PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Calculating Approach speed --additions
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Old 14th Mar 2010, 20:03
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Pilot DAR
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Ontario, Canada
Age: 63
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It will sound like a harsh rebuke of the question, which I don't intend, but;

Where the choice is being made to fly an actual airplane, as opposed to a numbers based simulator, enjoy flying the plane, and practicing with greater precision and skill each time! Feel the plane. It will tell you what the optimum speed will be on final based upon the conditions. Not to suggest that there are not occasions where a slight increase in approach speed might be warranted, but generally, it should not be needed. Aircraft have lots of control.

Adding speed will just mean that you will be displacing your touchdown point further down the runway. If you have the space, or that is what you intend, great. If you are planning to touch down in the touch down area of the runway, then approach at the approach speed published by the aircraft manufacturer, or 1.3Vs1.

If the conditions are so gusty that this speed leaves you feeling not confident, then increasing your speed will probably just take you to a place to feel less confident, a little further away! If things are that bad, perhaps landing somewhere else is a better idea.

Under suitably skilled supervision, fly a few circuits with no airspeed information presented to you (pretend a failed ASI) You'll find that once you learn to feel the plane, you'll actually fly your approaches a little slower than the book speed, and feel quite fine about it.
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