Ruff T
Well-Known Member
I was having a discussion with my fellow instructor here at work about how he teaches his students on how fast to come in on approach. Please bear with me if it seems a little long winded.
I told him I teach my students how I was taught, which was that you add half the wind speed to your approach speed. For example if the wind is 320@10, you would add 5 kts to your final approach speed, so if the approach speed is usually 65, it would now be 70. If the winds were 320@10 gust 30, you would add half the peak gust speed, 15 kts, to the final approach speed, which would make the new approach speed 80, and the stronger the winds, the less flaps you use. That's how I was originally taught, and it's always worked for me, and that's how I teach my students, since the approach speeds on the POH are based on little to no winds.
He said that he's been teaching his students to only add half the gust factor to the final approach speed. For example, winds are 320@10 gust 30, he teaches to add half the wind gust component, 10 kts, to the final approach speed. So instead of coming in at 65 kts, he would come in at 75 kts.
I was wondering how you guys out there teach.
I told him I teach my students how I was taught, which was that you add half the wind speed to your approach speed. For example if the wind is 320@10, you would add 5 kts to your final approach speed, so if the approach speed is usually 65, it would now be 70. If the winds were 320@10 gust 30, you would add half the peak gust speed, 15 kts, to the final approach speed, which would make the new approach speed 80, and the stronger the winds, the less flaps you use. That's how I was originally taught, and it's always worked for me, and that's how I teach my students, since the approach speeds on the POH are based on little to no winds.
He said that he's been teaching his students to only add half the gust factor to the final approach speed. For example, winds are 320@10 gust 30, he teaches to add half the wind gust component, 10 kts, to the final approach speed. So instead of coming in at 65 kts, he would come in at 75 kts.
I was wondering how you guys out there teach.