2.24 A few tips on bouncing on landing.

From FlightSim

Q:

A FEW TIPS ON BOUNCING ON LANDING.

A:

Typically this occurs because either the angle of descent or the speed of the approach is too high, or both. The set up for a good landing begins as you enter the traffic pattern or as ATC vectors you to your initial descent. Know the performance envelope of your aircraft, i.e., know the V-speeds. When I started flying FS98's 182 I had no manual for the aircraft, but knew the 172 V-speeds because I fly that real type all the time, so I tried applying them to the 182. On take off they're OK, but your landing speeds will have to be a little higher because it's a heavier aircraft with different engine and propeller characteristics. V-speeds are velocities at which the aircraft performs best, and velocities that mark the safety limits of the aircraft performance envelope.

The colored arcs on the airspeed indicator tell you what the basic envelope of the aircraft is. The usable flap range is the white arc. You shouldn't deploy flaps above this arc, and in flight you should keep the airspeed above the bottom end of the arc and within the green range. If your settings in FS call for aircraft damage due to stress, you will get damage if you exceed or undershoot the V-speeds similar to a real airplane. Try practicing your landings with this feature on, maintain positive aircraft control.

There are several good books about flying in flightsim, but any private pilot handbook can give you some more detailed info. Enter the traffic pattern (1000 feet AGL for light planes, 1500 feet for jets) from a 45 degree angle to the center of the airport (most airports are left hand traffic). Reduce your speed to the flap operating range and turn downwind to parallel the runway you're going to land on. The distance of this parallel track from the runway centerline is basically the length of radius of 2 - 90 degree turns at 15 degrees of bank for the speed of your aircraft plus the length of one radius between the two turns.

As you fly downwind, lower your first 10 degrees of flap. Hold the aircraft straight and level and let it naturally descend and slow, trading speed for altitude, and keeping your hand on the throttle. Try to maintain a 500 feet per minute descent. You can think of it as 500 feet on base leg, and 500 feet on final, or some proportion less thereof depending on time, speed and distance. Before turning base leg (perpendicular to the runway centerline) lower another 10 degrees of flap, maintaining 500 feet per minute descent, speed at about the upper 2/3 of the white arc. Keep the nose level and let the aircraft naturally descend. Look to your left and spot the end of the runway, for your turn to base leg will be after you are perpendicular to the end of the runway.

Turn 90 degrees using no more than a 15 degree bank. Maintain descent and lower 10 degrees more of flap. Start a slow roll out of this turn 10-15 degrees before you reach the 90 degree point. You are now on the base leg. Descend 500 feet per minute and look 45 degrees to the left and spot the end of the runway - look for VASI (visual approach slope indicators) white upper/red lower if available. Time your base leg to give you a 90 degree turn onto final approach at a 15 degree bank. Watch your airspeed and attitude very closely now because we are reconfiguring the aircraft for transition from flight to taxi. Keep the aircraft nose positioned to maintain speed and altitude exchange and prevent stalling. If you find you're too low - execute a missed approach and go around and try it again. Keep that hand on the throttle! Trade speed for altitude as necessary and keep the aircraft level.

At the final approach turn point lower your next 10 degrees of flap. Start your roll out slowly 10-15 degrees before to place you on the runway centerline. In some aircraft you may want to throttle up at this point to maintain a solid and controlled descent rate with good slow flight characteristics because the aircraft looses speed in turns. (I land the KC-135A at between 55-60 percent thrust, full flap, thrust reversers/spoilers set, maintaining 150-160 kts to the end of the runway, cut throttle at threshold, let speed sink to 146 kts and flare to sink to smooth touchdown on the marks almost every time - even with crosswinds. Use thrust reversers to 60 kts, retract, use up elevator to slow and tap breaks.)

Throttle out at the threshold. Look to the far horizon at the other end of the runway ahead and keep the aircraft centered on the runway. Your best judge of height is not looking at the ground immediately below but into the distance around the immediate airport. (Some approach plates will be marked with the percent slope of the runway so you will know not to flare too high or too low by this method.) As the speed sinks to landing speed, hold the aircraft level and flare just before touchdown, watching the horizon. Crosswind approaches make this more difficult when you have to crab the approach angle, but with diligent practice and watching those V-speeds, you can master it. Always review the aircraft checklists before and during flight. File a flight plan if you're flying for real. Obey all FAR's. Incidentally, the maximum speed below 10,000 feet is 250 kts.

I hope this may help someone - there are other approach and touchdown methods just as valid to others.

-- Mike Wagnon