Power-out spot landing techniques?

My instructor has me doing power out simulted emergency spot landings
in prep for my checkride. I've already had my checkride put back once
cause I'm not getting them right often enough. Did some more today but
still not 100%.

Does anyone ahve any tips? He wants me to land on the numbers. I can
sometimes do it 2 or 3 times in a row but next time, I'll be 100 ft
too high or just a little too low

Rich

You know about the dirty spot method, right? Find (or make) a spot on the
windscreen...maintain a constant descent path with that spot 50-75 feet from
the point on which you want to land. If it moves away from you, you are too
high...if it moves off of the runway and into the grass, you are too low.

Bob Gardner

"Richard Thomas" wrote in message
.. .
My instructor has me doing power out simulted emergency spot landings
in prep for my checkride. I've already had my checkride put back once
cause I'm not getting them right often enough. Did some more today but
still not 100%.

Does anyone ahve any tips? He wants me to land on the numbers. I can
sometimes do it 2 or 3 times in a row but next time, I'll be 100 ft
too high or just a little too low

Rich

In article ,
(Richard Thomas) wrote:

My instructor has me doing power out simulted emergency spot landings
in prep for my checkride. I've already had my checkride put back once
cause I'm not getting them right often enough. Did some more today but
still not 100%.

Does anyone ahve any tips? He wants me to land on the numbers. I can
sometimes do it 2 or 3 times in a row but next time, I'll be 100 ft
too high or just a little too low

get a glider rating.

--
Bob Noel

"Richard Thomas" wrote in message
.. .
: My instructor has me doing power out simulted emergency spot
landings
: in prep for my checkride. I've already had my checkride put back
once
: cause I'm not getting them right often enough. Did some more today
but
: still not 100%.
:
: Does anyone ahve any tips? He wants me to land on the numbers. I can
: sometimes do it 2 or 3 times in a row but next time, I'll be 100 ft
: too high or just a little too low

Go gliding!
Your circuit planning will improve out of sight...
--

George Black

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

"Richard Thomas" wrote in message
.. .
My instructor has me doing power out simulted emergency spot landings
in prep for my checkride. I've already had my checkride put back once
cause I'm not getting them right often enough. Did some more today but
still not 100%.

Does anyone ahve any tips? He wants me to land on the numbers. I can
sometimes do it 2 or 3 times in a row but next time, I'll be 100 ft
too high or just a little too low

Rich

The real key to it is to keep the intended landing point from moving up or
down. It should be stationary as you approach on final and kept still for as
long as possible until you're preparing to touch down (don't fly the plane
directly down onto the intended landing point, however - that can happen if
you're not concentrating and you don't flare correctly... not good)

The other main thing is to be aware of what the airplane is doing as you're
keeping that landing point stationary. If you're having to hold too high of
an airspeed, then you have an excess of energy that you need to dissipate.
The cheezy way to do it is to just dive a bit until the glideslope flattens
a bit and then resume your approach airspeed (although not cheezy in my
aircraft type which is incapable of slips - that's pretty much my only
option). Don't do this on the checkride or even with the CFI on board -
they'll slap you upside the head and with good reason. The much better way
is to use a slip or, if you're sure you have it made, adding flaps, to
accellerate energy dissipation and get you on glideslope without building up
too much airspeed.

If, on the other hand, you're having to hold too low of an airspeed to keep
the landing point from moving up, you don't have enough energy to make it
there and you're going to come up short.

But that's basically it. What you want to achieve is a stationary landing
point (up/down wise) at the correct glide angle (i.e. correct airspeed).
That will get you very close to the ballpark and depending on how good you
are with the flare, you should touchdown very near the intended landing
spot.

So, it's really pretty simple. You just have to keep practicing it until you
get it down. Energy management without power is a somewhat different skill
than with. With one less control, you have to do things a little different
with the remaining controls....

LS
AC fun racer 503.

Bob Noel wrote:

get a glider rating.

Spot landing a glider is fairly trivial whith those spoilers which let
you adjust the glide angle from 1/40 to 1/7 or so without slipping.
Those spam cans have way more momentum and no spoilers. Of course you
can slip them.

Stefan

On Sun, 10 Aug 2003 19:04:36 GMT, (Richard
Thomas) wrote:

My instructor has me doing power out simulted emergency spot landings
in prep for my checkride. I've already had my checkride put back once
cause I'm not getting them right often enough. Did some more today but
still not 100%.

Does anyone ahve any tips? He wants me to land on the numbers. I can
sometimes do it 2 or 3 times in a row but next time, I'll be 100 ft
too high or just a little too low

Rich


FWIW, I just spent .9 practicing these and managed 11 decent landings
with two of them just a little long (but still allowing for stopping
before the 1000' markers). No go arounds or coming down short. Amazing
what a night's sleep will do.

Rich

Richard Thomas wrote:

Does anyone ahve any tips? He wants me to land on the numbers. I can
sometimes do it 2 or 3 times in a row but next time, I'll be 100 ft
too high or just a little too low

Don't use a lot of flaps.

George Patterson
They say that nothing's certain except death and taxes. The thing is,
death doesn't get worse every time Congress goes into session.
Will Rogers

On Sun, 10 Aug 2003 20:11:36 -0400, "G.R. Patterson III"
wrote:



Richard Thomas wrote:

Does anyone ahve any tips? He wants me to land on the numbers. I can
sometimes do it 2 or 3 times in a row but next time, I'll be 100 ft
too high or just a little too low

Don't use a lot of flaps.

Take several days off before you do any more. Give your crocodile
brain a chance to catch up with your ape brain.

Don

Don't you lose the "dirty spot" when you're slipping?

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