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Old 4th Feb 2003, 17:11
  #62 (permalink)  
El Desperado
 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: UK
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I have more experience than most of you here and only a fraction of Chuck's. 3000 hours, mostly on narrow and wide-body jets... current type is 757/767.

I took a PA38 up for a blast in Florida yesterday for the first time in nearly five years with an instructor. Great fun, nice and easy circuits, beautiful approach and then....

The instructor said the only guy who had flared higher than me was a 747 captain he'd had in the other week..... go-around, try again. Try as I might, I could not get the height correct as I have been too conditioned with the view from a 767 flight-deck.

My instructor pretty much said what Chuck did, but I couldn't erase a few years of 'runway picture' from my head in an afternoon. I'm sure if I gave it a couple of days, I'd be there, but you peops can probably (actualy, definitely !) put a light a/c down better than I can.

Once you've been taught correctly and seen the picture, you will be able to land properly, on any length of runway that is appropriate to your type. Do not doubt it. Just make sure your instruction is good ! Experience will make your approaches and landings straightforward, if not always easy.... hell, I can land a 180-tonne aircraft onto an 8000ft runway and have loads to spare, but I had to go around in a PA38 ??!! Humbled... it's easy to forget that light aircraft flying is a definite learned/trained skill and not just some puddle-jumpers that gets in the way during an approach into Sanford.

Take all the info on board at this stage, but when you are more experienced, you will be able to sort through the instruction and pick & choose which parts you want in your own flying reportoire. At this point in your flying, though.. sponge it up, especially from guys as well versed as Chuck.

All the best
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