It is said that any pilot is only as good as his last landing. Landing an aircraft on a runway is a complex process of maneuvers and control inputs that tests every student pilot to the limit. Even after flight training is over, a pilot will always aspire to make great landings – it’s the key part of flying where success can be definitively measured, whether it’s by a smooth, effortless landing…or something else entirely. .
When landing a plane, a multitude of things must be done at once. And since your landing will also depend on external factors (wind speed, direction, air temperature, etc.), even the best pilot only has so much control over how the landing is performed. No one makes a perfect landing each and every time, but with the following landing tips you can give yourself the best chance of impressing your passengers, yourself, and maybe even the tower operators too:
Make a strong focus – A great landing always starts with a great approach. On your downwind leg, you are already at pattern altitude. Already be at the correct airspeed. Check your heading indicator and make sure your plane is flying parallel to the runway heading. Doing these things ahead of time will free you up to really focus on your base and the final stretches; if you fall behind on these tasks, you will have to play ‘catch up’ with the entire landing process.
to concentrate – Flying with friends is always fun, but when it comes time to land a plane, the pilot must focus 100% of their attention on the landing process. Too often, a conversation will continue all the way to the runway, and the landing will always suffer for it. After calling the wind in his favor, he politely silences his passengers so that he can give his full attention to their altitude, speed, and position without other distractions.
stay center – Learning to fly on a wide runway and stay on the center line may not seem so important to you. However, as you visit smaller courses, you’ll learn that sometimes staying in the center of the track is the only option you have. After switching from base to finish, quickly line up. Focus on keeping the nose of the plane pointed toward that centerline, using small aileron and rudder movements to avoid drifting. When your landing comes around, that’s one less axis (yaw) you’ll have to worry about, freeing you up to focus on the other two.
Use Flaps Correctly – Landing a plane correctly requires landing in the right place at the right speed. Getting to that position and speed is the hard part, but luckily for you, you have some friends to help you: flaps. However, make sure you are using your flaps correctly, and not just automatically lowering them at a specific time or point during your landing sequence. Learning to land requires drilling the pattern with constant repetition, and it’s all too easy to just file flaps to the back of your mental checklist as something to “do” on your base and trailing legs. The truth is that a pilot must use an aircraft’s flaps in different configurations during different scenarios depending on wind speed, wind direction, altitude, airspeed, and the length of the runway it lands on. Setting your flaps too early will lead to a high approach, with overcorrection by dive bombing the runway. Setting them late could keep your airspeed undesirably high. Don’t think you have to use all the flap notches at all times: in some situations, it’s better to land with partial flaps or even (in windy conditions) no flaps at all.
Experience is the best teacher here, and it will take time flying in that particular aircraft to get used to optimal use of the flaps. He understands that it is not something that can be learned strictly from a textbook.
Use track numbers – When landing a plane, the phrase ‘aim for the numbers’ is commonly heard, but pilots rarely get to land on them. Most pilots are too busy looking at airspeed and pitch to worry about where the numbers are, especially on longer runways with lots of room. Still, you can use the runway numbers to help you get to your desired landing spot if you spend some time watching them during your final approach. As your touchdown approaches, you should have a good idea if you’re high, low, or right on target. If it’s high, it points to a spot somewhere prior to the numbers can help you lower altitude a bit. If it’s low, look a little past the numbers to raise your nose. Adjust the throttle where necessary so the nose does what it needs. This may seem like an obvious little trick, but if used during landing it can go a long way with your landing position.
slide sideways – A maneuver often talked about in any student pilot’s textbook would be the sideslide. During landing, a sideslip can be used to remove unwanted altitude without increasing airspeed or having to bomb the runway. By applying opposite rudder and aileron, the aircraft will glide vertically without changing its direction of flight. If you’re a student pilot, you’ll want to practice this maneuver a lot. Actually, it sounds more complicated than it really is. As you progress through your flight training, you’ll find yourself sliding sideways during landings without even being aware of it. Be comfortable with it though, because it’s a nice trick to have in your bag when you need to use it during a high final approach.
Attitude, airspeed, altitude – As the track approaches, your attention will shift to your main instruments. Airspeed is critical here, as you want to avoid losing speed at all costs. Be sure to stay safely above the minimum stall speeds for your aircraft’s flap setting, and also be sure not to go too fast. Adjust the nose of the plane to keep the airspeed needle where it should be and use the throttle to correct your height above the runway. If you monitored all three of these instruments during your base and final stage, you should be very close to your desired landing point when landing the aircraft.
look down the track – Looking down the runway when landing a plane is another great tip for getting the flare timing right – it gives you a better reference of the actual horizon than looking at the ground hurtling below you. It takes some practice, but eventually you can keep your balance by keeping your eyes on the horizon, while peripherally observing your height above the runway. As you do this, your hands will make subconscious adjustments to the thumbwheel that should smooth your glide path.
Flare, Float and Throttle – Knowing when to shoot is half the battle. Knowing how much to burn is the other half. Get both control moves right and your wheels will be greasing the track. During your flare, make smooth, controlled movements with the wheel or yoke. You are very low to the ground now, and any large or sudden movement will be amplified with disastrous results. Once it’s turned on, you should know right away if it’s high or low. A low flare can be fixed by gently applying more back pressure to the control wheel. High flare can be corrected by maintaining control pressure and applying light throttle power. Never drop the nose suddenly or dramatically when landing a plane…if you flare too high, it’s best to take out the ‘float’ and apply power if necessary to soften the landing. A good pilot always keeps one hand on the throttle during landing.
It is not over yet – The last mistake some pilots make is to think their landing is over the moment their wheels hit the runway surface. To avoid that classification, remember to control the entire length of your landing. The rudder is key as it now controls almost everything. Keep rudder adjustments small, especially right after landing when the aircraft is still rolling fairly fast. Also remember to rotate the flaps to adjust to the direction of the wind, to avoid being buffeted by crosswinds. Your landing isn’t over until you turn onto the taxiway.
Landing a plane is not easy… but landing a plane smoothly and correctly is even more difficult. Just as you have good days and bad days, you will always have good landings and bad landings. Still, arming yourself with the right knowledge and practices can go a long way toward scoring big touchdowns. Using the tips above, you won’t land perfectly every time, but you should see yourself consistently making better landings.