Landing
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Paris Dakar, I do fly with JC and I'm going to Carlisle next tuesday lol Newcastle is no good for circuits imo I suppose its good for practise flying in a busy zone with the big boys flying around you but for the early hours in the circuit its really no good.
Some of us need prisms in our glasses. In my case I was flaring late without them, but it's possible the error can go the other way.
When you do your medical, there's a scope you look through that shows a line of white dots against some inverted red L's . If that goes through the middle, you should be OK -- otherwise it's time to visit an optometrist.
Once you can distinguish texture on the ground, such as grass blades or cracks in the asphalt or concrete, it's time to look to the end of the runway to manage your flare as others have already said.
Use your peripheral vision to keep track of the edge of the hard runway, especially if it's narrow, so that the x-wind does not play tricks on you.
The other thing you need to work out is the rate of stick movement that will produce a proper flare. Each a/c will be different and it will also change with the centre of gravity and airspeed. This is where keeping your gaze on the end of the runway will give you pitch feedback on your flare.
When you do your medical, there's a scope you look through that shows a line of white dots against some inverted red L's . If that goes through the middle, you should be OK -- otherwise it's time to visit an optometrist.
Once you can distinguish texture on the ground, such as grass blades or cracks in the asphalt or concrete, it's time to look to the end of the runway to manage your flare as others have already said.
Use your peripheral vision to keep track of the edge of the hard runway, especially if it's narrow, so that the x-wind does not play tricks on you.
The other thing you need to work out is the rate of stick movement that will produce a proper flare. Each a/c will be different and it will also change with the centre of gravity and airspeed. This is where keeping your gaze on the end of the runway will give you pitch feedback on your flare.
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"Take a minute when you line up pre-takeoff to have a look at the runway sight picture with the aircraft on the ground. This may help you calibrate the flare and should give you a good crack at height judgement when you see the runway appear in your peripheral vision."
Try this one. Worked for me.
Try this one. Worked for me.
Look as far ahead as you can. (Ask instructor to get his damn chart out of your face if need be).
By looking at 'infinity', your eyes diverge so you gain peripheral vision.
When the runway edge 'touches' the bottom of your headset, start the flare. When it reaches the middle of your ears, you're down. (And as Strake says, works at night too.)
During the flare, NEVER pull back more than 1/2 inch in one go (and I emphasise in one go - don't assume 1/2 inch will be enough).
If 1/2 inch not enough, pull back another 1/2 inch and repeat as necessary until your main wheels are down (I've had students get everything right to about 2 feet and decide they've done enough, then bounce).
If 1/2 inch too much, you may balloon but only very slightly, so wait for it to sink back down, then continue as before.
Sometimes you'll need several consecutive 1/2 inch pulls in quick succession, just a microsecond between each to assess. The best landings from the right approach you'll find you need about 4, a second or so apart.
While this is going on, point the aeroplane down the runway with your feet and keep it on the centre-line with aileron. (That's crosswinds sorted too then.)
Agree with other posts: Once on the ground (whether you slammed it in or greased it...), spend a few seconds looking at the end of the runway. This is what being on the ground looks like. You should find (as mentioned above) that the ground in your peripheral vision is around the middle of your ears.
As others have said, when I first learnt on grass, I was told to flare when I could see the blades of grass rather than just a mass of green. Caution: If your eyesight's less than perfect, guess this wont work. Get your medical before trying this method...
By looking at 'infinity', your eyes diverge so you gain peripheral vision.
When the runway edge 'touches' the bottom of your headset, start the flare. When it reaches the middle of your ears, you're down. (And as Strake says, works at night too.)
During the flare, NEVER pull back more than 1/2 inch in one go (and I emphasise in one go - don't assume 1/2 inch will be enough).
If 1/2 inch not enough, pull back another 1/2 inch and repeat as necessary until your main wheels are down (I've had students get everything right to about 2 feet and decide they've done enough, then bounce).
If 1/2 inch too much, you may balloon but only very slightly, so wait for it to sink back down, then continue as before.
Sometimes you'll need several consecutive 1/2 inch pulls in quick succession, just a microsecond between each to assess. The best landings from the right approach you'll find you need about 4, a second or so apart.
While this is going on, point the aeroplane down the runway with your feet and keep it on the centre-line with aileron. (That's crosswinds sorted too then.)
Agree with other posts: Once on the ground (whether you slammed it in or greased it...), spend a few seconds looking at the end of the runway. This is what being on the ground looks like. You should find (as mentioned above) that the ground in your peripheral vision is around the middle of your ears.
