airbus757
I know of good people who's airline career was ruined (promotion training terminated or self funded jet endorsement failed) because for whatever reason they just couldn't make it happen in the last 50 ft.
They were otherwise smart and co-ordinated people. All they needed was some guidance or framework to work off while they got the experience you talk about.
It might be difficult for someone like you or I to understand what the real problem is, but then in my case I have had my own landing framework since I was flying C-152's. It's called the Jacobson Flare. There have been numerous discussions about it here in PPRuNe.
Here's the last one:
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=280481
Obviously there is a need for guidance in this area:
Just get the bird close to the ground, cut the power, check the descent rate a little and let it settle onto the ground.
It's this sort of advice that simply isn't helpful. I mean don't you think they've landed an aeroplane before? They were probably flying Barons or C 310's in their previous jobs.
I think one of the problems people have is that below about 100 ft they don't have the confidence to continue driving the aircraft down the 3 degree path to the aiming point because they can't identify with any certainty when to give up that aiming point and concentrate on the next one, which is the centre of the far end of the runway.
The Jacobson Flare determines that point and gives you the confidence. This change in aiming point does not rely on the "look" of the picture outside, and therefore not influenced by such things as runway width, or slope, or flap setting. I won't go through it all again here. Anyone interested should simply do their own search both here on PPRuNe and else where. Or PM me for information I can send via email.
Some things cannot be explained.
Jacobson would beg to differ.
PS It's comments like those made by Whaledog and paperdragon that can destroy a pilot's confidence. They are simply left thinking to themselves "I'm #$%^ hopeless." "There must be something wrong with me". If I can't do this now I will never be able to".
It doesn't have to be that way.