Tips for getting out of landing funk

Matt13C

Matt13C

Well-Known Member
Recently I have been having trouble putting the airplane down where I want to. After I first soloed I spent a good amount of time just flying the pattern. I could put it down where I wanted and had no problem coming in at my target speed.

I spent a few weeks away doing cross countries and out doing air work and noticed my landings were suffering. Today I stayed in the pattern and was trying to fix them and just ended up getting more frustrated. It did not help that the winds were 30-50 degrees off center at 10 gusting to 19. I still feel like I should have been able to establish a good glide slope and be able to put it where I want it. I was consistently coming in high and fast. I have not changed anything I did before. Any tips?
 
Matt13C said:
I still feel like I should have been able to establish a good glide slope and be able to put it where I want it. I was consistently coming in high and fast. I have not changed anything I did before. Any tips?
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The CFIs around here will be of more help to you...but I did have that problem for a while.

When I had a tendency to come in high and fast, what I'd do is wait a little longer before turning base, to give myself a slightly longer final. You can always slip it a bit to bleed off altitude, too.
 
What helps me is to use the "God Perspective" and visualize the plane from the outside almost like your watching your plane on Microsoft Flight Simulator , then just imagine what kind of a landing you want. I also have had success with extending my downwind. Best of luck:rawk:
 
My guess would be that when you started doing cross country flying, you got to see different airports with different perspectives. Maybe they had sloping runways or different terrain. You had gotten used to the same airport and same runway until this point and now you seem to have lost the sight picture. Get back to the basics and figure out where you want to land the airplane. Put that point in the windscreen and aim for it like you have done before. That technique works in every airplane you will fly. I use the same basic technique for a visual in every plane I have flown from a 152 to the 747-400.

With more hours you will get used to changing airports and runways. It will all come together for you so don't be too hard on yourself. Get the technique down solid and the rest will fall into place. Oh yeah....one more thing that works for me. Don't think about it, just do it. If you over think it you are sure to screw it up.

Good luck!
 
rjmore said:
My guess would be that when you started doing cross country flying, you got to see different airports with different perspectives. Maybe they had sloping runways or different terrain. You had gotten used to the same airport and same runway until this point and now you seem to have lost the sight picture. Get back to the basics and figure out where you want to land the airplane. Put that point in the windscreen and aim for it like you have done before. That technique works in every airplane you will fly. I use the same basic technique for a visual in every plane I have flown from a 152 to the 747-400.

With more hours you will get used to changing airports and runways. It will all come together for you so don't be too hard on yourself. Get the technique down solid and the rest will fall into place. Oh yeah....one more thing that works for me. Don't think about it, just do it. If you over think it you are sure to screw it up.

Good luck!
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I think I am over thinking it for sure. Next time I am just going to go out and fly. Maybe Ill do a little airport hopping, keep changing it up and just focus on the picture outside the plane and not so much on the altitudes.

Thanks guys!:rawk:
 
One thing I stressed when I used to teach was make sure you're looking at the horizion, or the tops of any tress, etc, as you flare and just let the ground slowly come up and meet the plane. And yes, it is way easy to over think things, just let the plane stop flying and touch down when it's ready to.
 
Matt13C said:
I was consistently coming in high and fast.
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  1. When you reduce power abeam the numbers, pull it back an extra 100 RPM.
  2. Reevaluate your altitude immediately after turning base and adjust power accordingly.
  3. Trim for your airspeed and hold the yoke with just a couple of fingers.
  4. Fix a target in your windscreen and keep its position fixed relative to the top of the instrument panel.
Also consider that your standards may have improved during your x/c phase, rather than your performance degraded.;)
 
Having a target airspeed in mind is one of the keys to good,consistent landings. If you are in a single[flying VFR]- your FAS should not be higher than 75kts[depending on gust factor].Flying the Piper- I always have a set point in mind[usually just right after the numbers-although on longer runways[like 5000ft and more]it's safer to pick a point roughly 500ft from the t-hold.Now that I'm in IFR training and flying more ILS apps- my CFI wants me flying the approach like I'm flying a Boeing:rawk:- ya know 50ft over the threshold and not touching down till 1000ft or so past the threshold- l always cross the threshold[VFR] at 75kts[heavy load]70kts[just me flying]65kts [shortfield] although I have noticed sometimes that when the winds are more than 50' off the nose, the airspeed will increase about 5kts or so when coming in on short final and if you don't let that bleed off after crossing the numbers and you are not at full flaps- you will float excessively and use up more runway than needed. Faster is ok if the winds are a direct c/w and gusting higher than 20ish- in that case, speed is your friend and that extra bit may mean the differnce between a good solid landing and an unwanted trip into the grass!! Using your peripheral vision upon landing is another key also- how far down the runway are you looking?
Speaking of funk- it's "time" for me to go crank up some old-skewl Prince&the revolution and the time and do "the bird":nana2:
 
You may just want to go up with your CFI for a day of pattern work at various different airports, as others are suggesting.

