HOW STABLE DO YOU FEEL?


We’ve all been there. Either too high, too fast or quite simply, too all-over-the-place. Here’s how to stabilise your mind – and your aircraft


W


hat do you do if the approach is going to worms – hang on and hope it will all sort itself out further down the line,


or do you think ‘nope, this isn’t looking good, let’s bin it and try again’? And if you do go around what order are your actions going to be in? I’ve seen the results of the former, and they aren’t always pretty, while the latter has produced some interesting sequences of events… In the commercial world there have been a number of high profile incidents and accidents that appear to have a common link – CFIT on final approach because the aircraft might not have been in the right steady state for landing. Commercial operators have strict criteria that must be met to continue an approach. In simple terms these are based


14 CLUED UP SPRING 2021


around a set of ‘gates’ that ordinarily prescribe speed range, maximum rate of descent, aircraft configuration, position relative to desired flight path (lateral and vertical) and minimum power settings. If these ‘gates’ aren’t achieved by a certain point, a go-around is mandatory. Failure to comply at best results in a chat with a Training Captain. But what relevance does this have to General Aviation? Some of these gate concepts are wholly applicable to us and we should never be afraid of throwing away an approach that doesn’t meet some simple criteria.


The following thoughts are generic because there are many variables that contribute towards the decision on whether or not to continue an approach: pilot qualifications and experience,


aircraft performance and the operating environment will all influence decision- making. The overwhelming requirement, though, is to make a decision.


SPEED


In just short of 60 years there have been more than 43,000 Cessna 172s manufactured under various guises. We all know it’s sturdy, relatively benign and simple to operate with good short-field performance and an undercarriage that will take a significant beating. So why have there been so many bent C172 firewalls, written-off propellers and shock-loaded engines?


I have also seen a few aircraft implanted in hedges at the far end of runways. Investigation always seems to point at


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