TIPS TO LANDING SAFE AND SMART By Steve Wightman. October 21, 2023
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Why it is important?
Everything we do as airplane pilots has its foundation in our ability to land safely and smoothly. It is essential in urgent situations like harsh weather or an emergency where minutes count. Even with tons of landings, I am still learning and practicing in Sims and in the air. I recently took a multi-hour course on takeoff and landing by Rod Machado. By learning what to do right, I learned what was standing in my way of making consistent perfect landings. That is even more important for IFR flights in IMC.
Once when my wife and I returned to KBED VFR from Martha’s Vineyard, KMVY, the Bedford ATIS reported a ceiling of 1,200’ around the airport environment. It was a lot lower than forecast. Boston Approach vectored us to a straight-in for runway 11 and switched us to the tower. I knew I had one shot to get it right. I configured the airplane for a perfectly controlled descent and approach and remained clear of clouds all the way down. My 1,000+ landings in type gave me the confidence that I could do this. That’s why the technique is so important.
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Landings are the most difficult flight phase to get right.
Controlling thousands of pounds of airplanes from a cruise configuration to a soft landing and a limited runway is difficult and challenging for us all. Add winds, NOTAMS, ATC instructions, pilot skills, and runway conditions and it soon becomes an alphabetic soup environment. So how do I set the stage to avoid botched landings?
Landings are about power management. First, let us see what pilots do wrong. Speed! Too much power means the round-out will be much faster than the POH speed of 1.3 X the stall speed for the landing configuration. My Seawind has a flap 30 stall speed of 50 knots. The round out speed is (50×1.3 = 65). Fast approaches lead to bad landings at best. Feeding my common fear of a stall, my first Seawind CFII instructed me to land 30 knots higher than the stall, 80 knots. Wrong, wrong, wrong! This led N71RJ to bounce, balloon, and porpoise – a formula for damaged landing gear, excessive tire wear, and accidents. If I don’t get these numbers, most often I will go around and try again. Always keep this option in your pocket. Use it whenever a safe landing is in question.
Smooth landings soothe nerves preserve landing gear and help get passenger applause. It is furthermore, landing at recommended speeds dramatically lowers accident risks.
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How do I do it? First, I aim to touchdown on the first third of the runway. Second, I round-out at about ten feet above the runway in a controlled descent at 65-70 knots. Third, I hold the attitude level with the runway, reduce power and gradually increase pitch while airspeed and altitude bleed downward to 2 feet above the runway. Then I cut any remaining power to counter the ground effect and I flare – allowing the main wheels to touch close to stall speed. Then I hold the nosewheel off the runway as long as I can.
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The benefits of smooth landings are safety and lower maintenance costs. Boost your skills and save money. Take Rod’s course on https://pilotworkshop.com/ for safer, smarter landings and longer lifespans for you and what you fly.
Also Read: 8,000 HOURS! EXTENDED LIFE FOR PT6 ENGINES!