taking my checkride today, or tomorrow

[Jack Tyler]

The article Richard recommended is detailed & thorough. But where does it leave one a month or season later? How much of that guidance will be actively used by the reader at some future time? I think that's where the rub comes with most 'good guidance' info. There's no shortage of sage advice; it's the application that challenges us.

Probably everyone here has read some article or viewed a checklist regarding personal minimums. Air Safety Institute's checklist (with recommended limitations) is one good example:
http://flash.aopa.org/asf/volunteerpilo ... ations.pdf

What I found to be a surprising challenge - and has helped me keep my own personal mins in mind - was to summarize them on a slip of paper and put it in my wallet. Do I pull it out often? No need. But on occasion, when viz or wind or other factors causes me to wrestle with the Go/No Go decision, comparing my flight brief with those limitations I created at a time of reflection and no pressure has served a useful purpose.

[CTLSi]

......

[CharlieTango]

I find slipping essential to precision. If I rely on flaps alone my judgement will be off due to gusts most of the time.

If you slipped to fine tune your touch-down point or for some other reason like to clear an obstacle or demonstrate a slip I would be impressed however if you routinely slipped and still were not consistent with your touchdown point I would see it as a negative.

[3Dreaming]

I agree that the use of a slip should not be a standard approach technique. A slip should only be used as one way to deal with high xwind conditions and not to lose altitude on a poor extended or short approach in order to 'save' a landing.

The airplane I learned to fly in had no flaps, so slips were a normal practice. In some airplanes the slip serves more purpose than crosswind landing and a messed up landing approach. I some airplanes you need to slip the airplane to be able to see the runway while you are on final.
Now that you have your ticket you should consider taking some additional training in some other aircraft. Find someplace and get a tail wheel endorsement in a J3 Cub. Find someplace that offers upset or aerobatic training and sign up for a course. If you do this you will find there is more in the world of aviation than your CTLSi, and it will help to make you a better pilot.

[CTLSi]

......

[CharlieTango]

There is no legitimate reason to 'save' a high approach...

Ever been out of gas? Seems to me you were once, didn't you slip the approach?

I'm not trying to give you a hard time but over the years I have found that slips are useful for many things. Sometimes I want to descend steeply but I also want to keep my airspeed up, in that case flaps don't work but a slip does.

[drseti]

there is no reason other than cross winds to use a slip to land, unless you are forced to make a steep decent due to obstacles or terrain.

Or, unless you are flying an airplane that was designed without flaps, where the POH specifies landing in a slip! This is how we were taught to land in the Aeronca Champ, "back in the day."

[CTLSi]

......

[3Dreaming]

I agree that the use of a slip should not be a standard approach technique. A slip should only be used as one way to deal with high xwind conditions and not to lose altitude on a poor extended or short approach in order to 'save' a landing.

The airplane I learned to fly in had no flaps, so slips were a normal practice. In some airplanes the slip serves more purpose than crosswind landing and a messed up landing approach. I some airplanes you need to slip the airplane to be able to see the runway while you are on final.
Now that you have your ticket you should consider taking some additional training in some other aircraft. Find someplace and get a tail wheel endorsement in a J3 Cub. Find someplace that offers upset or aerobatic training and sign up for a course. If you do this you will find there is more in the world of aviation than your CTLSi, and it will help to make you a better pilot.

I have no interest in a tail wheel. I have flown a dozen other aircraft including high wing STOL Zodiak Jeep and a low wing metal (Zodiak 601) and carbon fiber (Samba). I have also flown the Cessna 172.

My comments stand. There is no legitimate reason to 'save' a high approach. And there is no reason other than cross winds to use a slip to land, unless you are forced to make a steep decent due to obstacles or terrain.

In your first post you said there is only one reason to slip an airplane, and now you say there are two. Maybe as your aviation life goes on you will realize there are more reasons beyond those. My suggestion about adding a tail wheel endorsement or additional training in different areas of aviation had nothing to do with whether you are interested in tail wheel airplanes or not. It had to do with making you a better pilot, and expanding your aviation horizons. If you don't want to become a better pilot that is up to you

[FastEddieB]

Most of you guys have seen my videos, where for practice I often try to land ON the numbers and sometimes succeed.

I virtually always use my Sky Arrow's full 30° of flaps, unless the wind is really howling.

And I try to come in high enough that even with full flaps I can slip to "fine tune" my approach path.

Works well for me.

I, too, used to own a plane without flaps - a Citabria 7ECA. I think that helped me to see how useful slipping could be as a tool to put the plane down right where I wanted it.

[3Dreaming]

Most of you guys have seen my videos, where for practice I often try to land ON the numbers and sometimes succeed.

I virtually always use my Sky Arrow's full 30° of flaps, unless the wind is really howling.

And I try to come in high enough that even with full flaps I can slip to "fine tune" my approach path.

Works well for me.

I, too, used to own a plane without flaps - a Citabria 7ECA. I think that helped me to see how useful slipping could be as a tool to put the plane down right where I wanted it.

I used to be a put it on the number type of guy. That was until a person who knew much more about aviation than I did told me, there are far more accidents with airplanes clipping the end of the runway or coming up short trying to hit the numbers than those who are trying to hit a spot a little farther down the runway. As a mechanic I have replace a damaged wheel where they caught the lip of the runway, and I have also replaced damaged parts in a Piper Arrow wing that caught the end of the runway. Because of all of this I try to hit my spot that is a little farther down the runway, unless the runway is short and I need all of it's length.

[MrLupin]

Congratulations on your successful check ride. Its a great feeling - I just passed my check ride early September.

Funny thing, at least to me - the DPE said to do a steep turn in whichever direction I wanted. He said I might want to go left because that is generally the easiest. I told him I'd prefer to go right - my steep turns to the right are much better as I'm a staunch Republican. He actually laughed! I thought he would have heard that joke before but he hadn't.

[SportPilot]

.......

[designrs]

There is absolutely no problem with slipping to get down from a higher altitude and land as long as the slip is started at a safe altitude and the plane is landed at a position on the runway to allow ample stopping distance.

… and that you keep your airspeed up!

[designrs]

I think there are some airplanes where slips are prohibited or slips with flaps are prohibited.

Yeah, I had one young instructor that would not slip with full flaps. Turns out that is was not a factor with the SportCruiser / PiperSport that we were flying. Slips with full flaps were fine.