Alchemy
Well-Known Member
Students who can\'t land.
I have a student who cannot seem to land the airplane (c172). He's my first real primary student (although I was not his CFI for his first 4 hours). He's at about 20 hrs of flight time and we've covered all the pre-solo maneuvers outlined in the FAR's. At this point we're doing mostly pattern work every flight, occasionaly doing some stalls, ground ref, or steep turns to break up the monotony.
For whatever reason he cannot handle the airplane properly in the flare. He can takeoff just fine, makes radio calls just fine (even in class C), executes checklists well, and configures the airplane properly at the right airspeed on the approach.
I just cannot get him to keep flying the airplane once he pulls the power to idle and starts to apply back pressure. He will not apply rudder pressure to keep the nose straight down the runway no matter how many times I shout "MORE RIGHT RUDDER". He will not apply enough back pressure in the flare, and I awlays have to jump in and keep him from putting us in nosewheel first, despite my commands for him to "PULL UP! PULL UP!".
If by some luck he does manage to put it on the runway without bouncing/nosewheel first, he doesn't stay on the rudders and the airplane heads for the grass off the side of the runway. I hate to have to make control input on every landing, but he will almost always bounce the airplane and lose control unless I take over. He's made about 3 landings total without any input from me, not more than one on the same day though.
I've tried everything from telling him to keep his eyes focused down the runway, on the opposite end, to telling him to hold the plane off the runway as long as possible, and as close the ground as possible then gently let it settle down, to flat out demonstrating some landings to him. Any suggestions? I know we've done at least 70 landings and he just can't seem to get it.....I really want to see him make progress but there's no way in heck I can let him solo till he can start making consistent landings without input from me.
Thanks.
I have a student who cannot seem to land the airplane (c172). He's my first real primary student (although I was not his CFI for his first 4 hours). He's at about 20 hrs of flight time and we've covered all the pre-solo maneuvers outlined in the FAR's. At this point we're doing mostly pattern work every flight, occasionaly doing some stalls, ground ref, or steep turns to break up the monotony.
For whatever reason he cannot handle the airplane properly in the flare. He can takeoff just fine, makes radio calls just fine (even in class C), executes checklists well, and configures the airplane properly at the right airspeed on the approach.
I just cannot get him to keep flying the airplane once he pulls the power to idle and starts to apply back pressure. He will not apply rudder pressure to keep the nose straight down the runway no matter how many times I shout "MORE RIGHT RUDDER". He will not apply enough back pressure in the flare, and I awlays have to jump in and keep him from putting us in nosewheel first, despite my commands for him to "PULL UP! PULL UP!".
If by some luck he does manage to put it on the runway without bouncing/nosewheel first, he doesn't stay on the rudders and the airplane heads for the grass off the side of the runway. I hate to have to make control input on every landing, but he will almost always bounce the airplane and lose control unless I take over. He's made about 3 landings total without any input from me, not more than one on the same day though.
I've tried everything from telling him to keep his eyes focused down the runway, on the opposite end, to telling him to hold the plane off the runway as long as possible, and as close the ground as possible then gently let it settle down, to flat out demonstrating some landings to him. Any suggestions? I know we've done at least 70 landings and he just can't seem to get it.....I really want to see him make progress but there's no way in heck I can let him solo till he can start making consistent landings without input from me.
Thanks.
