tips on landing????!!!!

FlyBoyJae

FlyBoyJae

New Member
i did my first pattern works two weeks ago..at that point, i had logged 17 hours and 20 landings....today i went back flying and practiced s turns and such...but when the time came for landing, i did soooo terrible~~~ i can never seem to know what to do when landing~~~ can anyone help me??? my instructor tells me that I flare too aggressively...i always feel like the ground is rushing into me when i land...do i have my eyes fixed at wrong spot?? should i look some where else??? any tips??
 
During the flare, don't look at where you are going to touch down. Look down towards the end of the runway, that will help tremenously. When you look at the ground it can throw you off, but looking at the other end you get a better idea of your high above ground.
 
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i always feel like the ground is rushing into me when i land...do i have my eyes fixed at wrong spot?? should i look some where else??? any tips??


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Thats very common. Like FC said, look at the far end of the runway as you begin your roundout and try to hold the airplane as close to the ground as you can for as long as possible.
 
The technique that I found very useful, was to study the picture at the end of the runway before the take-off run. Obviously you won't always be able to do this, but It does give you an appreciation of the landing perspective. It's amazing how low down one sits in a 152
 
fly when there is no wind.
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the best thing to try is what everyone else said, look way down the runway, it will help you keep the aircraft level and give you a good altitude interpretation.
 
Landing just comes with practice - it takes time to be able to feel the plane and get it where it needs to be!
 
My instructor had me stand by the side of the runway as others were landing, so I could see the big picture from outside.
 
If none of that works... close your eyes and use the force!!


Seriously though.. I has a student back in the day that would close his eyes just before touchdown and "feel" for the runway.. It was the funniest thing!!!

He wasn't "one" with the force though.. His landing sucked!
 
If you are having trouble with the flare, i.e, you are too agressive and end up flaring early and too hard which causes u to float or flare too late which can cause u to hit the nose gear first, try to keep that glide path constant on your way in with the above tips like visualizing the end of the runway, that is essential at night, as you'll soon see.
The other main tip I can give u is try to feel for your lift as you get real close to the touchdown, the last 100ft AGL or so. Try rhythmic back pressure on the yoke to get that nose up and stall yourself into the touchdown, that's the ideal u want to shoot for. It'll come to you, man, don't sweat it. And remember: any landing u can walk away from is a good one
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Just learn to grease em on to PTS standards for those checkrides.
 
If you go by the "any landing you can walk away from is a good one, and any landing where you can reuse the airplane is a great one," well, then, I think pretty much everyone here has "great" landings.

Also, is it just me, or does this happen to other people. You're thinking, I'm gonna grease this one and then you remind everyone why they gave you the name Skippy in the first place.

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I'm with Iain, it'll come with practice.

For me it took me just getting into the flow of things. I can tell you two lessons before I soloed I thought I'd never be able to land without my CFI. I realized that it wasn't mentally doing the landing, if that makes any sense.

Now, dual or solo I talk myself through the landing...outloud. For example before turning base sounds like this...

"Throttle to 1500. First notch of flaps. Trim for straight and level. Now, pitch for 80 knots, and decend at 500 ft per minute."

"There's 45 degrees from the touch down point. Turn base"

"Lakefront tower cessna 12A, base 24."

etc.

I can tell you, my best landings are when I'm talking through it. My worst are when I think that I don't need to do that.

Give that a try. You'll probably impress the hell out of your CFI too.

Keep at it!!

Naunga
 
Its all in your head. If you pysche yourself out it gets hard to make em good. I heard all the "look down the runway" stuff too but what really turned it around for me was kinda what lain said. You gotta get the feel. It'll come to ya. And just like those lame king videos say..one day landings will be fun and exciting!!
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Geez those videos drive me nuts.

Of course if you think about it...John & Martha have to be so happy and cheerful at work, I bet they have some knock-down dragout fights at home.
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Naunga
 
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Exactly, look at the far end of the runway!!!!!!!!!!!!

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The reason for looking down the runway is for you to relax and use your periphial cues, it is these cues that will enable you to sense the rate of closure to the runway surface thus telling you when and how much flare to use. When landings change from a mechanical skill to a experienced based event you will find your self more consistantly landing with grace. It is like any other skill you learn that requires muscle memory and coordination and experience ie: golf. When you gain a certain level of experience doing it, you develop consistancy and grace. But we know you can hit slumps, it just a matter of how quickly you can get over them. Relax and enjoy it.
 
thank you all for your suggestions!!!...it worked!!!

i landed so well that my instructor wrote "good job" on my log book...looking far down the run way definitely helped!
 
oh and talking while i execute the landing all the way through helped me a lot too.

RPM 2100 on the downwind and maintain 80kts at 1000ft msl

Check list carb heat on, mixture full, passenger and pilot seat belt and shoulder harness

RPM to 1500 abeam the numbers 10 degrees of flaps

pitch for 80 kts

turn base at 45 degrees

Flaps to 20 degrees

pitch for 70 kts

turn final

Full flaps if needed and maintain 60kts.

i hope i didnt' forget anything.
 
If you've got an instructor telling you good job, and they aren't calling you Skippy at the FBO, well, then, you're doing something right.
 
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