The proficiency of a teacher is not measured by the levels of education attained, but rather by how well that teacher is able to impart knowledge. And Eric, your presentation in this video has branded you as indeed a proficient teacher. Well done.
Thanks for explaining flaps for landing on such a brief and simplistic way. Much clearer than hundreds of other tutorials that speak for hours and don't say anything really.
"...that speak for hours and don't say anything really." I've noticed that quite a bit. Sad, but true. I think I'm going to enjoy this guy's no b.s. approach to videos!
Many years ago when I first started flying an old WW2 pilot gave me some great advice.He said most new pilots tend to overshoot the runway so hold the nose of the airplane under the numbers till you get close to the runway then adjust. Best advice I ever got. Allowed me to use the whole runway for landing.
"Stick and Rudder" is a marvelous book. One landing hint in it involves comparing movement of the view in the windscreen. The area you're aiming for is the part that doesn't move up or down as you approach. Once you learn how to see this, precision landings are easier.
@@GizmoMaltese Well, the point would move on the windscreen, but the same place on the runway would remain the "no-apparent-motion" touchdown point until your glide path changes. It's analogous to the centered "meatball" on an aircraft carrier's glide slope mirror.
@@richard94511 Right. The pilot sees the ball he'll say "{his number}, Ball, {fuel in hundreds of pounds}." If he can't see the ball, he'll say "Clara Ball." Really.
Nice video. Thanks for sharing. I find that there's an all-important transition point between crossing the numbers (pitched down) and pitching up to place the nosewheel out of harm. In this transition I aim to fly level above the runway for just a few seconds. It's where I rely on losing that last bit of energy (speed) and obtain the final foot or two of sink before touchdown. Transition to nose-up too soon (too fast), and the aircraft tries to take off again (then stalls, resulting in a 5ft drop to the runway - ouch!). In truth, this is the hardest part of flying. For me, at least.
@@joekirk167 I was taught to aim for the numbers, too. But landing an airplane is the single most difficult maneuver to perform. This maneuver actually begins on downwind and ends when you taxi off the runway.
It takes practice. My first solo attempt at landing an airplane, ended up being a go around. My instructor was pleased I performed the go around, rather than try to salvage the landing attempt and wind up damaging me and/or the airplane. My own rule of thumb is if I can't get the plane on the deck by midfield, go around. Perhaps, I was a little distracted when I was on downwind, looking at my instructor on the ground, instead of focusing on the pattern and the runway.
As long as you mantain the right altitude, the correct airspeed and flap configuration on the downwind, the base and the finals, you should be ok. Once you line up on the runway, mantain about 600/700 fpm descent rate, enough power to mantain your constant landing airspeed and you should be landing on the 1000 feet marker.
Most people learn this way, but it’s all wrong and while you can get by, you’ll never have full control over your approach and landing using this method. The key is to adjust your aim point to make corrections and to round out and flare. Pitch and power follows, but you are always always always aiming somewhere or you aren’t going to get there, even while taxing.
- Yeah, I also found thru trial & error that controling yaw, & roll helps in a smooth landing by lining up your wheels in the direction of travel. The diving forward, cartwheel tumble technique, although a favorite for attracting crowds, doesn't do much good for repeat flying.
If you fly a low wing a/c keep a tad of power about 600-700 rpm, you will float a little. I sometimes use a little power in high wings also for real "soft-fields". Landings for me really came together with my commercial ticket
Great video, focusing on power to maintain glide slope and pitch to control airspeed. I was flying for several years and working on my IFR before I solidly understood that approach to landing.
Such a great video. I have been fortunate to fly with a friend many times and while being present fro landings, never really new all the little details you've explained here. Would love a similar video of take off in the same simple approach. Thank you for this.
