Originally Posted by C172 Driver
I have aimed at the zebra stripes on short slippery runways. I have aimed at half way down the runway at AMS where the exits are at the far end. Know your plane, know your surroundings.
Nonsense. We're trying to get people into the same box over the threshold each time so there's less variables, not John Wayneing it. Landing half way down the strip so you can taxi off quicker will get you a free tea and bikkies pretty quickly. You ever heard of FOQA/FDAP/FDM?
Originally Posted by Pineteam
For the last few hundreds feet assuming you are visual, outside reference is the primary reference. Below 200 feet, you should focus on the aim marker and not focus on the glide slope or Papi at this point. In fact you should disregard them at this point or you might end over controlling the aircraft.
Nobody's suggesting you concentrate wholly on the guidance below 200ft. But they (GS or PAPI) should be front of mind until 200ft. Re the "last few hundreds feet" is where it often all goes pear-shaped because of slack glidepath control.
That is an interesting video. His comment about being coordinated with the ILS is rarely valid these days. The PAPI is almost always further in, to suit long-bodies on longer runways. Also, I don't agree with his philosophy of use. The first thing you do is nail the PAPI, to the dot, stay on it
then, at 200ft, start transitioning to the visual aim point by holding that spot steady in the windscreen. It is impossible, for a newby at least, to start assessing the aim point moving or not on the windscreen at 1000ft, as he is suggesting. Even I can't do it. The touchdown zone is so far away that any minor pitch movements throws this spot on the windscreen around chaotically. Only when you get in closer does "holding the aim point" become doable. I notice a commentor has a similar view to me.
For Pelican, a commentor also mentioned a PAPI that looked odd and which was later found to have been run over by a vehicle and bent out of shape. So you never know, the PAPIs at your airport might be skewiff, or the glideslope bent!