Learning to Land
Don’t worry about how many hours you have when you solo, its not a competition, its about making consistently safe landing. Its not about making perfect or soft landings, but being in control of the aircraft as all variables change as you land(wind is always changing) If you can fly more often that will help a lot. Especially while you are trying to master the landings. Two or three time a week or even twice a day for a few days will help you put all the pieces together and get the landings down. So many things happening at once that you have to manage and control: AIRSPEED, when to flare, how much to pull back and how fast, keeping the nose pointed straight down the runway (rudders), correcting for a crosswind.
Think of landing is a bit like making chili. Same recipe every time, but often with tweaks. You start off with the meat, then add the sauce, then maybe add onions, then the seasonings, etc. each time it may come out slightly different despite you started with same recipe. usually still good just spicier one time than before, or more sauce another time. Our landings are like that too, even us pros, are still tweaking every landing, we just hide it more in the smaller movements due to practice! much like you hide the extra spice with a little sweet. Don't judge your landings based on all the little corrections you input. have someone video from say the FBO or such so you can see that even if your putting all those corrections not everyone sees that part and landing looks good.. Even the pros much constantly adjust their corrections to make it appear good.
A couple of tips: Number 1, make sure you are able to control your airspeed using the elevator. (the throttle controls your altitude). (if speed is good but too low add power, too high reduce power, increasing speed to come down increases your float and roll out not good on short runways, and too slow causes a stall)
Not sure how tall you are but if you are sitting too low, it might be very hard to judge the flare and sink. Try using a cushion if your eye level is lower than your instructor’s. As the nose height begins to block your view of the runway, don't try to look over the nose as you will unintentionally push the yoke pushing the nose further down, let your view shift to side of windshield and engage the peripheral view which is how those who fly tail draggers view the taxi and landings anyways! Have the instructor make a few landings so you can learn the view you should see on normal flare on landings and find your best view picture, even look at the main gear if in a high wing aircraft once!
First is to be in control of the speed and the pattern. with a good set up you will have set yourself up for a better chance for a good outcome. Have a aiming point, even before entering final. now this point might be adjusted if for some reason find yourself staying high. As the nose begins to come close to touching the aiming point you look further up the runway (and maybe slightly tweaking the nose up toward the next point to another point, maybe a couple stripes up or more midfield if a non standard markings. Again once as the nose begins to approach the new point, you begin to look at the end of the runway and then start to ease nose to horizon covering the end of the runway. you can find lots of videos on the internet that likely demonstrate this. ( this link to a blog with a the jacobson flare video is one http://www.golfhotelwhiskey.com/improve-your-landings-with-jacobson-flare/ )
Try to imagine NOT allowing the airplane to land. Try to hold it 6 inches above the ground instead of trying to land. With no power it will settle onto the runway but you will have the elevator back as you try to hold it off and bleed off all the airspeed. Don’t relax the controls after it is on the ground, especially in a cross-wind. The slower you are going, the more rudder and aileron you need because they are less effective and the wind has a greater effect when you are moving slower. as Mary sometimes says make the baby cry a little, which means let that stall horn just start to whine prior to actual touchdown.
Pay attention when you shift your focus point and when you move your feet up from the rudders onto the brakes. Easy to allow the plane to shift direction when you are changing where you are looking or shifting your feet up to the brakes. When learning to not over control the rudders on takeoff and landing roll out (or in taildraggers) push the rudders with just the toe/toes on the bottom of the rudder pedals. means sliding the feet and feeling it, so big clunky work boots or shoes can limit your feeling the position your feet are in. Once your consistent you'll find can wear most any shoes while flying, but avoid shoes with high/skinny heels or flip flops. (Tamara has been known to fly barefoot on rare occasion and loves flying in her Vibram shoes). On the takeoff roll, add about 1/3 power allowing for you to straighten aircraft and tap brake slightly if required then once rolling straight slide feet down leaving toes on bottom of rudder then add full power for takeoff.
When adjusting elevator in landing and flare think fingers and thumbs. Try and keep elbow on armrest or against door etc to limit moving whole arm, just adjusting with fingers and hand. If nose begins to rise to quick first relax the hand allowing the nose to possibly drop slightly, if still too high then push with thumb, then if still too high push with hand then if critical use arm. If you are holding the yoke with a death grip (and everyone does in the beginning) you will not make small changes as you wrist and hand are stiff meaning all movement comes from the arm. If nose too low or your in the flare sink, use fingers to squeeze and begin the nose to come up and as it sinks just keep the pace coming up close to the sink rate. when an aircraft balloons during a flare likely means just have still too much speed for the change you made, again don't push the nose over first just relax your grip then push in the order as needed, relax hand, push thumb, hand, arm. to raise nose is squeeze grip, then pull fingers, hand, arm. This can be applied in most maneuvers and level flying also.
