One of the most important skills that any pilot can have is the ability to judge an airplane’s glide potential. You learn how to do this by pulling the power back to idle and observing the results. But if students are introduced to landings by flying a wide pattern and a long final approach with the use of power, there’s no opportunity to learn about their airplane’s glide potential. Here’s one way to introduce your students to landings using the power-off approach method (and this works even if the traffic pattern is busy).
During your first introduction to landing practice, instruct the student to pull the throttle back to idle the moment he or she thinks the airplane can glide to the runway at the appropriate speed. That’s right. Let him or her make that decision (but feel free to cough or clear your throat as a clue for a clueless student about when to pull the throttle aft).
If the student is either lucky or skilled, he or she will estimate properly and make the glide to the runway. In the process, he will learn a little bit more about how the airplane glides. If, however, the airplane is going to be either too high or too low, let the event unfold until it becomes obvious (to you, at least) that the landing portion of runway isn’t within reach.
Feel free to cough once again to help instigate the student’s application of power or flaps to properly alter the glidepath for landing. This training strategy accomplishes two things. First, it helps students learn how the airplane they are flying descends when gliding. Second, it increases your supply of cough drops.
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