doing stuff at the wrong time.

Finally, if you need to fly a longer downwind in order to get set up on [the resulting longer] final, tell your instructor so. It gets old trying to get set up on a final that begins less than 1000' from the threshold.