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5 Ways to Beat the Winter Flying Blues

December 23, 2013/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

For those of us not flying in sunny, warm climates all year round, the winter flying season may involve anything but…“flying”. Cold, colorless days seem to drag on with no end in sight. Instead of accepting defeat or allowing weeks to pass without opening the hangar door, let’s get creative. There’s plenty to do NOW […]

Five Ways to Make Bad Landings

December 16, 2013/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

What? Huh? Yes, you read the title correctly. There are many things one might claim I’m an expert in. “Good landings” is definitely not one of them. So then, by default, I might be an expert on how to make a bad one. I haven’t bent any metal, ground looped or seriously scraped a tail, […]

5 Ways to Beat the Winter Flying Blues

December 23, 2013/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

Five Ways to Make Bad Landings

December 16, 2013/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

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5 Ways to Beat the Winter Flying Blues

December 23, 2013/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

1) Home simulator flying – Before you check out over not having a home “simulator,” let me first say your device doesn’t have to be elaborate, expensive, sophisticated, etc. because even the simplest of devices can be productive. But a plan for the use of simulation is a must. A simple list of tasks, maneuvers, or even complete lessons from your current syllabus will create a valuable to-do list when those no-fly days linger for weeks. Develop a menu of training tasks with your instructor to create powerful learning experiences. The right amount of structure and oversight will ensure you don’t develop bad habits.

2) Video training – The availability of quality video-based training can put you on the flight deck to examine maneuvers, practice landings and even rehearse emergency or abnormal procedures. Yes, it’s not quite the same as the real thing, but again, we’re talking about the next best option when you’re not able to make the flight. A comprehensive video-based course will keep you focused on the task at hand and working toward that written test and practical exam. You’ll be that much more prepared for the next flight scheduled.

3) Chair flying – Many of the instructors I respect most and owe such gratitude toward for helping me through to my goal of becoming a pilot would preach the value of “chair flying.” It’s just as the name would suggest, you quite literally sit in a chair and visual the space in front of you as the flight deck. You may even consider a flight deck poster to enhance the experience. From there, you can move through engine start, taxi, before takeoff checks and beyond to reinforce your flows and confidence.

Also in the “chair flying” environment, you have the opportunity to rehearse abnormal procedures. Read the wonderfully insightful section of your POH that includes an expanded discussion of abnormal and emergency procedures. On your next chair flying session, review the table of contents for the emergency section and select an event you haven’t practiced. Follow the checklist for that item and understand the “why” behind it. This exercise will not only prepare you for real-time abnormals, but will ensure a better understanding of your aircraft’s systems.

4) Seminars/webinars/periodicals – Learning doesn’t have to stop just because you may not have access to an airplane. If you don’t have an account at FAASafety.gov, sign-up now – it’s free. Here you’ll learn about many free, in-person seminars and other learning opportunities to help you grow as an aviator. The same enriching activites may also be available in the form of online webinars or through the various aviation publications. Most major aviation publications offer online newletters or electronic additions in addition to a print publication. And there are a number of online journals worth investigating. You may even find some ways to participate in a meaningful aviation discussion.

5) Finally, fly. Yes, there could be flying opportunities that, while outside of your qualifications, may be enlightening, educational and fun with an instructor. There’s nothing better for proficiency than to fly more and visit new places. Take the opportunity to perhaps log some actual instrument or venture out for some crosswind landings.

And since those flyable days are fewer and farther between, consider some added flexibility for you flying schedule. When the sun is shining, make it a point to get to the airport and connect with your instructor for some of that elusive stick time.

Five Ways to Make Bad Landings

December 16, 2013/in Tips and technique/by studentpltnews

It doesn’t take a 50 year professional pilot to point out my landing mistakes. I know what they are and yet still manage to commit many of the same errors. They seem to be occurring on a less frequent basis as my experience level grows, but we are creatures of habit and I have a habit of making these five mistakes most often.

Too Fast

While I know the correct method is to be on my target airspeed, when I commit the airspeed error, I’m typically on the high side. This results in having excess speed when you flare. I left a lot of usable pavement behind me floating down the runway before one of my instructors solved my issue. After beating me handily in a spot landing contest, he reinforced the practice of stabilized approach parameters. Find the target speeds you need to hit on every leg. Once you have the pitch set for speed, make distance adjustments with the power. In a Cessna 172, 85 kts on downwind, 75 on base, and 65 on final work really well.

Too High

This one is somewhat connected to my first problem. I often don’t slow down much when transitioning to the traffic pattern. When abeam the numbers, I typically need to shed more than 20% of my airspeed before the airplane will even think about descending. The result is often being way too high when turning base which may very well carry over to final approach. After slipping the airplane during three consecutive final approaches, the pilot in the right seat gave me a pretty good verbal bashing. He made an excellent suggestion that I follow to this day. Give yourself a speed limit while you are in the pattern. Make it no more than 10% higher than your desired “abeam the numbers” speed. In my 172 case, that means I can’t be faster than 93 knots while in the pattern. By limiting my pattern speed, getting on the appropriate final approach glide slope has been much easier.

Ballooning

Yes, too high and too fast as described above will result in a flare that looks more like a roller coaster than a landing – and feels like one too. It took a flight check from a more experienced flight instructor to fix this one. I describe this with a word of caution because the real takeaway is that the correct fix for any approach outside of your stabilized parameters is a go-around, but minor derivations can still be managed.

Some excess airspeed doesn’t have to result in a balloon. Is has everything to do with the rate of roundout or flare. By initiating the roundout earlier and more gradually, it may allow the excess energy to dissipate. However, this may also require additional runway. At all times, if not able to land the airplane in the touchdown zone, go around!

Bouncing

Have you ever logged three landings after just one approach? That’s known as a bounced landing and while efficient for currency, it’s also a mark of a poorly executed landing. The reasoning on why this happen is similar to why my dog doesn’t come when I call her – “she don’t want to.” The airplane is simply not ready to stop flying because of too much energy. The correct fix for any bounced landing is to go around. In the even that the bounce was very minimal and there is plenty of runway remaining, it’s possible to land the airplane normally by adding some power to cushion the subsequent attempt and dissipating the excess energy. Keep in mind that after a bounced landing, it’s likely that you’re already holding in excess back pressure which will have to be released to recover or execute the go-around.

Flying Straight-In

I’ve found that some of my worst landings were usually after flying straight-in to land rather than flying the full pattern. Even though it’s a pilot-controlled field and a full pattern is not “required”, performing a straight in approach throws off the normal visual clues on where and when we should make the pitch/power adjustments and judge the approach stability. There are plenty of arguments for and against going straight in to land at non-towered fields, but the prudent approach is to complete a full pattern as you generally practice and allow time to get set up properly for a stabilized approach. And you get to log a few more minutes of flight time!

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

5 Ways to Beat the Winter Flying Blues

Five Ways to Make Bad Landings

5 Ways to Beat the Winter Flying Blues

Five Ways to Make Bad Landings

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

5 Ways to Beat the Winter Flying Blues

Five Ways to Make Bad Landings

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