height and certainly not once in the flare. Make sure you are trimmed in your desired configuration.


FLIGHT PATH


There’s little point in being stabilised speed, rate of descent and correct configuration if the aircraft isn’t pointing somewhere near the right direction. That probably sounds a tad obvious, but we still hear of, and read about, aircraft landing long/short or off the side of the runway. The art of flying a successful approach is being stabilised so that you only need to apply small adjustments to attain and maintain the ideal flight path.


GOING AROUND


One of the first manoeuvres taught to students is the go-around. The rationale (in case no-one ever mentioned it during your training) is that there’s an increased likelihood that early stage pilots won’t achieve a stable approach and will inevitably have to decide to ‘throw it away’.


Interestingly, as pilots become more proficient in landing, they tend to become less proficient in making go-around decisions, perhaps due to pride, economic factors or lack of confidence in completing


the manoeuvre. Whatever the reason, there are numerous accident/incidents each month that wouldn’t have happened if the pilot had chosen to go-around from an unstable approach and landing. The manoeuvre should be instinctive, and while the required actions might require some urgency, they shouldn’t be rushed. Again, keeping things generic, the go- around should have the following format:


Apply full power – nothing less. Be aware of rich cuts and carb heat. Manage pitch – applying full power will result in a change of pitch if not managed. In some aircraft this change is significant and you need significant elevator force until you can trim out some of this effort. Fly the aircraft, don’t let it fly you.


Arrest the descent – we’re not yet looking to climb away, we want to stop the aircraft from descending any further. Some aircraft simply will not climb until you have completed the next step.


Reconfigure if necessary – any reconfiguration should be minimal and in accordance with the flight manual. Ordinarily, this only involves the removal of drag flap.


Be prepared to go around


Ensure you have climb speed – do not try to climb if there is not enough speed.


Pitch up to an appropriate climb attitude – select a climb attitude that corresponds to the aircraft configuration. At reasonable height (a few hundred feet), remove flap, raise gear etc.


Note: I haven’t mentioned RT transmissions. The “go-around” call is largely irrelevant and should take second place to all of the above.


Finally, make the go-around decision early. If you are thinking about going around, you probably should be going around.


SUMMARY


I hope these thoughts stimulate discussion and encourage people to consider their approach profiles. If I were to be prescriptive, I’d offer that a pilot should have an aircraft correctly configured with a constant rate of descent and a steady approach speed in trim, by about 300ft when positioning to land. If this is achieved, the only challenge left is to achieve and maintain an ideal flight path.


16 CLUED UP SPRING 2021


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24