Testing the foundations

[billyboy270860]

I flew recently for the first time in a long time.On both legs the landing was to put it mildly,quite firm.Is this a method used by certain airlines or was I just unlucky to have two pilots who were practising their manual handlig skills ?

[ross_M]

Firm landings may not necessarily be bad ones. In certain conditions planting her down firmly is a virtue.

[PAXboy]

Hi billyboy270860 and welcome to the forum. If you search for this topic, you will find many questions have been asked and well answered by the professionals.

There are a very considerable number of variables at work, several of which are beyond their control. Just one that I know about: At Heathrow, due to the cramped space of the whole campus, there are many buildings grouped at the Eastern end - between the runways. A slight breeze in open space can get funnelled by the buildings and affect the descent rate. Indeed, any sudden change in wind speed and direction. Pilots have told us of times that they find themselves very happy with the rate of descent and then - 50 feet off the tarmac - the rate rapidly increases and cannot be corrected in the remaining five seconds, so they meet the tarmac slightly faster than they had planned.

Happily, aircraft can take this and our backsides soon forget!

[Jycommuter]

I live in Jersey. I don't know much about the technical stuff, but in a 737 or A320, my impression is that on an East to West approach, the wheels kiss the runway approach lights and the aircraft is slammed onto the tarmac as quickly as possible in order to slam on the brakes and reversers to avoid dumping the whole lot over the western sheer drop over St Ouen's bay. You kinda get used to it. Rounds of applause and cheers are not uncommon. We hear a lot about dropping arrestor hooks and carrier landings over here.

Landings in LGW, by contrast, are universally smooth.

My understand is that as long as one can use the aircraft again, it was a good landing.

All jokes aside - my heartfelt thanks go out the the skilled pilots who brought me home in my former career.