How do you judge height from 50 feet to touch down?

[Chuck Ellsworth]

There is a point down the runway where apparent movement of the surface towards you ceases.

This point changes with speed.

I was not taught this by anyone else I just observed it myself and used it as another aid in training.

The best aid by far was the camcorder and the red laser pen. I could freeze the video where things started to go wrong with their approach or touch down and ask them what exactly they were looking at and what the picture told them regarding closure rate and height.

It was a very good aid.

But that was when I was teaching and had a reason to use it.

By the way when I was flying with the space shuttle pilot and pointed out the place where apparent movement ceases he said I'll be damned I never thought about it before.

Anyhow he was in the training department of Airbus Industries and gave me the A320 training because we were friends.  :)

[Chuck Ellsworth]

It is interesting reading something I wrote back in a time when I was still interested in flight training.

I am thinking of maybe doing some training again on a part time basis, I had decided  trying to teach in a country that has thugs as government inspectors was just not worth the effort but the more I think about it the more I am tempted to do it because the thugs at TC don't have the balls to start giving me a bad time again including the one that posts on these forums.

[Tailwind W10]

When I was still early in my PPL training, I got the usual "look at the far end of the runway" advice by my instructor. (who, for the most part, I was really happy with btw)  I wasn't terribly happy with my landings at the time, but the 'mighty 172' helped me out in taking the bumps.  Eventually in self analyzing I realized I was concentrating so hard at my focus point, my peripheral vision was totally blocked out.  When I finally relaxed a bit and the "whole picture" became clear, I started landing a whole lot better.


Gerry

[Colonel]

Landing a taildragger which is blind forward in
the 3-point attitude, will teach you to use your
peripheral vision!

[Tailwind W10]

Point well taken, and indeed i've been flying a Citabria exclusively for the last few years.  Of course the Citabria as excellent view over the nose so it's not the most representative example of a taildragger, but my point is being relaxed in the cockpit and letting all the senses work for you, rather than being tense with tunnel vision, will help out immensely.


Gerry

[Chuck Ellsworth]

[quote]
  [size=10px][/size]  When I was still early in my PPL training, I got the usual "look at the far end of the runway" advice by my instructor. [/quote]

That method of teaching started back around the early nineties and caught on really fast.

How the regulator will give an instructors license to anyone with such a limited understanding of flight training is really disturbing....until you talk to some of the TC inspectors in flight training and the answer becomes more clear.

[redlaser]

[quote author=Chuck Ellsworth link=topic=2298.msg7089#msg7089 date=1457045096]
We need some interaction here so I decided to see if I can get some going.

When I was in the advanced flight training business this was one of the most prevalent weakness I found in my clients regardless of experience levels.

So who wants to toss this subject around?
[/quote]


I look at the radio altimeter, and watch it count down.  That way you know exactly.