Forums » Student Pilots

• Raymond Pang

  

  • 2 posts
   

  August 19, 2011 7:24:46 PM CDT

  I have been attending ATP flight school for 19 days straight now. I have been flying seven days a week and also studying every day. I need to take my solo soon but I have a hard time landing. I would really appreciate any tips anyone can add because I am starting to feeling pretty distraught my ability to one day become a pilot in general. I do pretty much everything else decently. 

   

  I would appreciate some tips on improving my ability to sense whether I am above or below the glide slope so I can improve my approaches. 

   

  I would also appreciate some advice on the perfect flare. Thank you guys.

• Glenn Thompson

  

  • 5 posts
   

  September 6, 2011 9:24:49 AM CDT

  Raymond, the glideslope and flare on a VFR landing are a combination of visual and physical sensations, but mostly visual. Have your instructor fly a couple of approachs for you again so you can concentrate on what it "looks like" out the windows. Fly the numbers on your approach and make adjustments to make your own approaches look right. Flare is a timing and feel thing. Again, it is also about the sight picture out the window. Don't think in terms of "pulling" on the yoke when you begin to round out. Think of it more as applying pressure to guide the nose of the aircraft to the point where the sight picture is correct for leveling off. After that, apply smooth, steady pressure to further reduce the aircraft's speed. Obviously the sight picture will continue to change as the nose of the aircraft comes up. Try not to panic and become too aggressive about applying this back pressure. Most of my own lousy approaches have been the result of being too aggressive during the flare and causing the plane to 'balloon."