"Darkwing" theducksmail"AT"yahoo.com wrote in message
...

So here I am getting ready to flare, power out, so I come level about a
foot or two off the runway, hold a nose high attitude and just wait on the
mains to touch and I'm still waiting and it's sinking and I'm STILL
WAITING and it's still SINKING and I'm STILL waiting then I think OH ****
I'M TO HIGH! BAM! The bottom fell out and I SLAMMED that 172 into the
runway. How I didn't crash it I don't know. I must of been 4-6 feet off
the runway, not 1-2. I promptly got my instructor in the plane and
relearned how to visualize night landings.

---------------------------------
DW

There is a tendency when landing at night to visualize the runway as the
plane made by the runway lights. Typically this plane is a couple of feet
above the actual runway. You then make a beautiful landing on that virtual
runway defined by the lights and then plummet that invisible couple of feet
to the actual runway. This happens most often when you are doing night
landings without the landing lights. Hopefully the landing lights will let
you pick up the actual runway in your visual field when you get close and
you can adjust your landing accordingly.

Of course, you may have the same problem I have. In by big old WWII bird
my eyes are higher than usual above the runway when I land. Then when I
climb into a Cessna I tend to land at the proper eye level for my airplane,
leaving the Cessna gear substantially above the runway! Easing on a bit of
power to keep the sink rate from getting out of hand allows one to settle
gently onto the runway, albeit a bit furthur along than you had anticipated.
Ok with 4000 feet of runway, not so good on Wilbur's 1300 foot strip! :-)

Highflyer
Highflight Aviation Services
Pinckneyville Airport ( PJY )