Hi Jwscud;
First, let me thank you for taking the time to respond to my questions … and, second, I think that if you have not already found for yourself, you most certainly will find, that remembering when you were “inexperienced” is something that isn’t easily forgotten! And, the better one remembers, the greater the opportunity to be an even better instructor.
Also, in “rank-order” of the questions I had posed for Mr. Ferret, your comments would place you right below the last question, at the “top end” of that list (…the majority of your landings are not the mythical, 'we-didn't-know-we-were-on-the-ground' kind of "greased-on" landings…) – and you apparently reached that level when you had finished your initial training and were “released” to line flying. A pilot who is able to, as you described yourself as being able to “…land the aircraft safely within … limitations (there were company imposed crosswind limits until a certain number of hours on type). That is to say, I could land the aircraft safely in the touchdown zone, on centerline, and speed.”
Not to overwork the thought, but landing the airplane safely, in the touchdown zone, on centerline and on speed, is a very complete definition of a “proficient landing.” “Greasing” the landing whenever and where ever you desire comes with a bit more practice – but the practice I’m describing is not "landing practice." The practice I'm describing is the practice of recognizing the condition of the airplane, and making adjustments to the controls available to you to adjust that condition … AND knowing when the environmental conditions are such that seeking to perform such a “greased-on landing” doesn’t compromise the pilot's maintaining complete control at all times.
A good, professional landing is NOT a “grease job.” A good, professional landing comprises all of the aspects you were capable of performing very early in your career, simply adding that the actual touchdown should not be hard, but should be firm (and there IS a difference) where “firm” gets the tires through any contaminates to the runway surface (water, ice, snow, etc. to allow the tire/wheel assemblies to start turning), and doing so ON the centerline, tracking to stay on that centerline, from such an airplane attitude (called the 'level flight attitude') that the nose can be lowered to the runway surface in a very short time - but not “dropping" it, and then activating the wheel brakes quickly (mostly to assure they are working correctly), ensuring that the speed brakes have deployed and that the thrust reversers are deployed when selected – from there you can determine the amount of reverse thrust desired. All of that should be regularly accomplished in the first 3000 feet of the runway, or the first 1/3 of the runway, whichever is SHORTER.
If you want to know some “crutches” that I’ve used to teach pilots how to practice and what to practice so that all of the above is able to be accomplished on each landing, just let me know. I’ve posted those practice scenarios on this forum previously. And, NO, these practice scenarios are not ‘mine’ but the way I was taught and the way I’ve taught for my entire instructing career. I use them simply because they work – on all airplanes – light civilian, military fighter, military transport, and, a whole litany of civilian passenger jets … and, although I’ve not landed an A380 or a B-52, I would suspect these practice tasks would work there too.
Last edited by AirRabbit; 11th Jun 2015 at 00:23.