Did you know that there is a difference in meaning between New and Knew? Like many words that 'sound' the same - there are distinct differences in meaning. For example APPLE - Apple TESLA - Tesla ON - On Weather - Whether ARMY - Army NAVY - Navy To - too -- two It's - its Weight - wait There - Their ---- There are countless others - North Americans particularly because if their third-world so-called education (*indoctrination) system have very poor English language skills and most are functionally illiterate. The system only creates manufactured ignorance. And that Students / People do not read books anymore only exacerbates the problem. Which is why the USA is going down the Toilette - A deliberate plan to destroy the country and the culture - unfortunately - it is now irreversible. The CitizenSHIP is sinking - and very few have a life preserver Good luck and goodbye Cheerio
@@andrew_koala2974 People who live in glass houses, should not throw stones. His mistake was a simple and common one usually made when dealing with homonyms. Before criticizing others, you should first check your own grammar and punctuation, of which I see many mistakes that you have made. You should learn to punctuate correctly. For instance, you did not use a period after "Cheerio", and why is the word "Cheerio" capitalized? You also need to learn how to use paragraphs, and your usage of a hyphen between "same-there" should be a comma. From my analysis, you have a long way to go in terms of correct grammar and punctuation. The USD is the world premiere reserve currency; therefore, if the United States goes down, so does the entire world. Cheerio (Period)
Very serious information. Thought I would add a few more critical things to be a successful pilot. 1. Landings MUST equal takeoffs. If you can walk away from a landing, that acceptable. 2. Speed is critical. Not enough is real bad. Too much can be bad also. 3. Gravity is a constant, and frequently is not a friend. 4. If you're fortunate enough to have another licensed pilot in the cockpit, it is usually permitted to say (loudly) YOU HAVE THE CONTROLS!
Great tutorial Eric! I am a long ago private pilot and this is such great refresher for me. Very clear and very simple. Maybe your comment after landing on the rear wheels should include "lower the front wheel by gently pushing forward the yoke" Just saying "gently lower the front wheel" may seem obvious, but not to, say, a passenger who has to land an airplane in an emergency. That's why have been watching your tutorials. I fly as a passenger in Light aircraft in Botswana every week and have been through a couple of bird strikes over the years, so I have always liked to know how to land airvans, caravans and 206's.
Absolutely, best suscinct instruction that serves the Pilot, and the Aircraft.....I learned all of these lessons without ever going to school.....I was a mechanic, and got the sideshow education
This is a great video. Regarding the essential parts of a landing, I just want to add my flight instructor's advice: every landing is a crosswind landing.
This was the best tutorial on the entire internet.. It all clicked very easily. I hope, if you run a flight school, your business booms. People would be safer.
wow... i really really apprecaite what you put into this video! i love every small detail man, i have been researching how to land an airplane and by far, your video, this one beats them all.
I only took 6, one hour flying lessons at age 17 in 1963 & landed the plane, a Piper Cub, less than 10 times total! But, I feel that, "in a pinch", I could still land a small, uncomplicated one!
I learned to fly and did my solo out of Everett. Cross-country to Bellingham on a few occasions. Familiar fields! Landing on 34, in Everett, was "interesting", as the runway width was huge. Great video!
A long final is fine as long as you can drag it in with power, but what if you lose power in a single? The object is to land on the runway, not short of it. If you practice by pulling the power opposite the numbers on downwind, and adjust your glide with no power to land on or past the numbers, you won't have that problem.
Whenever I wanted to really impress a passenger I would attempt to grease the airplane, usually a C172, onto the runway, if there was little or no traffic and no crosswind, by putting on full flap just before the threshold and touching down with just a wee bit, the slightest amount, of power on. Often there would be no vibration in the plane at all and just a soft chirp from the tires to indicate the plane was down. One of my friends called me "old smoothie" when I used this technique. I was able to obtain smooth landings following the conventional rules in the North American T6 Texan, and TF-51D Mustang as well as an Air Canada Airbus A320 CAE pilot training simulator but I always enjoyed an opportunity to see a surprised look of delight on a passenger's face using the full flap technique under the right conditions.
I annoyed a check instructor by doing the opposite. Wanted a shortfield landing in a 172 so full flaps, screaming stall horn, and when it was about 8” high, dumped the flaps and stood on the brakes. It works. Isn’t pretty. He got kinda mad, and then said, “Well, I asked for it.”
I flew a C-172 for a long time. Found it would hold altitude in stable flight with 1600 RPM and full flaps. So when faced with a tricky landing (gusty winds, etc.), I would set full flaps at 1600 RPM so I could devote full attention to the outside without worrying about it stalling and dropping out. Then I could work it down gently and eventually touch down at which time I reduced power. Worked for me. Also determined that it took 300 feet of altitude to make a 180 degree turn without power, but that's another story.
