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Approach and Landing Extra Tips This is the subject most people have problems with so I have enlarged the subject contained in other material on the course It is said that a good landing only can be achieved if a good approach is made. This therefore requires you making use of all the skills that you have been taught during the course. If you have flown an accurate crosswind leg , and then an accurate downwind leg , the next part is the turn onto base leg. We have taught you this by timing the downwind leg on 45 seconds flying from the level with the approach end of the runway before turning base leg. Speed at 85 to 90 knots. If the aircraft is correctly flown look in your rear 45 degree view, the airport should now be over the tail plane of our aircraft at about 30 degrees. The turn from Downwind to Base leg should be 90 degrees at 25 degrees bank angle . Lower 10 degrees of flap having insured that the flaps are within the white arc of the airspeed indicator. This is normally about 90 knots. Slow the aircraft to 70 knots for your final approach speed. Learn when to turn final by watching the airfield out of the forward 45 degrees view window. Bear in mind that the aircraft will push out in the turn . When established on final lower full flap. Look at the runway lights to the left of the runway. If you are too high you will see a horizontal row of 4 lights. If three or four lights of these lights are white you are too high. If three or four lights are red you are to low. If you are correct then you should have two red and two white lights. To help you judge your height correctly remember this. For every mile you are from the runway you should add 350 ft to the airfield height of the landing airfield. You should be 1 mile to go you should be 350ft above the airport 2 miles 700ft 3 miles = 1050 ft 4 miles = 1400 ft and so on With an approach speed of 70 knots you should be descending at 370ft per minute on the vertical speed indicator . I say approach speed that is with no wind. If you had a headwind of 10 knots then your groundspeed will only be 60 knots so less rate of descent. Applying the flaps will pitch down the aircraft giving you a better view of the runway. This also will allow you to fly slower and reduce the stall speed by giving you more lift. By applying flaps, you will bring the touchdown point in a glide nearer to the approach end of the runway. Get to know your angles of pitch and power settings. You will be doing this over and over again . The quicker you learn them the easier it will be for you..
Corrections If you are too high , close the throttle and let the aircraft rate of descent increase. If you are too low, open the throttle gently and decrease the rate of descent. Watch your
airspeed keep it at 70 knots indicated air speed . If you are flying too fast pull the joystick back. If you are too flying too slow push the joystick forward. This is the opposite of what most people think. They think the stick makes the aircraft go up and down and the throttle makes it go faster and slower. Not in take off and landing you now know the secret of flying. Remember to retrim the aircraft after every power or pitch adjustment. As the aircraft flies over the runway threshold close the throttle and then when the aircraft is about 10 ft off of the ground gently pull the joystick back slightly to hold the nose wheel off the ground. You should land on the rear wheels first. Keep the nose wheel off as long as possible. The nose wheel is quite strong, if you constantly land on the nose wheel first it will collapse at some point.This could cause propeller damage or injury to you or another person.. You will
have to get used to pulling the stick back on landing which is unnatural at
first. Drifting off Course If the aircraft starts to wonder off course to the left and right this could be caused by a crosswind or you flying with the wing down causing the aircraft to turn. In a crosswind you have to allow for drift. If the runway heading is 270 for example and you have 5 degrees of wind drift you will have to correct that by crabbing the aircraft along the approach path by flying a heading of 270 + or - five degrees.. Then just before touchdown use your rudder pedals to yaw the aircraft straight on the runway centre line. Learn to judge this correctly this too early or too late and the aircraft will skid off the runway onto the grass with undercarriage and propeller damage and your pride hurt as well. You may also have to give a bit of aileron into the wind to stop the wind lifting the wing causing a wing strike on the ground on the other side. Also remember when you are turning final, check your compass to the runway to ensure you have identified the correct runway. Accidents have happened in the past as pilots have landed on the wrong runway.
Windshear On windy days be alert for wind hitting buildings and changing direction affecting your groundspeed or drift allowance. Around coastal airports windshear is quite common. Air rises and circles with land and sea temperatures being different. As you descend through various heights for landing the wind could change 180 degrees. The wind at 2000ft is normally double the speed to the surface and can change direction by up to 25 degrees. It was necessary to make you aware of the landing dangers associated with weather fronts and this problem . Rolling Cloud around the top of hills and mountains are an indication of windshear or turbulence. Thunderstorms If a thunderstorm is over the airfield do not attempt an approach hold off or divert. The safe thunderstorm distance is 20 miles. Hailstones, Ice, turbulence can damage large aircraft so for you in a light aircraft it is extremely dangerous. Lightning can also temporary blind you. Heavy rain can cause a 747 to aquaplane on landing and skid onto the grass. So for your safety do not attempt to land. Underneath these towering clouds downdraughts of powerful air called a microburst could bring down a light aircraft. You have been warned. You as a uture Private Pilot holder are not allowed to fly in clouds in any case until you have an instrument rating.
Vortex Wake from Other Aircraft If you follow a large aircraft in on landing you will get this aircrafts disturbed air hitting you. If you are too close this can be uncomfortable and dangerous. A time of 8 minutes would need to be made between landings if you followed a 747 in to landing with a Cessna. This wake goes out and down so you may fly just above the glide path to avoid it. You should also touchdown beyond the point where the big aircraft touched down this will reduce it. DO NOT land in this aircraft's bad air. On take off try to take off before his rotation point. One last point do not get too wide on the circuit, If you have an engine failure you will want to be able to land on the airfield.
This ends your lesson on Approach and Landing. Please also see Joining the Circuit in VFR
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