Short Field Landing Cessna 172 | CFI Checkride Prep | Private Pilot 

I teach out of the time Seattle Area. Hope the video helps! Try to come up a little short and then power up and drag it in (with an instructor to start). Being short is easy to fix if you have gone over it a few times. Being too long is tough if you don’t catch it early, usually the best answer is go around if your long. Also keep in mind that if you hit your spot your usually good for the check-ride. I know instructors that teach basically a precision landing and it’s good for the check ride. All the technique and tips end up being less important than making your landing spot. The epiphany of using the back side of the power curve and learning the real dynamics of a short field landing is pretty rare for private pilot, sadly. Your on the right track though ! Best of luck! If your learning in the Seattle area I’m available for a instruction.

Hope you got those short field landings down! Most examiners give a bit of leeway they know your still learning. Hope you passed easily !

Lol, yeah just me flying left seat for a change. Once you get the sight picture down (depending on wind ) it’s hard to over shoot using this technique. I like to aim a little short that way I can drag it in if needed. If I was going to over shoot I would have added just a little extra rudder to dirty up the plane ( not enough to really slip just a little extra wind resistance) and it would have increased my decent rate by 300fpm. That was a Cessna 172N, so we have the 40 degrees of flaps which make for some steep looking approaches if your used to 30 degree models. Thanks for watching and the great comment !

@@NEROAviation Lately I have been flying gliders and I like a steep approach. But so many power approaches I watch on video seem to be so flat. Not sure if it the camera distortion or if I have forgotten a normal approach. But when I flew 172s I was flying your type of approach. It's been too long.

We do our short field takeoffs exactly as you describe them. That was just a normal takeoff and pattern with a short field approach and landing. I don’t teach the short field takeoffs much as they are pretty easy. For takeoffs I do mostly soft field takeoffs since that’s the hardest of the three. Thanks for the comment! I don’t mind some critiquing it makes me a better instructor! Sorry I didn’t make it more clear what type of takeoff I was doing. Thanks for watching !

@@NEROAviation - Right. Soft field take offs take ability, Specially with a left crosswind. Good to do them as much as posible instead of the easy to do take offs. Any 3 hour student can do the wimpy normal take offs..

It would be my pleasure to do your BFR!

Thanks, glad I didn’t miss my mark... I hardly ever get to do all the flying!

I heard and old guy taking to a fast talking ATC controller and he said in slow measured words “ I listen ....at the same pace I talk”. I agree good communication has nothing to do with how fast you talk and everything to do with if others understand.

We have one 1978 that use 53 kts for short field... and the other 3 use 60 kts . They are all the same year and all look the same so go figure.

@@NEROAviation They have the same wings and flaps, so they should use the same speed. But by that year they were cutting the flaps to 30 degrees only. 60 knots is too fast for a short landing. I have done hundreds of them at 53 knots at full gross, power Idle. Im a CFi. If you used say 55 knots you didnt have to put power at all on short final..

Dang it! That’s the problem with instructional videos you guys pay too close attention lol. Good catch ! Thanks !

Had a neophyte controller the other day tell me to extend my upwind for landing traffic while I was abeam the numbers on downwind :)

Yeah I leave it on for landing. If I go around “everything full forward” . Carb icing happens pretty quick in some aircraft so base and final at low rpm without carb heat can lead to a more dangerous situation than the 300 rpm reduction I would get on a go around if I forgot to push in the carb heat. I just do what the checklist suggests. On a Cessna 172 it says carb heat in on the go around... it’s super easy and not out of the way. A Beaver on the other hand you have to reach for it and it’s back in on final. Cessna 172 either way will work but I suggest the Cessna carb heat on for landing method simply because icing up on base to final and then dumping in power for a go around and killing the engine would not be fun to explain to the faa. Why weren’t you using carb heat ? Not to say that would ever happen to a Cessna 172 ... but I don’t know if it’s possible or not. If you have a warm can of air and you turn it upside down and spray it how long does it take to ice up ? Your way is totally normal and lots of people use it, and teach it.

@@NEROAviation I just flew with an instructor a few days ago and he confirmed the same thing you are saying. Apparently it is very airplane specific. When I learned in a Cherokee it is recommended to just cycle the carb heat but for the carburetor on the 172s you should leave it in. Thanks for the info. Great video.

Awesome ! Great job ! Cross wind is tough for most private pilot students who usually don’t get a lot of practice doing it ( if any) before a checkride.

@@NEROAviation - FAA regs still demand CFI's to teach mild crosswind landings to students BEFORE SOLO.

“Teach” doesn’t mean that they actually get to do a real x-wind landing with a substantial x- wind. I really like x-wind training and try to teach in real conditions whenever possible.

@@NEROAviation Right.. Too many airplanes are destroyed by guys that cannot do crosswind landings. FAA should specify clear crosswind component on the FAA test. It is not required on FAA test. My CFI got a bit mad at the Examiner for demanding "A short field Crosswind landing at the max recommended" at a 35 hour student. I remember as I flared, I had to sink that right rudder and a lot of aileron while flaring. Not easy...

Simulate flaps up , back elevator and simulated max breaking should all have been done.

Thanks for watching !

Cfi check ride prep... if your doing it say it. I have very few thoughts that don’t get said lol. I’m actually shy, and when I was trying for my cfi they said “you need to talk more” lol . Thanks for watching!