Nice Shots!!  Did you do any touch & go's or did you
follow the rules in picture number four??

Hi Sean:

How much flap you carrying on final prior to touchdown.?

Are you adding flap on base prior to final?

With the stall horn activated prior to touchdown and right on the numbers I have 40 degrees of flap on the C172. 

I do not touch down half way down the field but on the numbers or as close to the approach end as I can.

One of the most useless things is the runway behind you!

Once the aircraft is on final and I am happy with the amount of flap I have, (no crosswind of course) and the nose of the aircraft is pointed at the numbers and trimmed I take hands off controls and trim.  Trim, Trim, Trim, the aeroplane will do the rest.  Fly with rudders and relax.

Over the approach end and at the numbers start to flair and as the stall horn goes off ease back on the power.
Let her settle on the mains with the nose gear dropping naturally.  On aeroplanes like the DC6, Cosmo and Herc you put the nose wheel on the runway but with a light aircraft like the C172 there is no need for that.

As for touch and goes...I see nothing wrong with them, done correctly they will sharpen your skills, especially on a 2000 ft bugsmashing grass strip.

Practise makes perfect buddy, just don't try to hard, it will come naturally without you realizing it happened.

That is one of the joys of flight, it will wrap you in its arms like a good woman one day and smack you like a professional fighter the next. 

That is why they say flying has it's ups and downs.

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

Thanx, Doug: I know all of the above; that's why it's goofy that I'm still tending to nearly 3-point this particular 'hawk.
I used 30 degrees flaps on final for the last landing; it helped. And oh yes, as soon as I roll out on base, i always chuck in that second notch of flaps, unless I'm practicing a slipping, no-flaps approach at a long runway on a calm day...
I've gotten into the habit of making short-field landings with flaps 20 max, from flying so much out of now-defunct 2N8 (more than 20, and it's unlikely you'd climb safely on a go-around there, esp. off 09, with two sets of power lines to clear!). Now I'm trying to get used to a longer, obstruction-free runway, and it's harder...!
Go figure. I'll admit I was a little bashful about getting properly slowed-up on  final that day- a little bumpy, with a slight xwind again, and I guess I'm still a tad gun-shy  down low, with only a handful of hours over the last 5 years. I know, it's silly, esp. with the extra power available from that 180hp conversion. But at least I've been descending sufficiently on base... that's a step in the right direction.
As for the flare: I was consistently flaring over the overrun area, but floating a bit too much, and experiencing the aforementioned difficulty using pitch to drop her into the stall zone without ballooning, something I never used to have trouble with. Probably  3 or 4 knots too hot in the flare, that's all.
As for t&gs: I guess they're just no substitute for full-stops, that's all. I agree that certain skills can only be sharpened that way, but lIMHO, if you're going around after you've touched down, you went wrong way back on final.

Hi Sean

Guess I should have caught this right away:

that's why it's goofy that I'm still tending to nearly 3-point this particular 'hawk

It may not be you buddy, but all aircraft are not rigged the same, most types are close, but there can be differences and perhaps this bird is one of them

I remember a Chippie that had the rear stabilizer replaced, that bird hated students with a passion.
That aeroplane had to be flown all the time.

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

Hi Sean

There is one thing left to do if all else fails...do not tell anyone about this

Whenever I go flying I always do my own walkaround, even if not pilot in command, I will nonchalantly, casually walk around the aircraft without anyone else close by.

At some point I will pat her on the nose and give her a little rub, with no one listening I will tell her what a wonderful looking gal she is.  I shall sweet talk her.

You know how to do it....you are not that old you can't remember your first date.

Now know one knows I do this so don't tell anyone, if the old girl found out I would be down in the barn standing in the corner waiting for the guys in the white coats

I never had an aeroplane not get me home yet, now I have had a few that didn't like my copilots, so they would act up a bit, the odd engine or instrument failure, nothing serious though. 

I would just tell the old gal after I was alone with her he wasn't much of a copilot anyways and pat her on the nose and leave it at that.

Well buddy you might want to try that the next time you fly that tempermental old gal, just don't let anyone hear or see you LOL

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

SHHHHHHHHH.....I won't say a word

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

You be good now beefhole or rotty and I will make you fly with one of us LOL

AND

ROTTY lands with his eyes closed

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

Quote:


Yeah, I've been working on my "blindfolded landing" trick... but for now I just close my eyes, because it takes too long to get the blindfold off if I sense that a go-around is needed...
but don't tell anybody...ssshhhh...