Seeing as I am a pilot in a coastal area, I was looking at the relative success rate of beach landings. Usually beach sand just above the waterline does appear to have relatively compact and often smooth characteristics, but landing on it is not something I would like to really ever try, particularly if its not my plane, and sorta 'cos a lot of these photos look kinda, I dunno, fatal?
I found this slew of rather convincing photographs (scroll down) all of which rather strikingly indicate that while instructors often say you can put down on a beach, you will pretty much be in deep **** if you do ever attempt it. Not to mention the likelihood of people lying on it with their eyes closed, completely oblivious to your silent approach. Then again, going 30 metres off shore into the water is going to be a guarrantee of a sudden impact and a complete write-off of the aircraft, while still presenting the possibility of people in your dropzone. And because I have seen footage of planes landing on a beach as a normal thing, and there are even some islands that have their beaches as their airports, if the conditions are right, it can be done. Thus the beach still does present a chance of a non-damaging actual landing. Just that it may not be as high a chance as we all hope for.
Having asked a number of them, Instructors don't often have any experience with beach landings, nor much advice about it.
Has anybody made beach landings a successful part of their normal operations? Any tips to make it a safer experience?
