Scudrunners

I land the L39 and L29 like a 172 ... throttle to idle
at 50 feet and flare, touch down mains first.  People
try to make it sound difficult, but it really isn't.

The trick is to be smooth, precise and minimal during
the approach, flare, and touchdown.  Less is more.

If you're all elbows and knees and full control during
the approach, you're probably not doing it right.

The bottom line Colonel is there are few truly experienced good tail wheel training pilots left out there.


Most of today's instructors really have not been taught how to properly land a Cessna 172, how could they when their instructors couldn't either.

[quote author=John Swallow link=topic=7583.msg21058#msg21058 date=1512693667]
Eric:

Don't know your background, but did you ever get a chance to fly the T-Bird?  Idled at around 30 percent.  The fuel control unit was rudimentary and the throttle basically controlled a spigot somewhere in the fuel system.  Open it too fast and the engine complained.  Ignore the complaint, and metal started melting.  (;>0)

Jet engines today are much more civilized.
[/quote]

John:

I have a civilian background - the first jet I flew was the 737-300.

I've only operated the newer generation of jet engines - they're unbelievably reliable.

Chuck:

When I retired, we were given the choice of model aircraft as a keepsake.  I forsook the two company jets which I had flown for the attached.

One of the nicest handling aircraft I ever flew...

As a foot note the herc was a wonderful "dead stick" aircraft pull the power and flare just like a "light aircraft" which brings use to technique for short field - steeper angle and a flair seems the best but that seems to go against the way it's taught -- Col -- Chuck -- and yes a/c type, wing, flaps, etc all plays into it.

[quote]steeper angle and a flair seems the best but that seems to go against the way it's taught[/quote]

FTU's seem to have forgotten about landing over an obstacle,
which used to be a required task for PPL and CPL training.

Compared to what else has been bred out of the pilot population,
it's pretty small beer, I guess.

Irony:  FTU's spend [i]so much time and money[/i] teaching pilots
to land at un-certified runways (short/soft/etc takeoffs and
approaches) and

1) the students even aren't competent to land normally (or (gasp!)
with a crosswind) on a certified runway, and

2) at the end of all that useless and expensive and incompetent
training for un-certified runways, they are incapable of operating
off anything except a long, paved, dry certified runway.

I know, I know, flight training is horribly inefficient and expensive
and produces terrible pilots and [i]no one cares[/i].  Got that.

This is how a [b]deplorable[/b] does it:

[img width=500 height=319][/img]

[img width=500 height=500]https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0830/ ... 4x1024.jpg[/img]

I wonder if TC have t-shirts that say, "Go Deep State!" or "Swamp Creature"

[quote author=Colonel Sanders link=topic=7583.msg21097#msg21097 date=1512916947]
[quote]steeper angle and a flair seems the best but that seems to go against the way it's taught[/quote]

FTU's seem to have forgotten about landing over an obstacle,
which used to be a required task for PPL and CPL training.[/quote]

Sure, never practising over an obstacle might slowly drift into considering 'swooping low to a 'no flair'touch-down as normal[i]. G[/i]etting used to only 10000ft runways and habitualizing[i] faster/shallower[/i][i] landing approaches might be developing immunity toward the wiser ones (the more cautious and steeper). [/i]

You are the tailwind beneath my wings.

[font=Verdana]Do you use power all the way to touch down or do you land with zero power?[/font][font=Verdana]

I think the correct answer is “yes”

To pose such a question is to make it seem like there is a correct either or answer.


[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]So many types of aircraft. Landing under different conditions.  It is a mistake to assume they all land the same way, and I think the experience level of most of the posters on this forum is such that they know that.[/font]





[/font]

[quote]It is a mistake to assume they all land the same way[/quote]

You're kind of missing the point.  It's really nice, for those of us
that care about first principles, to understand [i]why[/i] some aircraft
like some power in the flare, and why some don't.

If you're only going to fly one type of aircraft in your career, I
guess it doesn't really matter.