Mastering the Landing Approach
Lessons in proactive flying vs. reactive flying
by Dave Scott
Introduction
It has long been said that the key to a good landing is a good approach to the runway — in other words, one that requires few corrections. Landing is not hard when the pilot can get the airplane to the runway without having to make many corrections.
Approaching the runway without many corrections hinges on coming out of the final turn aligned with the runway. Consistently coming out of the final turn already lined up with the runway requires keeping turns precise and starting them in the right spot. In short, a successful landing is accomplished through a singular focus on the setup to landing.
Good Landings Are No Accident
If you have ever watched a proficient pilot land, you probably noticed how easily they made it look. One reason is that proficient pilots tend to use a 180° turn to set up their landings because—compared to two 90° turns—a 180° turn requires fewer inputs and takes up less space, making it easier to see and position, especially in a crosswind.
The first step to achieving great landings is learning to perform consistent turns. Second, keep the final turn mostly level to avoid the anxiety and excess speed that tends to build up during a descending turn (Figure 1). After mastering consistent control inputs and level turns, begin determining where to place your turn so you consistently come out aligned with the runway.
Ground Targets: The Six Ps
There is an old saying: "Prudent prior planning prevents poor performance." Proficient pilots don't wait to make large adjustments to align with the runway; they anticipate where to start the final turn so few, if any, corrections are needed. Half the battle is won by locating a good ground target from which to start the final turn and come out on the centerline.
Steps to use ground targets:
- After determining the landing direction, walk out to the runway centerline and identify a ground reference on the horizon in line with the centerline.
- Estimate where you should start the final turn to come out near that centerline reference.
- Choose a ground reference (tree, hill, etc.) to mark that turning point (Figure 2).
- If there's a crosswind, consider its effect on the average turn and adjust the target accordingly:
- Turning with a crosswind produces a wider turn, so choose a target farther out.
- Turning into (against) the wind tightens the turn, so choose a target slightly closer to the centerline (Figure 3).
- Initiate the turn when the airplane intersects your line of sight with the target. If the aircraft does not exit the turn over the centerline reference, change where you start the turn next time (Figure 4).
Finding good targets will greatly reduce corrections needed to align with the runway and give you time to plan when to idle the engine and flare. To realize these benefits, your turns must be similar, which results from consistent control inputs.
Staying Ahead of the Wind
Although wind is often blamed for causing deviations, its primary effect is to exaggerate deviations and mistakes that pilots might otherwise get away with in calmer conditions.
In a crosswind, inexperienced pilots often complete the final turn when the fuselage points at the runway, then try to crab into the wind after noticing the airplane blown off the centerline. That reactive method makes the approach more challenging.
The correct method is to anticipate the crosswind and slightly overshoot or undershoot the turn so that the required crab angle into the wind is already in place when you exit the turn (Figure 5). The amount of overshoot or undershoot depends on crosswind strength.
Final Approach
Even the best RC pilots can only approximate the airplane's position above the ground at a distance, yet they consistently land on the runway centerline. That is because proficient pilots perceive how far the runway centerline is from where they stand and fly the airplane to that point in front of them. Rather than making hit-or-miss estimates of altitude above ground, proficient pilots keep track of where the airplane is heading in reference to themselves (Figure 6).
In most flying environments, the runway centerline appears approximately 75 feet in front of where the pilot stands. The objective is to maintain an approach that will bring the airplane to a point about 75 feet in front of you.
Compare this with simulator flying: because the runway does not come into view until the last moment, the pilot guides the airplane nearly to his or her virtual position, remembering the runway was directly in front of the virtual feet when taking off. The airplane stays close to the runway, and the small corrections to perfect the centerline when it comes into view are barely noticeable (Figure 7).
Controlling the Touchdown Location
Wind, model type, and other factors influence the angle and length of the landing glide slope, making it difficult to judge when to idle the engine to consistently land near the runway threshold. The solution is to reduce throttle and begin a gradual descent before the final turn to set up a lower approach. A lower approach reduces the guesswork about when to fully idle the engine since the airplane will not have far to go before touching down (Figure 8).
Determining the touchdown location is easier when you stand near the approach end:
- If you see the projected touchdown will be short of your position, move farther back on the approach.
- If the projected touchdown looks long, move forward on the approach to extend it (Figure 9).
A projected touchdown in front of you will be near the front of the runway; a projected touchdown well past you will likely result in overshooting the runway.
Common errors include not using ground targets and performing a diving final turn to lose altitude, and failing to establish good alignment before becoming distracted with throttle and altitude. These lead to angled approaches and more difficult landings.
Pilots who hold off thinking about throttle until after lining up have more time to manage throttle because the approach is less demanding. The landing flare and touchdown will be easier when everything leading up to them is more relaxed.
About the Author
Dave Scott is a winning full-scale aerobatics competitor, professional RC air show pilot, founder of the 1st U.S. R/C Flight School, and author of several RC flight training manuals. His books and articles feature accelerated training techniques developed while instructing more than 1,200 RC pilots during his school's four- and five-day courses.
More information about Dave's books and flight school can be found at www.rcflightschool.com.
Summary
The ease of your landings reflects the quality and consistency of the turns that set them up. How close you come to the centerline reflects how consistently you line up the airplane in front of yourself.
Keep the final turn nearly level and make sure you're aligned with the centerline before you think about idling the engine. Things will seem to happen more slowly, and you may find landing becomes a lot more fun.
—Dave Scott [email protected]
SOURCES:
- 1st U.S. R/C Flight School
- www.rcflightschool.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
