Wednesday, I wrote about a pilot flying a light twin who made a hot approach and floated down the runway.\u00a0 I think there are many pilots who carry misconceptions about flying into the cockpit with them when they learn how to fly.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it has an impact on the way they fly\u2014and not for the better.<\/p>\n
For instance, take a look at that fast approach.\u00a0 Sometimes pilots think airplanes are fast.\u00a0 If it is an airplane, it must be fast.\u00a0 It has to do everything fast.\u00a0 Everything about the airplane is fast.\u00a0 Well, one thing an airplane should not do is land fast.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know how many times I have stood at the end of runways all over the United States and in some foreign countries and watched inexperienced pilots fly landing approaches\u2014you guessed it\u2014too fast.\u00a0 For pilots who really are expert at flying, watching an inexperienced pilot try to land an airplane too fast is like listening to someone scraping and scratching their fingernails along an old-fashioned blackboard.\u00a0 (Some of you \u201cexperienced\u201d pilots can relate to the blackboard comment; those of you younger pilots raised with \u201cwhiteboards\u201d have probably never even heard the term \u201cfingernails scraping on a blackboard.\u201d)<\/p>\n
There is a number advertised in the Pilot\u2019s Operating Handbook (POH) as the speed the pilot should use to land the airplane.\u00a0 Use it.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know who is teaching pilots to come in too fast, but I have to tell you, flying the approach and landing too fast can have the same consequences of getting too slow.<\/p>\n
Landing the airplane fast will not work with short field landings<\/a>. \u00a0Excessive float negates the possibility of working into and out of a short field.\u00a0 The soft field landing <\/a>actually depends on the pilot being able to fly the airplane slow just above the ground.\u00a0 Even with a crosswind landing, you must control the speed.<\/p>\n If you feel as though you need a little extra airspeed for gusty conditions, keep in mind the increase should be\u00a0minimal.\u00a0 If it is so gusty as to cause you doubts about flying the approach, is it possible that maybe you should not be out in those conditions?\u00a0<\/p>\n Here is the secret to landing.<\/p>\n As the pilot, you want to minimize\u00a0the time it takes to transition from flying to rolling.\u00a0 In the air, you have aerodynamic control of the aircraft\u00a0through the flight controls.\u00a0 After the airplane is on the ground, you have static control of the craft through the tires, wheels, and brakes.<\/p>\n It is in this \u201cin-between\u201d place that presents danger to the pilot.\u00a0 It is here, when the airplane is not quite flying, but almost flying and not under control of the tires and brakes, that the airplane is susceptible to runway excursions and groundloops.\u00a0 These are the fender-bender type of aviation accidents that probably won\u2019t hurt you physically, but they really do a number to your pride.\u00a0<\/p>\n It also affects your record, whether you are a professional pilot or Sunday afternoon puncher.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fly, fly\u00a0safe, fly for fun.<\/p>\n -30-<\/p>\n \u00a9 2011 J. Clark<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wednesday, I wrote about a pilot flying a light twin who made a hot approach and floated down the runway.\u00a0 I think there are many pilots who carry misconceptions about flying into the cockpit with them when they learn how … Continue reading