1) The POH gives a range of airspeeds to fly on final. Use the lowest speed given for every configuration. There seem to me far to many flight schools that mandate excessively high approach speeds which IMO is largely responsible for the busted nosewheel accidents.
This one I cannot agree with
A pilot should be taught the correct use of power and drag and have the confidence to change speeds down the approach! changing speeds does not mean an unstable approach.
This is again an example of the move away from a handling pilot to a driver and has those pilots too scared and with little ability to use techniques to slow down to a correct VREF speed for landing.
When a pilot moves into busier airports he may be required to fly high speed on the approach or reduce to minimum speed. We are not talking about experienced pilots but any who fly into larger airports.
That inability to control speeds will probably reflect in landings too where again the pilot needs confidence in handling the aircraft in crosswinds and near the ground as it all frankly comes back to a lack of handling skills.
Many appear to cross their fingers and become passengers to the landing hoping it all turns out ok? rather than flying the aircraft to touchdown and in control to full stop.
Its the lack of handling and landing ability not higher speeds on approach which causes broken nose wheels.
I have flown with some who are not even new pilots who tense on the landing and almost seem surprised and relieved when it touches down ok.
Another I right seated in a twin got into the famous Seneca porpoise and sat there rigid at the controls as the bucking got worse praying for the bucks to stop yet not realising that only his inputs (or rather eventually mine) could rectify that situation!!
Incipient recovery has had a number of threads started where the pilots are not confident in stalling on their own for fear of getting it wrong and ending up in unknown territory (i.e. spins)
Even the FAA are now looking at adding more handling in the syllabus after a spate of accidents and even one Airline crash where handling has not been up to standard.
This is probably the area which has got weaker in modern flight training and was stronger in the past
Pace