"Magnus" wrote in message
...
Just curious how you guys perform this maneuver. From what I've been
taught you should flare with a little power still in to soften the
touchdown, and then keep rolling to avoid digging yourself into the
runway surface.

The increased power is not needed to soften the touchdown. It is needed to
keep the airplane rolling once it has touched down. You only use it on very
soft surfaces, such as mud or snow. You can land very softly in a Cessna 172
with no power and full flaps.

The approach should be at the same speed as a short field landing, but not
at the steep angle of a short field landing unless there is an obstacle.
Basically a soft field landing is a normal landing made at the approach
speed of a short field landing.

You cannot use normal braking on a soft field because it is usually
slippery. Dry grass (according to the C172 POH) will increase your landing
roll by 40%. Mud, snow or ice would increase it still further.

Nevertheless, the length of the landing area is not the critical factor in
deciding whether to land a Cessna 172 there. Takeoff distances are nearly
always much longer than landing distances. The increased rolling resistance
of a soft field exacerbates this problem. If the length of the field is such
that you are going to have difficulty landing there, odds are you will not
be able to leave.