Tricky Woo
did I read you correctly? - maximum flap on an aproach in a C152? no wonder you were having problems - that's a configuration for short field landing - you should have been at 54kts and would have had a distinct nose down attitude and required a greater flare than normal. It wasn't your power manegment that was at fault it was your landing configuration and at a guess I'd say you were still using a normal approach speed of around 65kts - there's nothing maigical about PAPI or even VASI all they do is act as an indicator that you maintaining a 3 degree glidescope - most of the time I find that if I turn onto final in the C152 at 500' set the flaps to 2 stages of flap and IAS at 65kts it will just naturally set itself up and glide right down - I can then glance at the PAPI to check occasionaly - it works the same for me even if I just set the numbers in the bottom half of the windshield - was I taught how to fly differently from everyone else - because if so it works just fine - the main problem I always had was flaring to high and too early that was put right by an instructor who simply said close the throttle as you pass over the nunbers and point the top of the nose cowling to be in line with the end of the runway since that time (X-winds excepted) I've had no particular problems with landings perhaps not always a greaser but no dramas or whoops that was a bit heavy - okay short grass fields are a little bit different but not a lot because you just get used to pulling the nose up just a little bit higher but you are much more nose down in the first place and the lower speed means that you might settle with a little bit more of a bump
rereading Tricky Woo's post - I see he startd at Speke what he could have found that was that the one set of PAPI's that were there were set up oonly for large Aircraft, in that case they woould have set further down the runway as for most large aircraft adopt a nose high attitude on approach and the Pilot's simply can't see them if they are set directly on the 3 degree glidscope a sort of offset to compensate for that.
I started my flying at Gloucester Airport and was intially always taught to fly down to the numbers, then on one approach I noticed these lights at the side of runway and asked my instructor what they were - PAPI he replied and explained their use since that time I've used them as an aid - have no great love or dislike for them they are just a convenience, the main thing is to arrive over the numbers at around 20' above ground to give a nice round out and allow the aircraft to settle smoothly - the method I've adopted works for me and it means I don't have too look out the side of the Aircraft to judge my height above ground and can concentrate on keeping on the centre line - especially important if there's any sort of a X-wind
[ 12 August 2001: Message edited by: Richard49 ]