Blog – Short Field Landings 01/12/2024
Today’s mission was to continue practicing low level flying and adding in short field landings.
The weather was a but windy which made some tasks a bit more difficult.
After running through our pre-flight, taxi, run-ups, and take-off we flew out to the low level training area and repeated the previous sessions tasks.
Once those were completed we flew back to the air field to practice short field landings which I have not done for some time.
The structure for Short Field Landings are:
- Downwind, confirm approach and threshold speeds and choose aim point
- Slightly delay turn onto base to ensure some power must be used throughout approach
- Monitor approach path by reference to the aiming point and adjust power to maintain a steady rate of descent – power controls rate of decent
- Established on final, select full flap and decrease airspeed by adjusting attitude
- Achieve nominated VTT by 200 ft AGL
- It is important to carry some power into the flare
- If the airplane is not properly configured by 200 ft AGL – go around!
- The round-out and the holdoff are combined into the flare
- Aim to reduce the rate of sink to zero at the same time as the main wheels touch the ground and the throttle is closed
- Lower the nosewheel, brake immediately, keep weight off the nosewheel with elevator backpressure
- Raise flap on completion of Landing
More details can be found here.
I was rather sloppy with my landings and overshot the landing more than once. More work needed me thinks.
All in all I was very pleased with todays flying. I was on task and well within my limits. I still need to sharpen up short field landings but it will come.
Next lesson we will work on these a bit more and add in further tasks so that I keep the momentum going.
Until next time…
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Blog – Short Field landings 01/12/2024