Centurion wrote:
Cessnas as a general rule glide better than Pipers. I generally chop the
throttle on final when I'm still a couple of hundred feed shy of the
threshold... something I wait a while longer to do when I fly Cherokees.

Eeek. Try that little "throttle-chop" manoeuvre in a heavily loaded C206 or
C210 or even a C208B If your idea of a smooth, controlled landing
involves folding the undercarriage, then go for it.


Huh? I've got a couple of hundred hours in C-210s and only crashed one on
once... and that was after an engine failure! With proper airspeed control and
judging your flair accurately, it's possible to make soft landings with idle
power consistently. And trust me, if I was flying the 210, it was heavy!

Many trips to the Bahamas with six souls and scuba gear....


I've never flown any aircraft at the manufacturer's numbers and had good
results from "chopping" the throttle on short final unless I'm either hot
or high (or both)


My first chief pilot insisted on making every landing a short field landing.
That way, when I really had to stuff one in, it was just a normal day at the
office. I always flew a steep power off approach in Cessnas (except the twins).
And screw the manufacturer's numbers... they're really just a guide to one
aspect of handling the aircraft. There's generally more than one way to
accomplish the same.

In the C-210, I'd come in at 80 knots on final and bleed off from there on short
final. I have no idea what the touchdown speed is since my eyes are outside the
cockpit at that point. Steep approach, touchdown on the numbers or immediately
after, and soft landings so there's no bitching from the cheap seats....


But, in the event of an engine failure (in a single), I'd rather be in a
Cessna over a Piper, and I'd rather be in a Piper over a Socata
TB-series :P


Never had an engine failure in a Socata (never even flown one) but I absolutely
agree with your statement of Cessna vs Piper... and I'm speaking from direct
experience. I've crashed twice in my career... the first a C-210 (no injuries):
clean, it came down at 700fpm. The second crash was a straight tailed Lance and
it damn near killed me. Clean, it glided like a brick.... 1100 fpm sink rate.
And as I think about it, the Cessna was heavier with six of us on board as
opposed to only two in the Lance and no baggage.

I had a Lance 135 checkride after I recovered and I still couldn't reach the
preferred emergency touchdown point in the simulated engine out. Definitely a
lead sled....



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE