Short Approach Demonstration

Here’s video of an exercise that I do with all students, regardless of the type of airplane they fly. It’s a variation on the power-off 180 approach and landing that commercial students learn. Most of the goals are similar to those for that task, but the focus here isn’t on the standard in the commercial pilot ACS—landing within 200 ft of the designated touchdown spot.

Instead, I like to do this exercise—after practicing lift-vector exercises, slow-flight, and accelerated stalls—to help pilots observe and experience the high descent rate, the required flight path, the effect of drag, and the importance of maintaining energy while flying a close-in base turn and final. The experience, without the stress and distractions of running (simulated) emergency checklists, etc., also helps pilots learn to shift their focus from the runway threshold to new touchdown point, which changes as you add drag or as the wind affects the airplane. After observing and practicing this maneuver, you can add the simulated emergency elements and practice other details, such as moving the prop control to low RPM.

While demonstrating and practicing this skill, I aim initially for the middle of the runway—or in a real emergency, a field, road, or other emergency landing surface—and work back from there if altitude, wind, and other factors allow. Initially aiming for the middle of the target creates a safety margin. If you misjudge your descent, the wind, use of drag, etc., odds are you can still make it to the chosen landing surface. Should you land long, at least when you roll off the end, you’re at taxi speed and decelerating on the ground. The airplane might not look pretty when you stop, but you’ll survive. That’s better than stalling or dropping a wing and cartwheeling or lawn-darting into obstacles short of the runway.

As you can see from multiple views in this example, I was landing on a 6000 ft runway. On that day, the wind was light and variable, with no significant headwind component. I did not brake aggressively (hardly at all, in fact) after touchdown. Still, I made a turnoff with some 3000 ft of runway remaining.