Power-out spot landing techniques?

Congratulations, Rich!
As many of us will tell you, you have earned a "Certificate to Learn".
You will never "master" any one aspect of aviation. There are just too
many variables.
Every time you take off, cruise or land, something is always different.
Weight, temperature, wind, everything.
What you will learn is how to adapt to each situation, and apply a given
technique to a given condition.
Use your brain, be safe, and above all... have fun!

--

"Richard Thomas" wrote in message
...
: Well, I took the checkride and passed on Thursday. Yay for me. I
: certainly don't feel I deserve to pass, I didn't get the
: short-field-on-the numbers landing right (coming in considerably
down
: from the numbers) but the examiner then asked me for a soft field
"on
: the numbers" which I did get on the numbers so was passed based on
: that. Then the examiner informs me that I shouldn't be chasing the
: airspeed (apparently, for one I was coming in OK at 60 knots but was
: supposed to be 55 so I adjusted a litle above the runway and that
: caused me to come in long). Was also told that I should have used
: slips as necessary. My instructor had not said that this was OK. He
: later said he wanted people to get it right without slips first then
: work in slips later. Well, that's OK for general principle but when
it
: comes to checkride time I'd like to have every allowable technique
at
: my disposal to pass. But I passed and he's a great instructor in
: general so I'll forgive him.
:
: As I say, I don't feel I deserved to pass {though I do not feel that
I
: am unsafe either). But maybe that's a good thing as now I know I
still
: have to work on improving. I also now feel that I can learn for
: learning's sake and not just to get through a test.
:
: So now I have checked out in the airport's 4-seater and should be
: taking my family out for a meal this Friday. I do hope I don't scare
: them too much.

Congratulations and welcome to the club....
now you start learning to fly :-)))


George Black
http://www.koekejunction.hnpl.net/

On Sun, 17 Aug 2003 16:31:47 GMT, (Richard
Thomas) wrote:

I
certainly don't feel I deserve to pass, I didn't get the
short-field-on-the numbers landing right (coming in considerably down
from the numbers) but the examiner then asked me for a soft field "on
the numbers" which I did get on the numbers so was passed based on
that.

I didn't get the short-field landing right on my checkride either. The
DE told me "that wasn't very short!" and had me park the airplane,
whereupon she passed me.

It's more about safe piloting than it is about perfect piloting. But
my next four landings were spot-on-the-numbers!

Rob

Rich, you passed because you are a safe pilot, not a perfect one. You're
an even better pilot because you can recognize that you have

When my instructor signed me off for the checkride, he said: "This
means that I would be willing to have a member of my family fly with
you." I was immensely grateful for that word of confidence, though I
have yet to take a member of my own family flying with me--less
because I doubt my ability than because five years of flying has made
me aware that bad things can happen in avaiation, even to the skilled
and cautious. I'm happy to take that risk for myself, but not for
someone I love.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: www.danford.net/letters.htm#9

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

Jeff is right. None of us are perfect. Here I am at 15 hrs and getting
ready to solo. The past 2 times I've run into some difficulties (wind,
sudden wind changes, not setting the flare up right). On my last lesson I
was correcting any difficulties on my own. My CFI says that's pretty damned
important, a pilot who is able to react and correct problems. He went on to
say that they'd rather see that than a student who always does it right
because they don't know what they'd do in a difficult situation. It was
only on my last lesson that I "figured" out how to try and correct problems.
I finally got comfortable with a simulated engine failure on downwind. He
pulled the throttle, I trimmed and turned for the field (really short
final). He kept asking "Are you going to make it?" "Are you sure?" I was
confident with a "Yes" even telling him we'll land on the runway, it'll be
way past the numbers but with plenty of room.
He's been telling me that the examiners look more for a competent and safe
pilot than anything else.

Have fun taking the family for dinner!
Chris

--
I'm learning to fly! See what's going on.
www.home.bellsouth.net/p/pwp-cehlbeck
"Wizard of Draws" wrote in message
...
Richard Thomas wrote:

As I say, I don't feel I deserved to pass {though I do not feel that I
am unsafe either). But maybe that's a good thing as now I know I still
have to work on improving. I also now feel that I can learn for
learning's sake and not just to get through a test.


Rich, you passed because you are a safe pilot, not a perfect one. You're
an even better pilot because you can recognize that you have
imperfections you need to work on.
Congratulations and have fun!
--
Jeff 'The Wizard of Draws' Bucchino

"Cartoons with a Touch of Magic"
http://www.wizardofdraws.com
http://www.cartoonclipart.com

Arnold for Governor!
http://www.wizardofdraws.com/store/terminator.html

Cub Driver wrote:

When my instructor signed me off for the checkride, he said: "This
means that I would be willing to have a member of my family fly with
you." I was immensely grateful for that word of confidence, though I
have yet to take a member of my own family flying with me--less
because I doubt my ability than because five years of flying has made
me aware that bad things can happen in avaiation, even to the skilled
and cautious. I'm happy to take that risk for myself, but not for
someone I love.