I make it a point to roll out on final at ~400 feet AGL. This really helps to set up a consistent stable final approach. The sink rate in my RV-8 with CS prop is considerably higher than in a typical Cessna high-wing. So this makes me carry a bit of power into base and final. With a CS prop, I set the prop to full-fine before turning base and then adjust the throttle to achieve ~2,350 rpm engine speed. Without crosswind, this should bring me close to 400 ft AGL when I roll out on final. If the engine is backfiring a bit, which is not uncommon on base and final, I'll lean the mixture out just a tad till the backfiring stops. I don't see anyone recommending to roll out on final at 400 ft AGL or thereabouts, but it makes a big difference in terms of landing consistency. I always fly by the numbers. When in cruise I'm always WOT with mixture leaned back to about 7.3 gpm fuel flow (peak EGT). My EGT's, CHT's, airspeed, oil temperature always settles out at nearly the same levels which makes it easier to spot any abnormalities in engine base performance. Fly by the numbers...figure out what they are for your plane for each phase of flight and then try to stick to them. It soon becomes second nature.
My C152 landings got a whole lot better once I figured out that I could use slightly more power, right up until the wheels touch. Sink rate is pretty much irreproducible landing to landing (wind gusts). I don't mind going in with a bit more power, as long as I have runway in front of me.
When I flew Cessnas, long ago, I used the VASI lights to land on the dot. Those Cessnas were extremely easy to line up an approach, flare out and squeek the mains, every time. You would have to be a moron not to handle a Cessna properly. J-3 cubs are awesome for grassy strips, but the Cessnas are king of beginner flight...
The proper control of glide path is to pitch for altitude and add power as necessary to maintain airspeed. I have over 4,000 hours as a CFII, MEI and that is how I was taught and how I taught it. I can offer prove of this method from the FAA and AFM-51-37 (Air Force Manual).
That is a great video but am I missing something here? I was taught to lower flaps on three different occasions when nearing the runway. A third, Quarter and then full flaps are what I was told. Or is this a no-flap landing? Thanks for the video.
I live in Yakima Washington and we have a very long history with flight. Charlie McCalister, a long time pilot learned how to fly with instruction from the Wright Brothers themselves... yep, Charlie goes way back. He opened the original airport here, just a grass strip in the middle of a pasture to start with. We have a Regional Airport now. We also have a small museum dedicated to all things aviation. Charlie was interviewed and asked what the hardest part of flying was. He said taking off was like standing on a fence post and jumping down. He said landing was not so easy. He said landing was like standing the ground and jump up and landing on that same fence post. Yep, Charlie was quite the character... RIP.
You make a great instructor. I always wondered how you keep the nose up upon landing. But like you said, too much and the plane would stall. It's going to take practice for sure. Thank you for this. Stevie does an excellent job but I wish she would talk a little slower for dummy's like me. I still have no idea what the hell she pumps up on the left side of the firewall prior to engine start. She jacks that thing hard!
Nice video! On the ground the rudder pedals left/right steer the nose wheel during takeoff and landing and rudder will move too. Push the tip of both pedals at once to apply the brakes.............
We would always use full flap (40°) in Cessnas whether landing on bitumen, grass or dirt. Always considering the minimum speed for the undercarriage to meet the runway. Same for Piper Cherokees.
My dad was a chiropractor and he had a bonanza Beechcraft and I would fly to his doctor's office during the summer when I was in high school and weed-eat and paint and do things and then we would fly home at the end of the day. We had a house that was in a development where you parked your airplane in front of your house cold Sierra Sky Park in Fresno California. After years of flying there and to see my grandma and grandpa he would let me take off and eventually land. I finally got my pilot's license and we would fly me and my mom all over California and Nevada Oregon this thing with Cruz at 257 Mi an hour. It was a badass plane horizontal 6 cylinder. One day we were flying to my grandparents house and we stopped at Fresno Air Terminal from our house about 10 mi from the Fresno Air Terminal and got gassed up and had an oil change well the stupid son-of-a-b**** forgot to put the filler cap back on the oil filler pipe. We took off to go to Porterville and as we were lifting off down at the end of the runway and got Airborne the damn cat blew off or whatever we never found the cap. Boyle started blowing all over the windshield oil pressure started going down it was an emergency landing we did a 180° off take off and came right back down and landed thank God it did not destroy the motor there was a oil everywhere and it was on fire we had to replace the hood covers and some of the wires and the guy that change the oil and the company he works for were sued I believe it was like $7,000 worth of damage. Plus we did not sue for punitive we were both scared to death that we were going to blow up in midair and crash.
