| oot, under-shoot, loss of directional control, wing tip | | | | these mistakes. When the wind is gentle and the |
| strikes ... are all symptoms of mistakes made BEFORE | | | | runway is long, all will be forgiven. So the question is: |
| the pilot touches down. Mistakes that are easily | | | | how to keep these bad habits from developing? |
| prevented - but not necessarily in a way you might | | | | I want to tell you about two exercises that have |
| think. | | | | helped pilots more that I could have ever imagined. |
| As a very young and inexperienced private pilot, I | | | | They are the 'very slow Dutch roll' and the 'controlled |
| landed at the Nuttree Airport in a Cessna 172 in 1968. I | | | | projected glide' point. Neither is difficult or dangerous. |
| felt pretty smug. It was a very smooth landing, one of | | | | Both simplify and strengthen any pilot's ability to land. |
| those landings that you could hear but not feel. Then a | | | | The very slow Dutch roll is a simple exercise done at |
| wind gust picked me up and I landed a second time on | | | | a safe altitude. It teaches two very important skills. First |
| a parallel taxiway. The pilot taxiing in the opposite | | | | the pilot learns to continuously move the stick and |
| direction was kind enough (or perhaps stunned enough | | | | rudders to control the airplane as conditions change, |
| or frightened enough) to hold short of a turn-off so I | | | | and second, the pilot learns how to cross control the |
| could move over to the ramp. I couldn't look him in the | | | | airplane in the most extreme circumstances. |
| eye as we went past. I mumbled some excuses to | | | | Here is how to do a very slow Dutch roll. Pick a point |
| my passengers that I didn't believe. I had just made the | | | | on the horizon and hold it steady as you change the |
| three biggest (and most common) mistakes a pilot can | | | | angle of bank, airspeed and flap configuration. Maintain |
| make when landing. | | | | constant altitude. Change your bank very slowly. |
| Determined to never let that happen again, I spend a | | | | Continue to increase the angle of bank until either the |
| great deal of time in the intervening 40 years thinking | | | | aileron or the rudder is pushed to its limit. This is the |
| about how to prevent these mistakes. The NTSB | | | | angle of bank for the maximum crosswind that the |
| says that a full 45% of the weather-related accidents | | | | airplane can handle. The cross controlled airplane |
| are caused by crosswinds and gusts. I believe it. It is | | | | slowly accelerates to the side for a minute or two. |
| time to introduce some little known techniques that help | | | | During this time, the pilot must move the flight controls |
| prevent these accidents. But first, we should look at | | | | continuously - an unanticipated benefit of this exercise |
| their causes. | | | | when I thought it up. |
| Landing too fast is caused by flying the approach too | | | | Let me explain the projected glide point or PGP. When |
| fast or trying to force the airplane to land before it is | | | | you approach the runway your eye will naturally |
| ready. The solution is to fly a consistent approach at | | | | gravitate toward a point on the runway that does not |
| the same airspeed, picking a safe projected glide point | | | | move in your field of vision. The phenomenon is much |
| (or PGP), and controlling the PGP until you land. But | | | | like when you are on a collision course with another |
| hold the airplane a foot or so off the runway until the | | | | airplane: it stays still in your field of vision but just gets |
| airplane nose has rotated up to the landing attitude. | | | | bigger. Well, there is always a point on the ground |
| Hold that attitude until the airplane lands. Using this | | | | where exactly the same thing happens. This is the |
| technique, you will consistently land at the correct | | | | point that you would glide to if you never made that |
| airspeed. | | | | last little flair to land. This is an extremely valuable |
| Failing to cross control in a crosswind leads to ground | | | | concept that can save you many hours of landing |
| loops, being blown off the side of the runway (the | | | | practice. I never heard another flight instructor talk |
| MOST common cause of accidents in the United | | | | about it but I am sure that many pilots use this |
| States), wing tip damage, or, in my case, flying over the | | | | technique. |
| infield and landing on a taxiway. To put it simply, cross | | | | You can control the PGP with power and drag while |
| controlling is using the rudder to keep the long axis of | | | | keeping the airspeed constant. To move the PGP |
| the airplane parallel to the long axis of the runway and | | | | closer to you, reduce the engine's power or increase |
| using the ailerons to keep the airplane positioned over | | | | the airplanes drag - usually with flaps. To move the |
| the runway. This guarantees that you will keep the | | | | PGP away from you, increase the engine's power or |
| airplane moving straight down the runway after the | | | | decrease the airplane's drag. |
| wheels touch. | | | | Put the two concepts together to make consistent, |
| Quit flying the plane before the plane is through flying is | | | | safe landings. Once established on final, use the center |
| one of the most dangerous mistakes that a pilot could | | | | line of the runway as your reference point for very |
| make. Its cause is lack of concentration. Its solution is | | | | slow Dutch rolls. Use the ailerons to move the airplane |
| good flying habits. | | | | from side to side and the rudder to align the airplane |
| I was lucky at the Nuttree. If the crosswind had been | | | | with the runway. Move the PGP to the same place |
| coming from the opposite side, I could have been | | | | every time. I recommend the runway threshold. |
| blown into a canal. Remember that just because the | | | | Consciously continue cross controlling until the airplane |
| main gear is on the ground does not mean that there | | | | slows to a taxi. |
| is no 'fly' left in the airplane. Also remember that if you | | | | These two simple techniques will get you to the same |
| fly the airplane just above the runway until it absolutely, | | | | place on the runway every time in a landing |
| positively will not fly any more, then it will an unusually | | | | configuration that compensates for crosswinds or |
| strong gust to put it in the air again. | | | | gusts until the airplane is going so slow that you can |
| It is easy to be lulled into the bad habits that lead to | | | | taxi to parking. |