Landing SportCruiser

[saintlfd]

Training for my SP rating in a SportCruiser. Today I did 5 touch n' go's plus the final landing--3 were pretty good, the other 3 not as much. My trouble seems to be in consistency in judging the flare, both the right altitude (I seem to want to flare too soon) and the right amount of back pressure.
My instructor says I am coming along well; just need more experience.
In the meantime, does anyone have advice regarding how better to judge these things? Any exercises for developing the right touch?

Thanks for all your help, guys, on this and so many other topics on this forum.
D

[FastEddieB]

First question:

Where are you looking?

[saintlfd]

I look mainly at my touchdown point until I get over the fence then I look farther down the runway.

I know I am having some difficulty judging where I am once the nose gets up in the way.

[FastEddieB]

I'll reply in depth tomorrow.

There's a passage in the FAA's "Airplane Flying Handbook" that has good information on where to look.

Track it down if you don't have it - it's available online as a PDF for free.

[designrs]

Just a student here with a lot of hours in the SportCruiser...

Do you know where the ground is? Do you know if you are 15 feet above the runway or 5 feet above the runway? I didn't!! My instructor asked, "How's your vision?" I said, "Perfect". He had me do a bunch of low passes... 50 feet above the runway, 20 feet, 10 feet, and 5 feet. That helped a lot... and was fun too! Sometimes after that I still had to glance briefly out the side towards the ground to find the ground (granted not a standard recommended procedure but it helped me at times). It took experience to judge height.

OK, so now you know where the ground is. So you get the plane 5 feet off the ground... unless you are too high, once the "nose is in the way" you should be very close to the ground so all you shoud have to do is keep that sight line steady (your established attitude for landing... hold that picture) until the plane naturally sets down. This is the most tricky part of flying the SportCruiser because it is sensitive in pitch. If you don't hold enough back pressure (increasing it as speed bleeds off) the plane will sink too fast. If you apply too much back pressure the plane will balloon (go up a bit) and then you could be high and slow which would require immediate corrective action before the plane slams down.

Keep practicing, you will get it!

[saintlfd]

I re-read the approach and landing portion of the Airplane Flying Handbook. It was helpful. Thanks, FastEddie

I also appreciate the advice from designrs. Described my trouble spot well. I will try sneaking a peek out the side at the critical moment. And flying along the runway at 5 feet sounds like a great exercise.

Thanks so much! Additional thoughts and suggestions are always welcome.

[Merlinspop]

I have no idea if this was reckless or astute on the part of one of my (many) instructors. Paul, please weigh in with your opinion as an instructor.

I was regularly flairing the T-hawk about 6 feet up, so on a nice, calm, scuddy day with ceilings too low for VFR, he had me taxi the length of runway multiple times (Class D airport...the tower cleared us on and off the runway and let us know where IFR traffic was inbound). First, just a regular, high speed taxi. Next, with the nose wheel off the ground (no wind), which gave me both experience maintaining the centerline with rudder and a imprinted the 'sight picture' of the flair pretty solidly in my mind. After doing that exercise several times, I could regularly do touch and goes with one, two or three wheels touching (depending on the x-wind).

I digress... my point is that the exercise really gave me a good feel for what the world outside looked like in a landing flair and it was easier round out into this attitude a foot or two higher after that.

Bruce

[designrs]

my point is that the exercise really gave me a good feel for what the world outside looked like in a landing flair and it was easier round out into this attitude a foot or two higher after that.

Yeah, the flair feels really weird at first, like you are sitting in a hole and too low. To this day, every time I do soft field landing I say to myself, "Drag Ass, Drag Ass, Drag Ass..." (it feels that weird) then as the landing roll slows... I say, "keep it up, keep it up..."

Next, tail dragger training!!

[drseti]

Next, tail dragger training!!

The way you've been taught to land, Richard, you've already started your taildragger training.

[FastEddieB]

Here's an article I wrote for the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/d61m9axtt2nfq ... tolook.pdf

Let me know if there's an issue with the link, and I can post it as three individual jpg's.

[saintlfd]

Oh, that is great stuff, FastEddie. Thanks!

[saintlfd]

My landings have improved greatly. Thanks for all the great advice on this forum!

Actually, I was sort of starting to admire my landing ability. Then, one non-standard approach command from the tower at KADS, plus a low-level gust of wind, brought me back to reality. I did a decent job of getting back straight-and-level on centerline, but my CFI had to help with the touchdown; I had allowed my airspeed to get way too slow.

My instinct really was to go around and I'm sure I would have, had I been solo. I feel okay with that. But the CFI had no trouble getting us safely on the runway; I don't have those skills yet. Or at least I don't have the presence of mind PLUS those skills, yet.

This whole flying thing can be very humbling. And a great challenge. But a lot of fun!

[designrs]

This whole flying thing can be very humbling. And a great challenge. But a lot of fun!

Indeed Dave. An instructor recently told me, "Nobody has perfect landings every day, regardless of skill. Just when you think you've got it mastered the airplane is going to humble you and show you who is boss!" That's what makes the challenge, fun, and rewards when you do it really good!

[drseti]

My instinct really was to go around and I'm sure I would have, had I been solo

Watch out for that trap of doing things differently just because your CFI is onboard. When you can ignore your CFI, listen to that inner voice, and initiate the go-around because the landing just doesn't feel right to you, you will have made the transition from Airplane Driver to Pilot.

[saintlfd]

Great point, Paul. While I was glad my instinct was to go around, I was disappointed it kicked in too late! More practice required.