knightmagic

My Feedback: (1)

Anybody has any hints for touch and gos doing alright otherwise but can't get the hang of them crashed a little not bad but want to get better at them.

up

Are you crashing a little on the landing or the takeoff? Slow power application might help the takeoff. Ground handling is easier when the throttle is advacned slowly.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

If the "Touch" wasn't good, don't do the "Go".

What I mean is - imagine you're crossing a river by stepping on stones; You plan to put your right foot on stone "A" and then step over to stone "B" with your left foot. But once you step on stone "A"A, you find that it's wobbly, or slick, or whatever. Instead of continuing to stone "B", you would instinctively put your left foot down on stone "A" to regain your balance.

A touch and go is similar. Plan to LAND. If the landing goes well, reapply power and go around again.

If the landing doesn't go well, stop, turn around, taxi back, take off and try again.

piper_chuck

My Feedback: (12)

Yup. I see many people doing something that's more like a bounce and go. They don't really land, they just happen to bounce off the runway while doing a low pass.

up

Hey Piper Chuck. This forum may not the best place to ask but where do you fly. Looks like our field will close at the end of the year and I might be looking for a new place to fly. It takes me most of an hour to get out there and any new field will be further out. Pittsboro is about 15 minutes from my place. Is there a field out that way? Hours of operation are a little restrictive at the Jordan Lake club.

piper_chuck

My Feedback: (12)

Guess you're not going to like my answer, I fly at the Flying Tigers (AKA Jordan Lake) club, it's just 10 minutes from home. I agree the weekday hours are a bit restrictive, but since I work during the week they're ok for me. I can get home from work at 4:45 and be ready to fly at 5. It's a nice field, everyone is really friendly, and since it's kind of remote, it's usually very quiet during the week. My wife and baby are away visiting family, so I've been going to the field 2-3 times during the week. They are due back soon, and it's starting to get dark earlier, so I guess I'll be limited to weekend flying soon :-(

up

Thanks Chuck. I have a lot of weekdays off so Tigers wouldn't be my best option. OK for the summer but no good for winter. Will check into SWAMPS.

bubbagates

My Feedback: (32)

During what part are you having the crashing problem???

Touch and goes are fairly easy but will test your ability to control the plane during the transition from the touch to the go.

Line up for the takeoff as usual and go. Make your pattern and line up for landing. If all looks good settle down to the ground and a few seconds after touchdown, increase the throttle SLOWLY to take off again at the same time doing everything you normally do for a normal takeoff (rudder correction, etc...). The takeoff will be shorter since you are just below flying speed but otherwise should be just like you took off from a dead stop.

Bouncing off the runway back into the air does not qualify (at least in my eyes) as a touch and go. A touch and go requires a short smooth roll on the ground before liftoff (again, at least in my eyes).

knightmagic

My Feedback: (1)

I belive that I throtlled up too fast after landing and then over corrected with rudder so when I took off still had a little left rudder catching landing gear on runway

DBCherry

My Feedback: (4)

Are you flying a tail dragger or a trike?

I agree Bill, and call some of what I see, "bounce and goes".

I love doing touch and goes with my Cub. Looks real sweet settling onto the runway, rolling on the mains with it's tail in the air, then lifting off again.
Dennis-

knightmagic

My Feedback: (1)

I am flying a trike trainer the nexstar

bubbagates

My Feedback: (32)

Knight,

Adding power too quickly will cause that very thing, The key is adding power slowly and smoothly. Wait till all the gear are on the ground and then add power and be ready to do everything you normally do from a full stop takeoff, although you may not need to correct with rudder as much. After you get the touch and goes nailed down to where you can do them at will, you can always try to keep the nose gear from touching down using the elevator and then do the takeoff. Looks cool and teaches better rudder control which you will need for certain taildraggers., mainly warbirds

When you try it the next time, try landing a little closer to the approach end of the runway and that will give you more time to correct the ground track.

I usually have a favorite spot on the flight line for touch and goes. It's usually near the approach end end of the runway, that way I have plenty of runway for corrections and the decision to either go or full stop.

