PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Help with grass landings please
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Old 29th June 2003 | 05:33
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DB6
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Joined: Apr 1999
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From: Glen Prosen, Scotland
There isn't a technique for landing on grass as such, you would use short and/or soft field landing techniques which vary with aircraft but basically involve approaching at a lower than normal speed with all the flap you've got, on the back of the drag curve, and carrying power all the way to touchdown. On touchdown, if it's not a soft field, reasonably heavy braking can be applied with the weight off the nosewheel (unless it's a taildragger). If it's a soft field then it will slow you down anyway and the thing then is to keep power on to avoid getting bogged down - again with the nosewheel held off as much as possible, until you reach firmer ground. With long or wet grass any braking action will be reduced and it's very easy to skid so cadence braking (dabbing the brakes) can be used - the safety sense leaflet does deal with it in some detail and gives recommended factors for increasing LDA etc. As mentioned already the thing you may not expect will be the amount of creaking and banging from the aircraft which is not doing it any harm but you won't normally experience on smooth tarmac.
If you have a choice go when there's a good headwind as that will make things much easier. Good fun, grass strips; enjoy them.
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