Dan,

I find the aboe very intriguing. I understand that aviation has it own
enherited risks, but so does driving, biking, walking and so on. I also
realize, you have heard the song and dance that flying is safer then
driving, yada yada yada.

But why not enjoy sharing the joys of flying with your loved ones?

I think about all the safety checks that is done during preflight and
runup that are not done in our other modes of travel. One good example
would be, do you walk around your car to see that you have adequate tire
pressure before driving? I would bet not.... Because of aviation, I
now make a point to do a quick walk around my vehicle to insure it is
safe to drive. We do take alot for granted in the reliablility of our
mechanical equipment, and as you already know, aviation does have
redundancy for when something fails.

I explain to every new passenger, that the preflight and engine runup is
for our safety, if anything fails, then we turn back to the ramp. I
stress the safety aspect of flying, not the danger part. I stress the
safety of our flight BEGINS on the ground, not at 7000 feet altitude. I
do not preflight the plane without them, as I want them to see what
safety measures we take. And yes, I use checklists in fromt of them.

When airborne, depending on the person, I may share the safety checks I
do in the air (scanning instruments, cross checking and so on). If I
already know the person is nervous leaving terra firma, I don't offer
this tidbit of information as I want them to enjoy the flight OUTSIDE
the plane, not be focused on the attitude indicater, heading and so on.

I have given 4 discovery flights (2 kids and 2 adults in 4 different
flights) in my short flying career, and there is nothing more rewarding
then seeing and hearing the reaction of people after defying the laws of
gravity.

I figure, if it is safe enough for me to go up, it is safe enough for me
to fill up the other three seats in the plane. Outside of density
altitude considerations and weight and balances, the plane doesn't care
if it holds one or 4 passengers (in my case anyway).

So why not share the joy of flying with three others????

Allen

My DE told me that if I blew the short field landing, as in it wasn't short,
I would fail. I kinda agree since if you mess that one up on a real life
short field you'll probably drive into some trees. I did mess up the first
approach so I did a go-around and set it up better the 2nd time.


"Robert Perkins" wrote in message
...
I didn't get the short-field landing right on my checkride either. The
DE told me "that wasn't very short!" and had me park the airplane,
whereupon she passed me.

It's more about safe piloting than it is about perfect piloting. But
my next four landings were spot-on-the-numbers!

Rob

I find the aboe very intriguing. I understand that aviation has it own
enherited risks, but so does driving, biking, walking and so on. I also
realize, you have heard the song and dance that flying is safer then
driving, yada yada yada.

When I was taking flight lessons, I would assure my wife that the most
dangerous part was over when I parked the car at the airport. This of
course isn't true, as I now realize, and as I hope you also
appreciate.

The best analogy of the dangers of lightplane flying is to motorcycle
riding. It's not like going into combat, but it is much more dangerous
than driving the family Accord.

I might well choose to take up motorcycling someday, but I would never
put my granddaughter on the pylon behind me.

Let's just say that something tells me to make dang sure that if my
genes don't make it into the fourth generation, it won't be because I
took her to the grave with me. I won't fly my daughter because she's
needed to take care of my granddaughter. As for my wife, well, she's
useful as a babysitter.

Maybe if I'd had a bunch of kids, I'd feel differently.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: www.danford.net/letters.htm#9

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

On Mon, 18 Aug 2003 06:10:17 -0400, Cub Driver
wrote:

Maybe if I'd had a bunch of kids, I'd feel differently.

Trust me on this one as a father with a bunch of kids. You wouldn't.

Rob

My wife and 7 and 8 year old boys have about 500 hours in the back of
my Mooney everywhere from Mexico to AZ, to NM, to all places in CA.
They travel great in IMC or VMC, day and night. I've never had a
problem. The kids love breaking out of the clouds at minimums when we
go to the coast. Of course I also take recurrency training very
seriously and often fly with the local old time CFIs or local DE (
since I'm a CFI he'll sometimes even ride with me for free).

-Robert

Cub Driver wrote in message . ..
I find the aboe very intriguing. I understand that aviation has it own
enherited risks, but so does driving, biking, walking and so on. I also
realize, you have heard the song and dance that flying is safer then
driving, yada yada yada.

When I was taking flight lessons, I would assure my wife that the most
dangerous part was over when I parked the car at the airport. This of
course isn't true, as I now realize, and as I hope you also
appreciate.

The best analogy of the dangers of lightplane flying is to motorcycle
riding. It's not like going into combat, but it is much more dangerous
than driving the family Accord.

I might well choose to take up motorcycling someday, but I would never
put my granddaughter on the pylon behind me.

Let's just say that something tells me to make dang sure that if my
genes don't make it into the fourth generation, it won't be because I
took her to the grave with me. I won't fly my daughter because she's
needed to take care of my granddaughter. As for my wife, well, she's
useful as a babysitter.

Maybe if I'd had a bunch of kids, I'd feel differently.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: www.danford.net/letters.htm#9

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com