Keep at it, you are doing fine , we can tell because you already have a good idea where your problem is and just needed a little advice on how to correct it. Pretty soon you will find yourself doing them from just about any point on the runway, as long as you have the room for the rollout and takeoff.

DBCherry,

I agree, there is nothing like a taildragger doing touch and goes, especially when the tail never gets to the ground and you roll along on the mains. I've been practicing one wheel landings on my Somthin' Extra and Twist since I have the wing tip ground clearence on those two planes, but would not try it on my Ultimate. (bigger wing span, tons of prop clearance but not enough wing tip clearance.) At times I can land on one wheel and transition to the other one, then takeoff from that wheel, good for the WOW [X(] factor and also gets a good laugh. [sm=lol.gif]

ballgunner

My Feedback: (1)

I'm Air Force to my toes but I learned from a Navy Reserve friend. They stopped touch and goes. The reasoning was: it is a landing that is never really completed and a takeoff that you are never really ready for. If you have completed a landing, are under full control, and there's still enough runway for a controlled takeoff then go ahead.

bubbagates

My Feedback: (32)

I agree with the Navy's assesment but it is a good way to teach several things all at once. In my eyes they teach fine control as your speed is kept up on the ground during the transition, quick decision making since you need to decide if it is a good approach for landing, and after landing do you still have control and also is there enough runway to takeoff safely again or should you execute a full stop and try again. Granted, you will need know most of these items before the mains ever touch the ground.

MikeMc

w00t! Gotta love it.

Another one I've seen that makes me nuts is expirienced pilots coming over the deck at high speed, full throttle and skim the ground and clam that's a touch-and-go. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing but it's not for me.

bubbagates

My Feedback: (32)

My opinion is it's bad...

Picture this...4* 40, full throttle, skim along the ground, 3 inch high damp grass, 2.25 inch high wheels with wheel pants equals rekitting of plane after nose over and cartwheel, all done by an "experienced" person. In the process takes out another persons airplane that was sitting at the edge of the pit fence waiting to taxi out.

Needless to say, experienced person is back on buddy box and not liking it.

Pic of the plane that got hit...

Montague

Full throttle bounce-and-goes can be a lot of fun for those of us wacky enough to try it, but you have to try it safely, so that if something goes wrong, you only stuff your own plane. (I've even tried full throttle touch and goes with a hand-launch combat plane, ie, no wheels. Just scrape the wingtip and go. But I've also done a few full throttle belly landings trying it. Pretty funny, and doesn't have to be unsafe.

That said, I agree that it's not at all the same as a real touch and go. Real touch and goes are also great fun. Keeping the nosewheel from touching is one of my favorates. It helps to move the CG back to pull that one off.

MikeMc

I've even seen an inverted attempt to touch the rudder. It became very funny when they negeted to realize when the rudder touched they'd no long be able to rotate to pull out of it. Lucky the plane just skid to a stop on the runway after the prop expoded.

Montague

Brilliant!

Actually, you can drag the rudder while inverted and get away with it. You have to get nose-up then descend. If you are descenting nose-down, then yeah, you're toast. Basically it's an inverted approach and flair before touching, then power up before the nose rotates down. If you get nose down, you're dead.

raideron

My Feedback: (1)

Yeah I almost had a nose-down situation, I was doing low inverted fly-bys
down the runway.. Started at about 5' second pass 3'.. Then the peanut
gallery:-) started yelling, lower, lower... Well I came back around and was
at or under a foot off the runway and about halfway through the pass a slight
cross wind/thermal caught my wing, I corrected ok but I guess in doing so I
let some "pressure" off the stick and she headed downwards.. Knowing I
could not just slam the stick I slowly pushed it out but not until the vert.
stab got about an inch off the runway... I came around and landed.. I
had to take a break after that.. Sure gets your blood pumping:-)

bubbagates

My Feedback: (32)

Wow,

My heart was thumping just getting the visual on that one. [sm=spinnyeyes.gif]

a65l

My Feedback: (17)

The only way to get really good at touch n goes is to practice, practice, practice. I usually spend 5 or so minutes each flight doing them, not so much on the warbirds but definetly the sport planes. I don't think there's anything prettier than a really good greased landing. Especially if it's a taildragger.

Andy