Landing problems.

[DarkHelmet]

Winglett - don't dispair. I have vivid memories of my instructor shouting over the comm "LET GO OF F%#@*@ THE BAR YOU ARE GOING TO F%#@*@ KILL US!"

Landing is counter intuitive and you need to "go up" in a sense before you "come down". Getting the hang of this is rather tricky and that is why you have the instructor leading you thru it.

The problem is with understanding and "reading" the ground rush, as others have pointed out - don't focus on the spot where you intend to put down, rather focus on putting it down smoothly. You will be training on a long safe runway and you don't need to do a spotlanding, you need to do a good landing!

To visualise it use your hand and point it 45 degrees downward. "Dive" towards the ground, as you approach terra firma you need to slow down and you use the wing to assist you with this. As you get closer to the deck you start flaring and the air is starting to slow you down almost acting like a parachute.

Ground effect starts and it feels like she just does not want to go down, this is actually where you push the bar forward even more and actually almost stall the aerie at touchdown. Sometimes you are too fast and too high and then you balloon, other times you fly into the ground VERY VERY HARD.

It is not a thing you can be taught, you have to experience it and interpret it. It is really a matter of instinctively acting on your perception of the ground approaching and then just doing what you need to do.

Don't dispear young padewan! Practice, practice, practice and above all persevere!

[DarkHelmet]

Shall we move this to training talk? I think it is a VERY informative post (bar maybe my contribution )

[Tower]

The way I see it is simple. Flying has 3 basic components 1. Taking off, 2. Flying, and 3. Landing. Now the first two we all master rather quickly, the 3rd, landing is the tricky one, and that is what prevents any old clown becoming a pilot. Landing is what makes us special!!

OK, off to polish my self-portrait now.

[Winglett]

Thanks for all the advice and sharing stories. I will definatly try some of the tips given(or maybe all of them). Will keep you guys posted on the "landings".

[Dre'man]

Just remember Winglet, only try one at a time. Stay commited to your descision, changing things at 50ft is looking for trouble. The saying that sticks in my head most from the guy that introduced me to flying is

"no matter what happens or how close to the ground NEVER stop flying the plane!!!!"

[anagod]

I am currently doing a PPL on a SAMBA and I have the same problem. I guess you have to get a feel for it and getting that "feel" only comes after quite a few landings. Good luck !!

[loansharkblv]

Winglett - don't dispair. I have vivid memories of my instructor shouting over the comm "LET GO OF F%#@*@ THE BAR YOU ARE GOING TO F%#@*@ KILL US!"

DH, I hear you.... In fact at one stage I thought that this was part of the "normal" landing calls......

Another thought Winglett, if you are training with only one instructor, go for a session or two with another (Even if you are flying with the BEST one already) This just gives you a different angle on things and can assist you to "break" habitual, err, well habits I guess....

[skydiver]

I share this difficulty. It took me hours on a taildragger 3 axis. I still can't land it. I've had 10 hours on a trike, and I'm getting it. But still, its been the hardest thing about flying. An innate fear of crashing is the reason, I suppose. No second chance and no way to pull out of a bad one means nervousness.

[Tumbleweed]

Dont take my advice, but;

After repeatedly thumping the trike down, I detected a definate 'tone' as my instructor grabbed the bar and squeezed in 3 touch and go's on the same approach, followed by a "Simple".

The next circuit was flown with deafening silence and as I apporoached finals thought,

" I'm gonna show you, landing at 50 m.p.h. gonna ram this fu&*ng trike into the tar".

What followed was the best landing I ever did and some back slapping with "Eventually, you've finally got. One more, before you forget, brilliant"