As others have said, when I first learnt on grass, I was told to flare when I could see the blades of grass rather than just a mass of green. Caution: If your eyesight's less than perfect, guess this wont work. Get your medical before trying this method...
Last edited by Troy McClure; 19th Sep 2007 at 14:36.
When the runway edge 'touches' the bottom of your headset, start the flare. When it reaches the middle of your ears, you're down.
Also, does the width of the runway have any effect? I can't visualise it myself, hence the question.
Finally, would there be a difference for different sizes of individuals in different aircraft types - e.g. tall & short people in say a Europa vs C172? Or is the variation actually fairly insignificant?
Is this something best "calibrated" by an individual student in the aircraft they usually fly - noting the "flare" position while the instructor demostrates the correct height?
FBW
Doesn't have to be the runway edge per se, just the ground either side of you (so runway width shouldn't matter). The main point is not to look in the near distance because your eyes converge (you go cross-eyed to an extent) and you lose some peripheral vision. I'm convinced this is the reason why 'looking long' helps, though it will also allow you to judge that you're slightly nose-high in the flare so the main wheels touch down first.
If the ground is not flat for a reasonable distance either side, e.g. there's a hedge or a bank near the runway edge, that may cause problems I admit, but at any reasonable licenced field you'll have enough flat ground either side of you.
Tall/short people; maybe a very slight difference. I've got a feeling the difference will be negligible - to the tune of an inch or two. Remember when flying at altitude, the higher you are the further away the horizon is, so the same 'picture' gives you (for example) straight and level flight at cruise power/speed. I should imagine the same works in this case, but on a smaller scale.
Different aircraft types probably would make more difference. A mono wheel is going to 'feel' a lot lower when on the ground than a 747. Many jet pilots feel that they have sunk through the runway before the wheels hit when they get back in a light single.
As I said, when on the ground, make a mental note that this is what being on the ground looks like. When the ground out of the corners of your eyes is a bit below that, you're at the right height to start the flare. If any 'calibration' is needed, that should sort it out for you, regardless of aircraft type.
To be honest, once you've worked out how to land your usual training aircraft you get a feel for it anyway, and wonder why you ever had a problem. When you progress onto different types, you just know when it looks right. I have no problem landing a Navajo or a C152, even when swapping regularly between the two. My 'method' is the way I try to teach PPL students new to the circuit after a few hours. Once they've cracked it, they've cracked it and would probably find it difficult to explain to anyone else how they do it. All I know is that I've inherited students that just can't get the landing right, and this has helped them no end. And obviously I don't just tell them what to do and let them get on with it, I help as required until they realise what I'm talking about so they can make their own judgments about how it should look.
Incidentally, I only just thought of the words: 'point the aeroplane down the runway with your feet and keep it on the centre-line with aileron' as a simple way of explaining crosswind technique. Think that sums it up pretty well. Any comments?
If the ground is not flat for a reasonable distance either side, e.g. there's a hedge or a bank near the runway edge, that may cause problems I admit, but at any reasonable licenced field you'll have enough flat ground either side of you.
Tall/short people; maybe a very slight difference. I've got a feeling the difference will be negligible - to the tune of an inch or two. Remember when flying at altitude, the higher you are the further away the horizon is, so the same 'picture' gives you (for example) straight and level flight at cruise power/speed. I should imagine the same works in this case, but on a smaller scale.
Different aircraft types probably would make more difference. A mono wheel is going to 'feel' a lot lower when on the ground than a 747. Many jet pilots feel that they have sunk through the runway before the wheels hit when they get back in a light single.
As I said, when on the ground, make a mental note that this is what being on the ground looks like. When the ground out of the corners of your eyes is a bit below that, you're at the right height to start the flare. If any 'calibration' is needed, that should sort it out for you, regardless of aircraft type.
To be honest, once you've worked out how to land your usual training aircraft you get a feel for it anyway, and wonder why you ever had a problem. When you progress onto different types, you just know when it looks right. I have no problem landing a Navajo or a C152, even when swapping regularly between the two. My 'method' is the way I try to teach PPL students new to the circuit after a few hours. Once they've cracked it, they've cracked it and would probably find it difficult to explain to anyone else how they do it. All I know is that I've inherited students that just can't get the landing right, and this has helped them no end. And obviously I don't just tell them what to do and let them get on with it, I help as required until they realise what I'm talking about so they can make their own judgments about how it should look.
Incidentally, I only just thought of the words: 'point the aeroplane down the runway with your feet and keep it on the centre-line with aileron' as a simple way of explaining crosswind technique. Think that sums it up pretty well. Any comments?
