Another Cirrus Down

Larry Dighera wrote:
I once landed at an unlit airport at night without benefit of landing
light. I just set up a 500'/minute descent and let it find the
runway. Worked fine.


I used to crank the lights up full blast at fields with pilot controlled
lighting. No more. Now I crank it up full blast until I'm well established on
final, then bring the lighting down to the lowest level. Makes the runway jump
out much more vividly in the flare rather than an aritificial plane about a foot
or two higher created by bright runway lights.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE

Larry wrote:
I once landed at an unlit airport at night without benefit of landing
light. I just set up a 500'/minute descent and let it find the
runway. Worked fine.

Last year I had a complete electrical failure in the (towered) pattern at
night with a student. I'll leave out all the details, but we didn't have
lights, flaps (172), radios; there were other aircraft in the pattern.

Anyway, I set up a glassy water landing and it worked like a charm. And
they said a seaplane rating wasn't useful!

Hilton

Larry wrote:
I once landed at an unlit airport at night without benefit of landing
light. I just set up a 500'/minute descent and let it find the
runway. Worked fine.

Yeah...500fpm would definitely "find" the runway.



--
Matt
---------------------
Matthew W. Barrow
Site-Fill Homes, LLC.
Montrose, CO

On Fri, 16 Dec 2005 10:08:52 GMT, "Hilton" wrote
in t::

I set up a glassy water landing and it worked like a charm.

You mean like this?

http://avstop.com/AC/FlightTraingHandbook/Landings.html
During the final approach the seaplane should be flown at the best
nose high attitude, using flaps as required or as recommended by
the manufacturer. A power setting and pitch attitude should be
established that will result in a rate of descent not to exceed
150 feet per minute and at an airspeed approximately 10 knots
above stall speed. With a constant power setting and a constant
pitch attitude, the airspeed will stabilize, and remain so if no
changes are made. The power or pitch should be changed only if the
airspeed or rate of descent deviates from that which is desired.
Throughout the approach the seaplane performance should be closely
monitored by cross checking the instruments until contact is made
with the water.

Upon touchdown, back elevator control pressure should be applied
as necessary to maintain the same pitch attitude. Throttle should
be reduced or closed only after the pilot is sure that the
aircraft is firmly on the water. Several indications should be
used.

Fortunately, a land aircraft has sprung gear, unlike a sea plane, so
it's possible to increase the rate of descent somewhat without
problem.

Larry wrote:
Hilton wrote

I set up a glassy water landing and it worked like a charm.

You mean like this?

You establish a nose up attitude just before passing your last visual
reference point as low as safely possible. Add some power, then ignore the
lake - it my case I ignored my altitude and just kept it between the runway
edge lights. It really is remarkable how stable aircraft are in this phase,
even the Twin Bee seemed rock solid for a twin at a slow airspeed. Also,
don't flare - especially on a checkride.

Note: You can burn up a ton of distance. At 100fpm, let's say you cross the
VRP at 200', that's two minutes in the descent and about 2 miles (12000').
So you do need to get down low to minimize the distance. FYI: I had my
student call out the airspeed continually as an added safety factor. (I was
in the right seat).

Hilton

"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 )