I'll never forget the first no flaps landing the instructor had me do, I was a little hot on final so I was stuck in ground effect just floating along, I kept back pressure on the yoke. On a 10,000 ft runway, didn't think I would ever here that chirp. Finally settled in and this irritated A.T.C voice came ov and announced, "congratulations 9541POPA, A 172, you just ate up enough runway to land an F16.
I clicked on this video out of curiosity. Then noticed its local as well. I live on Whidbey Island. It was cool to see what i assume was KBLI and KPAE?
When I took Light Sport lessons out of Falcon Field in Mesa Arizona, the biggest challenge was chop and occasional wake turbulence, especially since Arizona from the springtime onward can be unkind to Light Sport aircraft, light as they are. I also learned to fly trikes under LSA, and found them more forgiving in chop--no rudder to worry about, or flaps, or trim--just the proper pressure on the trapeze, maintaining a relaxed grip thru all phases of flight My CFI and I practiced trike engine out drill on a 150 yard long gravel wash, about fifteen miles from our gravel strip. We flew in winds aloft, unforecast, over 25 knots but they were no sweat, whereas in a fixed wing aircraft they would have presented a challenge. Which type of aircraft do I prefer? Fixed wing for cross country, I've even flown a Luscombe which required me to hand prop it, and it started on a qtr pul. Trikes for recreation, and since hangar rent around Phoenix makes ownership impractical for non business ownership, I always rent, and also request a CFI to be aloft with me, which makes the flight instructional and relaxing. I have flown more than a half million miles as a business traveler, and since my first flight in a Lockheed Electra jet prop in 66 at age five, I have been hooked on soaring over our world, and the humility and euphoria it provides, so I chose a career (as a hospitality systems instructor) that provided domestic and international travel, leading me to a wife who one Christmas gave me a free LSA lesson certificate, and I started flying myself, and walking away from my landings, which is the most important part of general aviation, other than the flights themselves.
You did not experience wake turbulence in a light sport aircraft or you would not be alive to talk about it....wake turbulence is generated by other aircraft and in a small plane or kite can easily take away your lift and/or flip you over. Ground turbulence from hot rising air is not the same thing, nor is clear air, mechanical, inversion or thunderstorm turbulence. Those are categorized as light (or chop), moderate, severe and extreme. Extreme turbulence can take a passenger jet out of the air.
@@speedomars3869 I did not say I did--learn to read, it does wonders. A trike, when landing, leaves some wake turbulence behind it, and my CFI suggested to wait a moment after I taxied the short distance to take off from the wash we landed in. All aircraft leave wake turbulence, even my motorized RC glider does and if I fly into it, the glider makes "unscheduled" attitude changes. This is also a year of college meteorology talking, which I recommend for all pilots, those who don't wish to learn pilotage will find out the hard way why knowing how the wind interacts with terrain, heat, and its own thermal activity helps. There are cocky pilots, and old cocky pilots, and that shows in your answer and reading skills.
@@Cactus521 Since you are not required to get pilot training which explains why you show a lack of knowledge. Wake turbulence at a level of concern is NOT generated by an ultralight (or an small RC aircraft) the lack of weight and power. Wingtip vortex turbulence is most pronounced in large, heavy aircraft due to the extreme amount of lift needed to get them airborne and keep them airborne while in flight. Smaller piston single planes can also generate it, but to a minor extent. You are likely referring to ground effect and to mechanical turbulence generated by rising air from the heating of the ground. No aircraft is affected by its own wake turbulence, btw. The turbulence trails off the wing tips and flows behind and behind the wing. The danger is to other aircraft, not to the one generating the vortex waves.
