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Thread: Landing issue
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Old 11th Aug 2011, 09:35
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Just a word of caution. Your definition of "good landing" should be a 'positive landing' NOT a 'greaser'. A 'positive landing' should still leave your fillings in place but a 'greaser' on a wet runway will lead to aqua-planing ... thus spake my instructor whilst treatening me with his dinghy knife
Even more generally, there is no single technique that works in all circumstances. As above, a greaser is appreciated by the passengers, by the airframe and by the person who has to pay for new tires, but is not always the right method. On a wet and (x-)windy day a positive landing (in the right attitude, at the right speed) will reduce the chance of aquaplaning and will give you better directional control straight away.

A landing with the stall warner blaring means you are on the low end of the speed scale and is something that's possible in most airframes. But there are airframes that will scrape their tail if landed in the near-stall attitude, particularly if, for some reason, you are landing flapless. These airframes need to be landed somewhat faster.

A glide approach from downwind without power is great for practicing forced landings, but might not be appreciated by others in the circuit.

Landing with the throttle fully closed will give you the shortest landing run, but if you're heavy, a bit slow and happen to be approaching rather steep, a short burst of power may help you cushion your descent. And in very gusty conditions, when runway length is not an issue, leaving just a tad power on until after touchdown will increase airflow over the tail, thus aiding controllability.

Just a few examples. At your stage in training, what the instructor wants to see before you go solo is a series of safe and consistent landings in benign conditions. So follow your instructors advice and stick to it. Variations to that technique will come later.
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