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Old 28th Oct 2004, 17:20
  #39 (permalink)  
shortstripper
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: South Norfolk, England
Age: 58
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Blimey ... hasn't this turned into an interesting debate from a simple question?

I was taught three point and wheelers when I converted to power from gliders at Cambridge. Also things like taxying unbraked tailskidders downhill, downwind in strong winds ect ect. All this by an ex Lanc pilot and another instructor who was a Lancaster navigator. Converting from gliders I found wheelers more natural at first, but over the years I have almost completely changed to three point as a more natural feeling way to land.

Certainly at my experience level I find three point the best way to land short ... usually by holding the aircraft at the back of the drag curve with power and chopping the throttle at the point of touchdown. This always results in a three pointer in my experience and isn't always the prettiest way to land but then a perfect greaser with a roll out into the far hedge looks uglier in the end! Perhaps not the safest way either if you think about power failure, but very effective if you want to get into somewhere very short. It's certainly not the only method and not always the most approriate but I personally don't think I could land shorter in any other way.

That said, it's easy to get stuck in the habit of three pointers and forget that wheelers are sometimes a better option. I had my first groundloop earlier this year when I landed the Falconar at Thruxton in a brisk crosswind onto tarmac. I could easily have wheeled it on and afterwards wondered why I didn't ... habit!

SS

I had the same problem (and still do to a certain extent) with go arounds, having been a glider pilot first.
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