@@speedomars3869 Whatever, stupid argument, I am just repeating what the trike CFI told me. I never said I was a CFI, so if you have a problem with what I said, argue with a CFI, this is as they say what comes out of a bullhorn's arse, and you are the bullhorn.
Flaps are exactly like the gears on your car. 1st gear is full flaps. Overdrive is zero flaps. On takeoff and landing you prefer full flaps for ultimate lift force to compensate for the low vehicle air speed. Once cruising up high with the vehicle's momentum undisturbed, reducing flaps completely will reduce drag as much as humanly possible, and will also reduce lift and maneuverability 😮 but you don't need as much lift or dexterity way up high anyway. So, like a car progresses through gears as it accelerates and, likewise, regresses through gears as it decelerates - the plane uses full flaps (1st gear) at takeoff and progresses through less and less flap angle as the plane accelerates until flaps are fully retracted at cruising speed. For landing, the plane must slow down and must compensate for the loss of lift and maneuverability by extending the flaps... Thought Experiment: If a racecar driver were stuck in 6th gear for a sharp turn upcoming, she wouldn't be able to make dexterous moves while relying on only brakes to slow the vehicle, and then after the turn, trying to accelerate would not only take forever, but it would again make maneuverability seem like slow motion... Semi-trucks rely on correct up-and-down gear changing for other purposes, but for the same exact principle of physics. So yea, you can think on it some more, but it's almost an exact analogy. 1st gear in your truck is like full flaps on a jumbo jet. Your truck will roar through first and second gears while carrying a full load up an incline. The jet will maintain 90-100% flaps on takeoff with full load on board. Your truck rpms raise as the road levels out, now you gotta merge on the freeway. You burn through 3rd, 4th, 6th gears as the truck gets up to speed. The pilot will retract flaps to 60, 50, 40% as the plane ascends in the air gaining tons of speed. Your truck will cruise at nearly the highest gear, or the actual highest gear when keeping 75mph and maneuverability is not a high requirement since the road is very gradual and built to cruise without stopping. The jet will retract through 20% 10% and finally zero % flaps, relying only on the wing's fixed pitch to maintain lift at 30,000 feet. Maneuverability and lift is likewise lowered, but that's no longer needed because the vehicle's momentum is so great it doesn't need as much assistance to keep it going.
Good but I wish I could see which controls you were using when you increased/decreased speed etc. Also what's flaring? Ive heard that before. Wiki no help. Is it puling back or pushing forward the yoke to raise/drop the nose depending which type of front or rear landing gear you have?
I've just got to share this story here for people who are obviously interested in piloting. I was stationed at Kelly Air force Base from 1979 - 1982. Kelly is (or at least was) the Air Force Logistics Command Headquarters. C5 Galaxys line the runways with enormous hangers but there was also about every type military aircraft imaginable in and out of Kelly every day. This video is about landing??? I was parked on the perimeter road at one end of the runway as I often did. The aircraft were landing directly overhead and I was about 400' from end of the runway. Here comes an F4 Phantom absolutely screaming from the opposite direction about 200' off the ground and 1/4 mile off parallel to the runway. I thought "hotdog has gone stark raving mad!". As he neared the end of the runway he pulls into a high G full 180 degree turn and and sets his LEFT WHEEL ONLY onto the runway lined up straight down the middle. He kept the burners going and went screaming LEFT WHEEL ONLY about half way down the runway before setting down the right wheel. Without a doubt the most awesome landing I ever witnessed!!!!
Once I was watching a video, the pilot of an small two passengers aircraft died suddenly while in the air. The passenger who was sitting next to him had no experience in flying just the basic. He managed to land the plane by having instruction from the ground even an small plane join him while in the air to be his direction. We all must have some amount of knowledge in flying just incase if that happens to me - I can land the plane safely on the ground. By having that in mind I appreciate very much for allowing me to know how to land an small aircraft or an airplane!
These principles have not changed in 100 years. What has changed is the introduction of ILS systems and other visual aids like glass cockpits and audio call-outs (sink rate, glide slope, etc).
Great vid, really explains alot. What's the diff betw aillerons (sp?) and flaps?? Like you said, takes alot of practice to hone those flying skills, and I've always heard that hobby pilots need to fly often or those skills will get rusty and imperil the pilot's perf.
