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Old 20th November 2012 | 00:48
  #42 (permalink)  
fdr
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From: 3rd Rock, #29B
there was one airline that used to call "100ft" on the radar altimeter, at which point the pilot (almost always an ex F-5A major) would start running the trim fully back on the pickle switches. Yes, eventually the aircraft would land, in spite of the technique, usually also even on the runway, although there were many skidmarks passing across the piano keys, referred to as "Kong trails". Go arounds were not frequent but apparently very exciting.

If you need to add power on the aircraft in the flare from a stable approach, and you are not a helicopter... then it is hard to see that it complies with the certification standard, and I would doubt that it is in the FCTM for the type. For a decaying airspeed or increasing sink rate, keeping power on or adding power is a fair alternative to a hard impact, but by definition would not be considered as a stable approach.

B727: pitch down/deflare, power up etc, yes they get done, but oddly enough, the plane also lands very nicely with a gentle flare as per the FCTM, and reducing thrust to ide by touchdown, odd but true. MD11, seen many variations, like the B767, but the outcome from a normal approach and flare is about as nice and far less exciting. The MD does like to sink though...
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