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Old 13th May 2001 | 12:27
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Checksix
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To answer your question, if you can see your runway then use pitch to keep a constant aimpoint and drag devices to control the speed.ie/ start clean and assume about 3-4 miles per 1000' at best glide speed (not normally the best relight speed!) When you can see the field you are in a position to judge your glide visually, so you must strive to maintain a constant aimpoint, say the threshold or vasis (difficult to do from 10-15 miles out, or if joining via a very wide base) The technique is to keep the runway in the same part of the windscreen, ie not moving up or down. Your aimpoint should appear stationary whilst surrounding features appear to move away from your aimpoint as you move closer. This is difficult to achieve accurately from long distance and most of us remember struggling with it in the circuit at some stage of our training!
Too high or low? The answer will be in your speed. To maintain the aimpoint and the speed starts washing off, you're probably too low, and I'm afraid may not make it. If the speed is increasing, you'll make the runway alright but it's time to start getting some drag out. Personally I'd take the gear first if I felt confident of making it. (With windmilling engines you should have normal hydraulics as well). All the time you use pitch to keep your aimpoint the threshold of the runway (or the touchdown zone if you wish for some insurance). Is the speed coming back? Good. Now for flap. You may set of some overspeed warnings here. Ignore. Use whatever flap you need to achieve a safe final approach speed (say 150 kts). Bottom line is, pitch for aimpoint, gear/flaps to control speed. Err on the fast side.
On a CATIII day, you should have stayed in bed!
Another thought, I flew a few fast jet types and we practised no-power landings using a high key/low key position. The high key was essentally next to the threshold, low key abeam the threshold (base position) a few thousand feet lower. The trick was to reach high key at the prescibed altitude, and you could be confident of making it in by following the practised high key-low key-threshold descending turn. But you do lose sight of the runway during the turn. Not for the faint hearted.
Hope this helps.