6 Ways To Perfect Your Landings

By Corey Komarec

09/15/2018

Everyone wants great landings. Here are some ways you can improve yours on your next flight.

1) Avoid major power changes on final.

When you fly an aircraft regularly, you start to become familiar with common power settings used in the traffic pattern. You can usually maintain a specified power setting and use it on downwind, base and final with only minor power adjustments. When you avoid large power adjustments, you are less likely to deviate from a proper glide path and approach speed.

2) Stay on your approach speed.

When you stay on the specified approach speed for your aircraft, it's easier to transition from final approach to the flare. Carrying excessive airspeed causes floating, and flying too slow can cause an early stall and rough landing.

3) In gusty conditions, add half the gust factor to your approach speed.

By adding half of the gust factor to your approach speed, you'll have a higher safety margin and more control on final.

4) Apply smooth back pressure and don't tense your muscles in the flare.

Holding smooth back pressure in the flare will create a perfect set up for a landing that is comfortable for you, your passengers, and your airplane. Keeps your arms relaxed during the flare. By keeping a light grip on the flight controls, you'll have better precision during touchdown.

5) Transition your eyes toward the end of the runway during your flare.

Transitioning your eyes down the runway will help eliminate fixation and hard landings. It also helps you gain a sense of your height above the runway in the last few feet before touchdown.

6) Don't forget about rudder and aileron inputs in crosswind scenarios.

Keeping your aircraft aligned with runway centerline is essential for a good landing. To avoid side loading, slowly increase aileron and rudder input in the flare during a crosswind landing. As your plane slows in the flare, you need more input to maintain alignment and kill drift in the flare.