You are bouncing, ballooning and everything but getting that plane on the ground nice and soft. What are you doing wrong? In almost every case I have never seen a student get landings down right away. So you are probably doing a lot wrong but you are probably on the right track.
In my syllabus I have four specific landing lessons at four different airports. Each airport has something a little different in order to get you used to the traffic pattern procedures at different airports. I find that thruought these four flights students will pretty much get the idea but won't have it down.
Most of the problems you are having are natural and happen to every student. So the first thing you need to realize is the fact that you are not the only one not nailing your landings down the first bunch of tries. There are a lot of you out there in the same boat.
Out of all the things I see, there is one common problem that gets every student. This is the place you are focusing on when you land the plane. This also relates to the transition between the flight environment and the landing environment. It is not natural to come into a piece of blacktop at 80 miles per hour. Most people will just keep flying the plane in and then pull up at the last minute. The result is the big balloon or you hit the runway a little to early and bounce your way down the runway.
In either case you are looking at the wrong point. You are focused to close to the airplane. When you are up practicing steep turns, your instructor should have you looking at the horizon. Very far out. The same is needed to land the plane. Everyone will tend to stare right in front of the airplane on final approach. Then what happens, all of a sudden your instructor is grabbing the controls. So what happened???
You didn't change your focus. You continued looking at the front of the airplane watching that blacktop get closer and closer. You need to remember that you are still flying the airplane until you are on the ground so you need to treat landings the same way.
Quick step back to basics.
I teach students attitude flying. That means that you fly the plane at one of three attitudes.
1: Nose - level attitude ( your point of reference is level with the horizon)
2: Nose - decent attitude ( your point of reference is just below the horizon)
3: Nose- climb attitude. (your point of reference is just above the horizon)
All flight maneuvers are a combination of one or more of these three attitudes. Landings are a combination of all three. At high altitudes you use these attitudes but use the horizon for reference. Once you get close to the ground, everything goes out the window and you stare at the blacktop. Result--- you are not happy with your landings. The main problem students have with landings is this reference. What do you look at when you are landing?
The answer is simple, The end of the runway.
You come in on final approach, you should be set up at a decent attitude. At this point in time you should be looking at the runway environment. Now once you cross the end of the runway, change your focus to the far end of the runway. At this time you should transition to a level flight attitude, but make sure you are looking at the end of the runway or farther out. Once you have the plane level, you will feel the plane slowing down. So you need to continually increase the pressure on the flight controls to keep a nose level attitude.
Once you feel the plane starting to drop, then it is time to bring the nose up to climb attitude. If you feel the plane climbing, just relax the pressure you put into it don't jerk the plane. Remember to continue looking at the end of the runway. If you can't see the end of the runway, you have the nose up to high. Then hopefully you will touch down nice an gently.
Like anything esle it will take practice. If you bounce, hold the nose up at climb attitude. In the case that the plane starts ballooning, just ease the nose back to level attitude (or slightly above) for a little bit and then start going back to climb attitude.
Don't let it get to you if you have done four flights of touch and goes and still havn't quite got it. It happens to everyone. Just make sure you are looking at the end of the runway.
Airfreddy
Learn To Fly, Airfreddy's Private Pilot License Guide
Arizona Flight Training and Instruction
Copywrite 2006 Frederick Longe / Professional Flight Instruction Service All rights reserved
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