B737 landing flap downwind to ensure stable approach
Due to purported inability for company pilots to be stable by 1000 feet on visual circuit, (company requirement) one airline has introduced a requirement for landing flap in the 737-800 on late downwind and landing checklist completed before turning on to base leg on a normal circuit. This differs significantly from the Boeing FCTM for the B737-800 which displays a diagram called Visual Landing Pattern. This shows landing flap to be selected somewhere along Base Leg with a note that on final that the aircraft should be stabilised on final between 700-500 feet.
The equivalent of the FCTM called Pilot Training Manual published in 1982 for the Boeing 737-200 series depicts flaps 25 selected just after turning on to base leg following by landing flap as required turning final.
It has been many years since fuel savings methods were introduced into the 737 series at the time and that included using Flap 30 as the desired final setting for landing and that was done on mid final approach depending if IMC or VMC.
Fuel savings has obviously gone out of vogue since landing flap on the downwind leg introduced by this particular operator ensures higher fuel flow to maintain VREF 30/40 in level flight. At airports where bird strike risk is higher than normal, ingestion into an engine while the aircraft is in level flight at landing flap and speed, would necessitate quick footwork to maintain a safe flight path.
Are todays pilots so automation addicted (or simply lack hand flying skills) that they have difficulty in flying a normal downwind leg of a visual circuit and experience problems meeting stable approach criteria on final, that landing flap downwind and VREF +5 is now the new criteria to avoid risk of being pinged by the QAR?
Last edited by Judd; 2nd May 2019 at 13:20.