14.35 How far from the airport must I turn from base to final in a Cessna 180? 14.36 What airspeed do I need to hold in a pattern and when should I deploy flaps?
From FlightSim
The Cessna 180's I've flown were all older ones, and read in miles per hour. They also have 4 notches of flaps (manual, with a Johnson bar), 10 degrees each notch.
A typical traffic pattern at a non-tower airport might be: climb at 85-90 after takeoff (no flaps), turn crosswind, then downwind. On reaching pattern altitude (700-1000 ft. depending on airport) level off to 100-120 mph. Abeam the numbers downwind, power back to 1600-1700RPM, slowing to about 85-90 (or you can slow to 80 and pull in first notch of flaps). When the numbers are roughly 45 degrees astern, turn base, slowing to 75-80 and bringing in two notches of flap. Turn final, slow to 70-75, bringing in the rest of the flaps. "Over the fence" power to idle, easing the nose up (speed is probably about 65, but this is no time to be watching the gauges). Hold it about a foot off the ground as the nose rises (gradually), until the tail touches first (slightly before the mains). Continue to keep the nose straight and the stick in your belly until stopped.
There are numerous variations on this, and many pilots fly the pattern a bit different. Some will do wheel landings (main gear first in a roughly level attitude). Sometimes conditions may dictate 20 degrees flap, rather than full, for landing. Note that on a real Cessna, the last 20 degrees of flap do very little for stall speed, but add a huge chunk of drag, for steeper approaches.
The most important consideration is to have the aircraft stabilized on the final approach leg, constant airspeed and configuration, to make it easier to judge your touchdown point. You can divide the mph reading by 1.15 to get knots (i.e. 115mph / 1.15 = 100 kts).
After you get comfortable with landings with one type of approach, make some slight variations (different flap settings, base leg entry, rather than downwind, etc.), getting comfortable with each. It will eventually become second nature, with enough practice.
Larry Nussbaumer
