The Golden rule of Landing Aeroplanes Nicely - for students

Land a Cessna 152 & 172 - A fundamental golden rule

One thing that can take some time for many beginners learning to fly is flaring the aeroplane correclty for a proper landing.

Before you go away & read my other detailed article on the Cessna Approach & Flare Techniques including diagrams, please have a thorough read of this post.

Before we discuss landing technique in detail in my next post, I will share the 1 thing that made by landing come right, & was the exact reason that it wasnt happening. Once my instructor clarified this in my mind, my landings became exponentially better.

Understanding the following golden sentence made my landing right, & has improved my overall flying & confidence significantly:

Power Controls Height, Attitude Controls Air Speed, (not vice-versa).

At any time in a standard fan propelled training aircraft:
More power = you will climb. Less power = you will descend back down.
Push Nose down = you will speed up. Pull Up = you will slow down.

Basic Technique (follow this & the humble Cessna will practically land itself)

If you want to go up, DONT PULL UP, GIVE IT A LITTLE MORE THROTTLE
Similarly, if you want to go down, TAKE SOME POWER OFF
If you want to speed up, PUSH THE NOSE DOWN
& if you want to slow down, PULL THE YOKE UP

 

When coming in to land:

For a 152 maintain 60 kts Air Speed (70 kts if 172) by adjusting your nose attitude.
When you feel youre too low, or going down too quickly, put in a little more power.
If youre too high, or climbing too much, take off some throttle. Easy!

If you havnt understood this, or want to know this in detail, it relates to the principles of flight, the 4 forces. If this hasnt been properly explained or understood, please go talk to your instructor & then do some google searching.

Soak this into your head completly, turn it into your instinct & you will find your landing just gets so much better.

Now you can read my other post on the details around the flare entry & hold & touchdown etc.

Do you have any golden rules that made or broke your landing?

So Im keen to know if you had understand this thoroughly before your first landing attempt? Did that help? Let us know.
Got any tips for us other new-comers to our fun flying sport?
Please Do post a comment.


Happy Flying, oh well, rather Happy Landing :)