Normal & Crosswind Landings
In order to prepare your airplane for landing you will first need to complete the descent checklist prior to beginning your approach. This will ensure that the airplane is set up and will keep you from any extra distractions during your final approach. As you approach the airport, use either the traffic pattern procedure outlined earlier or the instructions given to you by ATC to position the airplane on downwind approximately a half mile from the runway.
Make power adjustments as required for the current conditions and trim the airplane as necessary while you are established on downwind, select the point on the runway where you intend to land. This point could be a particular runway, stripe or marking or even the intersection of an adjacent taxiway. By selecting an aiming point, you will be able to better manage your descent and will ensure that you touch down with plenty of runway remaining. Once the airplane comes a beam, your intended point of landing. Set the flaps to ten degrees. As the flaps move down, the nose will have a tendency to pitch up so a little forward pressure on the elevator will be required to maintain your pitch attitude.
Place the top of the compass on the horizon as an initial visual reference. When the point of intended landing is 45 degrees behind you start your base turn and remember to correct your drift for the current wind conditions once established on the base leg.
Set your flaps to 20 degrees and compensate for the tendency of the nose to pitch up as you add flaps, lower your pitch attitude to approximately three degrees nose down and establish a seventy- knot descent. Don't forget to retrim the airplane for the new configuration before you begin your turn to final. Visually verify that the opposite base and final approach path are both clear of other traffic. Once you've cleared the area, it is safe to begin your turn to line up with the runway. Remember to adjust your roll rate based on the wind conditions. A tailwind on base will require a higher rate of roll than a headwind. So plan ahead and be careful not to under or overshoot your turn when you have lined up the airplane on final. Verify that the magnetic heading matches the intended runway and call out runway and runway number verified.
You can make your final corrections to ensure that you will land on your aiming point at this position, your aiming point should appear not to be moving up or down on the windscreen. If the point is moving down in your field of vision, you are too high and should reduce your power and lower your nose to re-establish the airplane on the proper glide path. If the point appears to be moving up on the windscreen, the airplane is too low. You will need to add power and raise the pitch slightly to adjust so that you will land on the intended point on the runway. Small adjustments like these may be necessary all the way down. For the final, depending on the wind conditions prior to descending through 300 feet above field elevation, complete the descent. Final items flow to make sure that the airplane is fully configured for landing at 200 feet. If the airplane is in a stabilized approach, meaning that you are on speed configured and on glide path, call out feet stabilized.
Begin your round out by reducing your power to idle. Remember that as you reduce the power, you will lose the downwash over the elevator so you will have to increase back pressure on the yolk to keep the nose from dropping. Continue slowly, increasing the back pressure and raising the nose in the flare until the main wheels touch down.
You should be just above stall speed at minimum controllable airs speed when you touch down and the pitch attitude will be similar to that of the power off stall. Continue to hold the back pressure on the yoke to keep the nose wheel off the ground and maximize aerodynamic braking as the airplane slows down through the rollout. Maintain directional control throughout the rollout and maximize aerodynamic braking by keeping the back pressure on the yoke as you approach your exit from the runway smoothly apply the brakes and slow just enough to safely make the turn and exit the runway. Once you have cleared the hold short line with the entire airplane, bring the aircraft to a stop and complete the after landing checklist.
Make power adjustments as required for the current conditions and trim the airplane as necessary while you are established on downwind, select the point on the runway where you intend to land. This point could be a particular runway, stripe or marking or even the intersection of an adjacent taxiway. By selecting an aiming point, you will be able to better manage your descent and will ensure that you touch down with plenty of runway remaining. Once the airplane comes a beam, your intended point of landing. Set the flaps to ten degrees. As the flaps move down, the nose will have a tendency to pitch up so a little forward pressure on the elevator will be required to maintain your pitch attitude.
Place the top of the compass on the horizon as an initial visual reference. When the point of intended landing is 45 degrees behind you start your base turn and remember to correct your drift for the current wind conditions once established on the base leg.
Set your flaps to 20 degrees and compensate for the tendency of the nose to pitch up as you add flaps, lower your pitch attitude to approximately three degrees nose down and establish a seventy- knot descent. Don't forget to retrim the airplane for the new configuration before you begin your turn to final. Visually verify that the opposite base and final approach path are both clear of other traffic. Once you've cleared the area, it is safe to begin your turn to line up with the runway. Remember to adjust your roll rate based on the wind conditions. A tailwind on base will require a higher rate of roll than a headwind. So plan ahead and be careful not to under or overshoot your turn when you have lined up the airplane on final. Verify that the magnetic heading matches the intended runway and call out runway and runway number verified.
You can make your final corrections to ensure that you will land on your aiming point at this position, your aiming point should appear not to be moving up or down on the windscreen. If the point is moving down in your field of vision, you are too high and should reduce your power and lower your nose to re-establish the airplane on the proper glide path. If the point appears to be moving up on the windscreen, the airplane is too low. You will need to add power and raise the pitch slightly to adjust so that you will land on the intended point on the runway. Small adjustments like these may be necessary all the way down. For the final, depending on the wind conditions prior to descending through 300 feet above field elevation, complete the descent. Final items flow to make sure that the airplane is fully configured for landing at 200 feet. If the airplane is in a stabilized approach, meaning that you are on speed configured and on glide path, call out feet stabilized.
Begin your round out by reducing your power to idle. Remember that as you reduce the power, you will lose the downwash over the elevator so you will have to increase back pressure on the yolk to keep the nose from dropping. Continue slowly, increasing the back pressure and raising the nose in the flare until the main wheels touch down.
You should be just above stall speed at minimum controllable airs speed when you touch down and the pitch attitude will be similar to that of the power off stall. Continue to hold the back pressure on the yoke to keep the nose wheel off the ground and maximize aerodynamic braking as the airplane slows down through the rollout. Maintain directional control throughout the rollout and maximize aerodynamic braking by keeping the back pressure on the yoke as you approach your exit from the runway smoothly apply the brakes and slow just enough to safely make the turn and exit the runway. Once you have cleared the hold short line with the entire airplane, bring the aircraft to a stop and complete the after landing checklist.