At about 50 hours, I got into this "early flare funk," especially at night. My approaches were fine, the "spot that does not move" wasn't moving, but I was getting pretty frustrated with my landings. I had been making consistently good landings earlier on with only about 15 hours logged.:(

My CFI took me out for a day of touch and go's, alternating between a 150' x 8000' runway with a VASI, and a gravel strip that was 20' x 2500'. On a stable approach, he told to cut the power as the cowling passed over the threshold, and then NOT to try to land, but to add just enough power to keep the gear within five inches of the ground in slow flight. Then, he'd have me cut just enough power to graze the main gear on a pre-determined point at the end of the touchdown zone, and then apply full power and takeoff again.

This really helped me and may be helpful to practice.
 
tgrayson said:
  1. When you reduce power abeam the numbers, pull it back an extra 100 RPM.
  2. Reevaluate your altitude immediately after turning base and adjust power accordingly.
  3. Trim for your airspeed and hold the yoke with just a couple of fingers.
  4. Fix a target in your windscreen and keep its position fixed relative to the top of the instrument panel.
Also consider that your standards may have improved during your x/c phase, rather than your performance degraded.;)
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My standards were always excessively high. My instructor has commented a few times about it. I am not sure if it is a good thing or a bad thing, I just love to push myself. But yeah, they certainly have increased. I try to make every landing smooth with no side loading on center line. I am pretty consistent with that, just hitting my spot and being high and fast. It certainly makes being smooth tough though, I have been floating a good amount.
 
I agree in whole with rjmore.

The only thing I can add would be to work on speed control. A consistent speed will be one less variable to keep the aim point from moving up and down the windscreen.

and, of course, practice, practice, practice......
 
Matt13C said:
I have been floating a good amount.
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Obviously due to high airspeed. If you're trimmed, this shouldn't be a problem. You may be diving for the runway. Learn to make very small adjustments in both yoke and throttle, almost too small to be perceived.
 
tgrayson said:
Obviously due to high airspeed. If you're trimmed, this shouldn't be a problem. You may be diving for the runway. Learn to make very small adjustments in both yoke and throttle, almost too small to be perceived.
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Maybe that is my prob. I never really trim for speed. I just put in flaps and try and hold the yoke steady. With the summer heat coming the thermals have been bouncing me around a bit. If I get shot up, I want to put the spot back in the same spot on the window, but that will give me a nose down attitude and more speed.
 
Matt13C said:
Maybe that is my prob. I never really trim for speed. I just put in flaps and try and hold the yoke steady. With the summer heat coming the thermals have been bouncing me around a bit. If I get shot up, I want to put the spot back in the same spot on the window, but that will give me a nose down attitude and more speed.
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That is a major problem, because the airplane will always be fighting you. Always, always, always be retrimming the airplane, and that includes after each flap change and gear deployment. Only that way can controlling the airplane be effortless. By the time you finish your PPL, trimming should be second-nature, or it's something your instrument instructor will have to struggle with.

And if a thermal shoots you up, as you lower the nose, it should be pure reflex to reduce power. On a turbulent day, you will be making lots of coordinated pitch and power changes.
 
One of the biggest challenges I see with PPL students is the pitch, power, trim relationship.

A major issue I constantly see with PPL's is their lack of flying the airplane to the runway. It's too often, I'll see a PPL try to sink plane in with a slight nose up attitude at 500-800 AGL. Airspeed diminishes, the student immediately adds power resulting in a gain of altitude and excess speed, panics and tries to fudge the airplane back to the GP with excess speed and ultimately floats it halfway down the runway.

My one piece of advice is keep the airplane coming down to the runway. Manage your pitch, speed, and trim to allow a spot to stick in the windscreen. Fly the airplane to the runway.

Also, don't over complicate it. Practice with your CFI. By the time you're finished, it'll be as tgrayson said, second nature.
 
Matt13C said:
I think I am over thinking it for sure. Next time I am just going to go out and fly. Maybe Ill do a little airport hopping, keep changing it up and just focus on the picture outside the plane and not so much on the altitudes.

Thanks guys!:rawk:
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Hey man, don't let it get to you. It happens to all of us even at the airlines. I go through periods where I can both grease and hit my landing point and then other times where no matter what I try I just hit pavement, or have a floater. This past couple of weeks I was in the I can't land centerline no matter what mode, kept it slightly right of center, the Capt was giggleing everytime I landed of course.
Just keep flying and try to relax more and not think too much, go back to the basics your instructor thaught you and have fun and remember when you see a big guy fly over he's probably having the same day.
 
Great article tgrayson, thanks for sharing.

Thanks Merit, I have to work on my pitch power and trim and Pheonix, its nice to hear even people flying the big shiny jets have issues.

I am just going to go out again, do a few stalls and try and make them as smooth as possible. Then come back and do some landings and work on setting the picture with the trim and keeping it there.
 
I had a dry spell of about 4 flights where I sucked ass.

They were still decent landings, but they weren't up to "FF Par"



I just didn't fly for a few weeks and relaxed. When I came back, and ever since then, I've been greeeeeasin' those puppies.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I piss excellence.
 
I was having a similar problem recently. I spent 1.5 hours just doing pattern work with the Chief Flight Instructor. What helped me from coming in too fast was to set an attitude, and stop looking at the airspeed so much. Keeping that picture helped bleed off the energy by the time I crossed the numbers and helped prevent ballooning. It was like I had the flying version of the Shanks.
 
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