Short Field Landing Techniques
 

Does anyone want to share their "generic" short-field landing techniques with us. Ive been told all different procedures including flaps up/down/partial, speed slow all the way down final/fast and chop at 20ft/ chop at 50 ft, steep approach, flat approach, inverted approach................

Any tips for a c310?

Dont post unless you've tried it!

Here's my "generic" tip - read the POH. If the landing area doesn't meet the requirements of the POH, go somewhere else.

There's a little leeway with singles and experience that's not there with twins. Russian Roulette is a far cheaper thrill and easier to clean up after the loaded chamber clicks into position.

I've never flown a 310, but my generic technique for a light twin would be:

- Full flap (obviously)
- Speed not above 1.3 Vs at threshold (this will be well below blue line in most)
- Normal approach angle (definitely not shallow) - bleed off more speed in round out
- In a Seneca I would have the power off before crossing the threshold allowing a good flare (close to full aft elevator at touchdown),
and touchdown at a point just after the threshold.

The idea is to be as slow as safely possible, and touchdown as close to the arrival threshold as you are comfortable with. I've seen a lot of light twin drivers who have some fixation with blue line on approach, that is normally way too fast, and once you're committed to landing, blue line really doesn't mean anything.

A "good flare" in a Seneca I???!!!???

Well I was talking about a Seneca II, but yes, in the I or Twin Comanche, if you don't flare it's a wheelbarrow landing.

Wot Lowdown said. Read the POH and do what it says.

Practice..lots of practice

(in a single..wait till the spot disappears under the nose then pull the flap:} )

That's why the lever flap in the Seneca was good too:ok:

And at 50' AGL on short (very short) finals pull reverse on!!! :}

short fielder
 

hey you kero theif, "reverse" - that's cheating...but it's fun when you can get away with it...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
blue skies everyone:ok:

[quote=Dry_Twotter] Ive been told all different procedures including flaps up/down/partial, speed slow all the way down final/fast and chop at 20ft/ chop at 50 ft, steep approach, flat approach, inverted approach................

Come on, this is a no-brainer; the inverted approach wins every time, just pull back hard as you cross the threshhold!:E:E:E

Used to fly BN3's in a far away place. Great flying until I was demoted to Chief Pilot status. I then took an interest in how others operated the aircraft and dumping flap on the landing roll was one of them. I personally never saw any reason to raise landing flaps on BN aircraft in order to shorten the landing distance but it was being done and the strip length was more than adequate. A letter to Pilatus querying this method was received advising the P charts were based on full flap and tinkering with this mean't maybe providing the insurance company with alternative P chart figures. The practise of flap dumping was stopped. As mentioned above, read the POH.

What Technique do you PNG guys incorporate? Is there a standard technique on approach and landing that can be used by STOL Singles and Twins? (twotter, Islander, Caravan to a certain extent). The reason i ask is that i have a video of a twotter flying around the PNG highlands, and most landings are of the "bowling ball" type, that is, flare at the last second and roll it on. (no prize for the man who invented that technique!) Is this the accepted method, or is it more "trial and Error"

You are BN-2 specific you Twot.

DT

If you haven't worked it out by the time you are flying C310s then I am quite concerned.
I think there is enough advice here about reading POH and actually going out and practing.
The circumstances for each will vary depending upon aircraft type and weather - ALA; density altitude; weight etc.
It fact it is a no brainer -

Dry Twotter, not that I've got that much PNG time up, but most of those highlands strips have got a good slope on them so maintaining a normal approach angle means you have to do a big flare anyhow and a 'positive' touchdown, then get the power back on to make it up to the turnaround area - kind of a local necessity, I think!

Normal landing speed - short field landing speed - they are both the same meaning. See POH tables 1.3Vs or close enough. Boeings - short field and normal landing same thing (same figures). Wartime short field landings are an entirely different matter, as are aircraft carrier landings - now there is a real short field landing with speed just above the power-on stall speed.

Rabbit 1. I know the main reason I used to pull the flaps up during the roll out was to stop any rocks from chipping the paint. It probably put more weight on the gear. In theory helps with the braking, but I can see what you mean about insurance and P Charts.

My advice would be aim to land ON the threshold. For this to work your aim point needs to be the grassy area before the runway. They put all those stages of flap on the aircraft for a reason (however I try never to use 40 flap as it scares the crap out of me).

The Arrow manual I have says "Braking is more effective if flaps are raised". I guess this is an invitation to raise them during the landing roll.

Not unless that is what it says in the POH Sunfish :ok:

Furthermore, if you're not operating on one-way strips and along with the discipline of a stable approach to an aiming point, ALSO have a missed approach point.

You need to have in your mind a point by which you must be on the ground with brakes on or go-around. I watched at a fly-in the other day; 19 flew in and 18 flew out. 50% of the approaches didn't come close to complying with the criteria which Lodown and Cloud Cutter lay down at the start of this thread. Ignore them at your peril!!:uhoh:

G'day ;)