Think of landing is a bit like making chili. Same recipe every time, but often with tweaks. You start off with the meat, then add the sauce, then maybe add onions, then the seasonings, etc. each time it may come out slightly different despite you started with same recipe. usually still good just spicier one time than before, or more sauce another time. Our landings are like that too, even us pros, are still tweaking every landing, we just hide it more in the smaller movements due to practice! much like you hide the extra spice with a little sweet. Don't judge your landings based on all the little corrections you input. have someone video from say the FBO or such so you can see that even if your putting all those corrections not everyone sees that part and landing looks good.. Even the pros much constantly adjust their corrections to make it appear good.
A couple of tips: Number 1, make sure you are able to control your airspeed using the elevator. (the throttle controls your altitude). (if speed is good but too low add power, too high reduce power, increasing speed to come down increases your float and roll out not good on short runways, and too slow causes a stall)
Not sure how tall you are but if you are sitting too low, it might be very hard to judge the flare and sink. Try using a cushion if your eye level is lower than your instructor’s. As the nose height begins to block your view of the runway, don't try to look over the nose as you will unintentionally push the yoke pushing the nose further down, let your view shift to side of windshield and engage the peripheral view which is how those who fly tail draggers view the taxi and landings anyways! Have the instructor make a few landings so you can learn the view you should see on normal flare on landings and find your best view picture, even look at the main gear if in a high wing aircraft once!
First is to be in control of the speed and the pattern. with a good set up you will have set yourself up for a better chance for a good outcome. Have a aiming point, even before entering final. now this point might be adjusted if for some reason find yourself staying high. As the nose begins to come close to touching the aiming point you look further up the runway (and maybe slightly tweaking the nose up toward the next point to another point, maybe a couple stripes up or more midfield if a non standard markings. Again once as the nose begins to approach the new point, you begin to look at the end of the runway and then start to ease nose to horizon covering the end of the runway. you can find lots of videos on the internet that likely demonstrate this. ( this link to a blog with a the jacobson flare video is one http://www.golfhotelwhiskey.com/improve-your-landings-with-jacobson-flare/ )
Try to imagine NOT allowing the airplane to land. Try to hold it 6 inches above the ground instead of trying to land. With no power it will settle onto the runway but you will have the elevator back as you try to hold it off and bleed off all the airspeed. Don’t relax the controls after it is on the ground, especially in a cross-wind. The slower you are going, the more rudder and aileron you need because they are less effective and the wind has a greater effect when you are moving slower. as Mary sometimes says make the baby cry a little, which means let that stall horn just start to whine prior to actual touchdown.
Pay attention when you shift your focus point and when you move your feet up from the rudders onto the brakes. Easy to allow the plane to shift direction when you are changing where you are looking or shifting your feet up to the brakes. When learning to not over control the rudders on takeoff and landing roll out (or in taildraggers) push the rudders with just the toe/toes on the bottom of the rudder pedals. means sliding the feet and feeling it, so big clunky work boots or shoes can limit your feeling the position your feet are in. Once your consistent you'll find can wear most any shoes while flying, but avoid shoes with high/skinny heels or flip flops. (Tamara has been known to fly barefoot on rare occasion and loves flying in her Vibram shoes). On the takeoff roll, add about 1/3 power allowing for you to straighten aircraft and tap brake slightly if required then once rolling straight slide feet down leaving toes on bottom of rudder then add full power for takeoff.
When adjusting elevator in landing and flare think fingers and thumbs. Try and keep elbow on armrest or against door etc to limit moving whole arm, just adjusting with fingers and hand. If nose begins to rise to quick first relax the hand allowing the nose to possibly drop slightly, if still too high then push with thumb, then if still too high push with hand then if critical use arm. If you are holding the yoke with a death grip (and everyone does in the beginning) you will not make small changes as you wrist and hand are stiff meaning all movement comes from the arm. If nose too low or your in the flare sink, use fingers to squeeze and begin the nose to come up and as it sinks just keep the pace coming up close to the sink rate. when an aircraft balloons during a flare likely means just have still too much speed for the change you made, again don't push the nose over first just relax your grip then push in the order as needed, relax hand, push thumb, hand, arm. to raise nose is squeeze grip, then pull fingers, hand, arm. This can be applied in most maneuvers and level flying also.
