Aim at the butt - Peculiar choice of words but it works

You are probably asking yourself, what the hell is this guy talking about?...Well it's simple. I went flying yesterday after work. Circuits once again in crosswind conditions...

The angle wasn't that bad (10 degrees off the active runway) but the wind was around 12-15 kts. A couple of times I landed a bit off the centerline...and the instructor kept telling me...aim for the centerline...

I thought, what a hell? I'm aiming at the centerline. The issue? Well, I tried to aim the center of the plane and align with the center line on the runway -WRONG-

Aim the centerline at your butt. If you are aligned with the center line of the runway there is a good chance that is exactly where you will end up...aiming with center of the plane (longitudinal axis) will surely get you just off the center...

Some other tips:
Rudder control - use the rudder to control your turns, right rudder at takeoff to keep the plane on the centerline and rudder to slip in a cross wind landing...let it crab into the wind (the plane is headed towards the wind, the the actual path of the plane is toward the runway)

Smooth flight - don't go for drastic altitude/attitude changes on the final base turn. Gentle control, use of flaps and let the plane glide gently. I find every instructor is a bit different, some are very particular about getting the 65 KIAS as soon as you can to get to best glide speed but this may can to be done in a more delicate manner...change flaps to 10 degrees when below 100KIAS, keep the altitude of the circuit hight, then when you get to 80KIAS turn to base and change flaps to 20 degrees but don't pull the controls towards you to keep the altitude but rather let the plane settle a little. If you think about it, the 20 degree flaps will already have a nose up effect on the attitude therefore it will most likely help to gently push the controls forward. Then trip for 65+....It worked well. Most of the descent was also with some power of 1500 RPM at base leg, then dependent on the position of the plane in relation to the runway.

Flare - on the flare, make sure your eyes are further out to help you gage the distance correctly. If you focus on the spot too close to the threshold you are risking the flare to start too late.

Call outs - when taking off remember to do "the go-no- go checks" that include

• Advance the throttle to take-off power;
• Take-off power has been achieved;
• Rotate at the recommended airspeed (55KIAS)
  

Going again this Thursday. Solo time coming up.

Nice video of crabbing - look at the angle of the nose to the centerline and then nice rudder control just before touchdown. Nice landing!

Click here to watch

P.S. The above speeds are all for Cessna 172R if you were wondering-:)

Tha magic of a great landing

I was going to go flying yesterday and once again the weather did not cooperate...just my luck. I'm however taking the time to review materials that I think will be useful for Monday when I'm supposed to do circuits and potentially solo time. I find it always helps to prepare yourself ahead of time... (read POH, go over maneuvers, fly sim etc).

Anyhow. I decided to dedicate this post to normal approaches and landings...one of the most challenging of maneuvers..at least for me. I find there are so many things to consider plus repercussions are well known:) The next most difficult? Approaches and landings in a crosswind...

So let's review Transport Canada's Flight Training Manual (TP1102E) for tips.

Here they are: (more details on p104 of the manual) for Normal Landing.

1. Slow transition from normal glide to landing glide...man, this is dry...what they really mean is what pilots refer to as the FLARE...or round out...it should be started at 15 to 30 feet (5 to 9 meters) above the ground. The issue I find is actually being able to estimate when you are 15 feet above the ground. Speed generally makes it more difficult (not applicable to an F1 driver) to estimate the distance and depth, hence you should focus more on an object ahead (just like in a car).

2. Form a habit of keeping one hand on the throttle...ALWAYS. My instructor is very anal about this...for good reason that is. If your landing goes sour one of the best escapes is to go up again (overshoot) and hence apply full power fast!.

3. Try to practice no power approach (throttle at idle) and it will give you a better feel for the glide path as well as good practice for forced landing procedures (not that you will need them right?)

4. Watch the ground where you expect to touch down...when it appears the ground is approaching faster then before (and it will), this is time to ease the control stick back (towards you gently) to level off and begin the flare. Be gentle when you pull back otherwise you are risking a stall...

5. If you are too high, avoid slipping if you are on the last 500 feet (150 meters) of the approach. You should use flaps to control the descend rate. On a normal landing I generally have the flaps extended midway and full flaps if I'm too high...

4. So the actual steps are:

• Start to level off at about 15 to 30 feet above ground
• Level off at 2 to 3 feet (1 meter) - at this point I usually feel the plane to start loosing speed and will want to settle.
  
• You need to counteract this with the controls being pulled towards you, first just holding it steady, then generally with a continuous backward pull of the controls holds the plane just above the ground.
• Continue to increase the angle of attack as speed is lost. You want the main wheel first..Nose second...Why you ask? Well because the main wheels are weight bearing and provides roll stability..nose landing is never good...trust me
  
• At this point you will be very close to the plane's stalling speed and at times you will most likely hear the stall horn (don't worry unless you have started the flare way too soon;)
• And there you go...the truth is you will need to do this 20 or more times to perfect it and get a "feel" for it.

Tip I found very useful - The approach angle should be judged by the planes attitude in reference to the edge of the runway and the front of the air craft. So, if you are on approach 1 or 2 miles from the runway, I generally pick a point of the runway (the far end or the touchdown point) and three fingers just above the nose of the plane. You will find that if you keep the "gap" between the nose and the runway point the same, you will have the perfect approach path...
Of course you have to pick your reference points..

Another way to describe this method of estimating the glide path is of course the use of the perspective phenomenon or the visual shape of the runway. You want to keep the relationship of the sides of the runway the same (shorter and wider - you are too low or taller and narrow - you are too high). On a related note read this article about illusions during approach and landing here.

So good luck and safe landings...and make sure to have fun. It feels absolutely phenomenal when you have the perfect touchdown...

Here are some videos of landings. Enjoy. Another time I will go into crosswind landings...which are always interesting.

Bad Music but good landing

Nice Cross Wind Landing