- Stop turning for your final approach JUST before you see the side of the
fuselage of your aircraft. Bring the right stick to neutral and level the wings
(if necessary) to stop the turn.
- Establish turn points for entering, downwind to base or base to final by objects
on the ground. Learn to judge your distance and height above the runway.
- Have benchmark pattern speeds for downwind, base, final and short final, but be
flexible and know how to modify them when necessary for wind and different types
of models.
- The preferred pattern should place your aircraft at a distance and height, where
if, you experience power failure, you can still land on the runway.
- It is essential to maintain proper speed control on final.
- Make every landing as if you were flying a tail dragger. (see #8)
- If something about your approach feels wrong, abort, go around and set up again.
- Your plane isn’t a car! Don’t drive it onto the runway. The nose should be
positioned in a positive angle of attack (slightly UP), and this angle of
descent is held by using by using power to maintain the correct altitude – if
the plane goes below the glide path power up, if it goes above the path, power
back slightly.
- Hold the nose wheel off the runway as long as you can! The attitude helps slow
the plane down and minimizes wear and tear on the nose gear.
Set the idle speed so that the nose stays almost level when reducing power to
idle. (With the NexStar using an 11X 5 prop set the idle to 2900-3100 rpm.) This
technique works well with any trainer that has "training gear" designed to slow
down the aircraft. Use power to control the rate of descent, not the elevator.
Make your approach with two 90 degree turns! The "downwind" is parallel with the
backside of the runway, turn 90 degrees to the "base leg" parallel with the end
of the runway and the turn 90 degrees on to "the final leg". Adjust the descent
with the throttle. See next item for more information
Keep landing in the weeds? Stand facing the field with your shoulders parallel
to the field. When turning on final bring the airplane nose to line up even with
your shoulder (pointing toward the aircraft) and at the 10 or 2 o'clock
position. You're now setup for a perfect approach down the middle of the runway!
Control your descent with the throttle, start with 2 clicks above idle. As you
throttle back keep just enough pressure on the elevator to keep the nose level
until the plane touches down.
Don't "short cut" your landing...always fly to your shoulder, while you are
facing your field. A good approach pattern, especially the final leg, will
generally determine the quality of your landing
Take off and Land! Take off and Land! Take off and Land! And when you're sick
off it.... Take off and Land again!
When making the flare, keep bringing the nose up by holding up elevator. Keep
pulling more and more up as the plane slows, when the mains touch, neutralize
the elevator quickly to keep from bouncing two or three times.
If the landing results in a "bounce", apply a little throttle, level out by
neutralizing the elevator, and touch down again. (You want the engine to pull
your plane to level flight, otherwise the plane stalls and that generally means
repair work.)
Practice learning how to land with a "little power", and cut just before
touchdown occurs. (Bring the throttle stick to idle and then move it up one or
two clicks). This technique is especially useful when landing into a stiff
breeze.
When landing into the wind, assuming that your plane is in trim, add one
or two clicks of down trim to help the plane lose altitude. On touch down just
neutralize the elevator.
Instead of trying to "flare", trying skimming along the runway as long as
possible, at idle.
Landing the NexStar is not hard. The airplane, with it's training flaps,
will slowly sink with the throttle at 1 to 2 clicks above a SLOW idle. Just
before the touch bring the throttle to idle and the nose up! When you reduce
power you MUST slightly increase UP elevator to keep the nose level. (If the
nose drops without the extra equipment see the next item)
If the nose drops when you throttle all the way back refer to Trimming
Your Airplane.