Faulty assumptions that compromise performance
Pick up almost any flight training manual and look at the illustrations for the approach to landing. The airplane will probably be shown in a nose-down attitude. Then, when waiting to take off, watch airplanes that are approaching to land. Most will be in a nose-down attitude. I call those pilots divers.
Occasionally you will see an airplane approach in a level-pitch attitude-the wing's imaginary chord line is parallel or nearly so to the horizon. I call those pilots settlers. It's a technique that all pilots should master.
After divers start the landing flare, you'll see them stretch their necks in order to see over the glareshield and the engine cowl. During that time, the airplane will usually float and several pitch changes will occur as the pilot attempts to get a greaser-the ultimate smooth landing.
After settlers start the landing flare, they will look not over the nose cowl but to the side of it and use what I call the pie-in-the-sky sight picture (see "Insights: Pie in the Sky," December 2004 AOPA Flight Training). The airplane will transition smoothly to the landing attitude and then touch down without excessive floating.
The aforementioned pilots are both making a normal, power-on approach. For a power-off approach, the airplane would obviously be in a nose-down attitude.
You can easily teach yourself to be a settler. First, observe the pie-in-the-sky sight picture during level flight at altitude. To start, look straight ahead over the glareshield at the horizon. Now, keep your eyes on the horizon, but look to the left of the nose cowl and establish slow flight. The pie-shape view that is then formed by the left windshield post and the left edge of the glareshield displays the information you need: yaw, pitch, and bank changes during flight plus lateral drift during landing.
To do this while landing, you move your eyes to the pie-in-the-sky sight picture after you start your flare and close the throttle, which occurs before you lose sight of the far end of the runway. When you move your eyes to the left, do not look down toward the ground. Keep them on the horizon. As pitch attitude increases, you'll be looking through the bottom of the pie-in-the-sky sight picture-but that occurs because you've increased pitch attitude, not because you mistakenly looked down toward the ground.
For the power-on approach, you should determine the power setting by sound, not by rpm, which will vary between identical airplanes because of the inaccuracy of tachometers at low rpm. Just get rid of propeller drag. You do that by closing the throttle, and then advancing it until it's obvious that the engine is turning the propeller, not the relative wind. In one airplane the tachometer might indicate 1,400 rpm, in another 1,500 rpm. Use sound to obtain consistent performance.
Now, using that power setting, put down full flaps-usually on final approach-and establish the level pitch attitude by referencing the wing's imaginary chord line and the horizon. In most light airplanes, your airspeed will be close to or at the desired approach speed. A slight pitch change may be required in order to establish that speed.
Remember, however, that the final approach speed published in the pilot's operating handbook is for when the airplane is at maximum gross weight. To avoid floating, reduce that airspeed when at reduced weight. The rule of thumb is to reduce airspeed 1 percent for every 2 percent below gross weight. A 5-percent airspeed reduction for 65 knots, a typical approach speed, is about three knots. When wind is gusting, add half the gust factor to your final approach speed.
Now, when you start your descent to the runway, notice that the airplane is settling toward the desired touchdown point on the runway, not diving toward it. This technique pays big dividends during all landings, particularly at night. As you settle toward the runway, it slowly gets wider and wider. But as you approach the runway threshold, you'll notice that the rate of runway widening starts to quickly increase. That's flare time. Start the landing flare, and if all looks well, close the throttle, and use the pie-in-the-sky sight picture as you continue to establish the landing pitch attitude. If the airplane starts to balloon because of a wind gust or an excessive attitude change, you'll immediately recognize the deviation and stop it.
Nice landing! Was it a greaser? With a little practice that's what you'll consistently get.
Ralph Butcher, a retired United Airlines captain, is the chief flight instructor at a California flight school. He has been flying since 1959 and has 25,000 hours in fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. Visit his Web site.
