Landing with reduced airbrake

On Wednesday, May 23, 2018 at 2:49:32 PM UTC-4, Tim Taylor wrote:
I am not an instructor, but have done many real life off field landings. I don’t understand why you would be wanting to do landings with full spoilers? The goal is minimum energy at the point of touch down, not maximum spoilers. The perfect approach would be with a glide angle 50% between full spoilers and no spoilers. That would have shown you have capability to adapt to any change in conditions. A full spoiler landing shows the pilot was too high and miss judged the approach.

My target on off field landings is to be stalling the plane on with the tail wheel touching just before the main. The only situation that calls for a full spoiler landing is clearing an obstacle on final. That should be an advanced maneuver, not standard practice.

So yes, less than full spoilers are the way to teach landings, and better for the aircraft.

Hi Tim,

I see things very differently.

Being able to anticipate, intercept and execute a smooth, controlled, minimum energy glide slope with full flaps and full brakes is a basic skill every XC pilot should have in his toolbox.

I practice this at every opportunity and encourage my advancing XC students and flying buddies to do the same.

best,
Evan Ludeman / T8