Mastering the skill of landing

[barit1]

Once again, $0.02 worth:

I personally prefer the full-stall touchdown, from my taildragger background. I use an approach speed that I have tested at 3000' AGL, probably on the lower end of the POH range. This tells you what is appropriate for your current GW and flaps configuration. Most of my experience is at shorter landing strips (note I did not say "runways").

So after clearing obstacles, I let the aircraft "home in" on the runway, and seek to hold it at two feet height, until it simply loses enough kinetic energy to land itself. I never force it down.

[The Ancient Geek]

Fine in a taildragger but frowned upon with a nosewheel and guaranteed expensive damage with a canard.

[9 lives]

I've never flown a canard, so respect their unique characteristics. In the mean time, for the light single tricycles I fly, I will full stall on, unless there is a reason to not. If not a full stall, it will certainly always be full flaps, and nose high slow. for taildraggers, I most commonly wheel land, particularly if I don't know the plane well. It provides more positive control and reduces wear and tear on tailwheels. That said, the wheel landing will still be slower, and nose more high at touchdown, no need for excess speed wheels to runway.

For water planes, floatplanes are full stalled on, unless a glassy water landing, flying boats are not full stalled on, but rather landed on the step, which is the water equivalent of a wheel landing in a taildragger. In all cases, full flaps, other than the types for which use of full flaps is not permitted on floats.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

AG, a fully held off landing in a nose wheel or tail wheel aircraft is the correct way to it in light aircraft. It won't work for a fast jet landing on a carrier, an airliner in a x-wind onto a wet runway, but for most GA landings it IS the way to do it.

Many nose wheel pilots just don't bother, and plonk it on 3-point over-stressing the nose leg. Which sooner rather than later gives up the unequal battle (see AAIB reports any month you choose).

[Parson]

Quality of the landing is usually proportional to the quality of the approach. Many light a/craft pilots approach too fast (and I'm guilty of that now and again) and then get all out of shape when landing.

When flying SE nose wheel I pretty much try and stall onto the runway.

[9 lives]

Many nose wheel pilots just don't bother, and plonk it on 3-point over-stressing the nose leg. Which sooner rather than later gives up the unequal battle (see AAIB reports any month you choose).

Absolutely correct.

a fully held off landing in a nose wheel or tail wheel aircraft is the correct way to it in light aircraft

Not so absolute with respect to tailwheel aircraft, more a matter of pilot preference (I do note that SSD qualified the statement with "most"). personally, I will always wheel land taildraggers, unless presented with a good reason to three point - and that good reason has not been presented to me yet for any "normal" operation (which is all I fly in them).

But, in any case, make sure you know what type of landing you intend, and you fly the plane, don't let it fly you.

[The Ancient Geek]

Stalling is a bad idea because it causes the nose to drop.

[dont overfil]

It can be difficult to get the nose to drop in a Cessna 172. It is more likely to sink in a nose high attitude. Ideal for landing!

I spend all day watching students learning to land. All the problems I see are caused by trying to land too fast.

India Four Two explained how to calculate the landing speed for the actual aircraft you are flying at the weight it is at now.

There's a flight school near me teaches 70 knots in a Warrior f'christ sake. What chance do the students have?

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

AG, I didn't say 'stall it on', I said 'fully held off'. That was deliberate. As the stall is approached lift reduces considerably and the aeroplane sinks long before the nose drops.

The aeroplane therefore touches down well before any nose-drop tendency can begin if you fully hold off inches above the runway. Even if you fully held off 20 feet above the runway the aeroplane would not nose-in; it would descent flat into the runway at a very high rate of descent. You might get away with a colossal bounce, or you might write off the aeroplane. So don't do that!

Just do your hold off a few inches (the fewer the better) above the runway and keep pulling back (not enough to induce any climb) as the speed falls until it kisses the runway despite your best efforts to keep it airborne.

[piperboy84]

1. Knock off 1MPH for every 80LBS your actual weight is under gross from the POH approach speeds.
2. Pitch for speed, power for altitude.
3. When hitting ground effect and round out look 300yards down runway for height judgement.
4. Get that stall warning blaring/ get the yoke back into your belly, and wait for the touchdown.
5. Don't overthink it, it'll pretty much land itself.

Edit to add: Have it trimmed correctly for each circuit leg and flap setting, i.e. every time you adjust the flaps adjust the trim.

[Good Business Sense]

There are three simple rules for making a good landing ........... Unfortunately no one knows what they are

[Maoraigh1]

For a Pu/t landing, the most important item is a calm RHS occupant.

[India Four Two]

Engine RPM is not a number which can be correct or incorrect on final approach.

Step Turn,
I agree. There are only three occasions when I look at the tachometer. During the run-up, a quick glance during takeoff to confirm max RPM and when setting cruise power. Otherwise I just adjust the throttle as required to maintain my flight path.

[gulfairs]

sit in aircraft while stationary:look straight ahead, figure out where the ground is relative to your ears.
When approaching the flare height , the ground will be about a foot from the bottom of your ears.
Keep looking ahead is to assist in keeping it straight.

gulfairs