WOW, Tennessee, you surely have received a lot of information, however, IMO, the silver and gold portion is very lightweight.

Landing any airplane is work. No two are just alike. Each landing you ever make whether an RC model airplane or a 1:1 scale will be a test of your abilities. Even in 1:1 scale that is true. An airline pilot may grease 'em on one after another, but every so often, there will be one that he does not care to claim. Somewhere back in the list of posts there is the one that the poster claims that the B-747 is not subject to the power=altitude and pitch=airspeed. Very funny because while the poster says that no one ever sees the 747 nose going up and down on final approach. HA HA, Nope, if from outside the cockpit you see any aircraft going nose up then nose down, then there is more trouble than flying a final approach. Yep, that is funny funny funny.
Now let's talk flying the RC model from a downwind track parallel to the runway and then on to touchdown. While there are many different situations happening in any approach phase, the basics will get you down. There are some basic rules but they vary in time and effort during their applications.

Rule 1: An airplane control system needs positive applications of smooooth PRESSURE. An airplane is not a computer game. Treat an airplane like a girl-friend, not a wife. Don't bang the control pole, just easily pressure it, yet sometimes a firm pressure and MANY readjustment/S is/are required.

Rule #2 Plan ahead. Have a flight track, over the ground and in the air established in your mind. You can't get where you wish to be if you don't know the way.

For beginners, estimate about 300 feet out from the far side of your runway centerline. That will suffice. Since you wish to track that line, you have to consider the crosswind component. For example you have a 10 mph wind at 45* to the runway from behind you as you look across the field towards the downwind leg. That means about 7 mph effective crosswind component, which is also 7 mph tailwind component (TWC) on downwind. Given a 25 mph True airspeed with 7mph TWC you're doing about 47 ft. per second and an extended downwind leg of about 470 ft. Do not tarry.
For training let's say you were going right to left downwind, and that 7 mph twc is effecting your ground track the entire time you're making the turn around some 2-4 seconds, you will be some additional 25-30 additional feet away from you. So in general, you're about 500 ft away which would be a final approach 200 ft out from end of a 600 ft runway if you are standing in the mid point. About average.

Now if your final speed is 20 mph TAS less 7 mph head wind component you have 13 mph inbound ground speed. That is slight of 200 Ft. per second until the model is abeam you. Holding the speed you have less than 3 seconds to make a number of decisions. As it was said years ago, a big business man may make an important decision a couple times a day. An airline pilot makes a 100 lifesaving decisions in a couple seconds.
On final approach, this is where the altitude is controlled by throttle and speed by pitch. If the machine appears to be dropping below your chosen descent path, then give a burst of throttle and pull it right back. You will gain altitude. Going high, throttle back and quickly back to what you think it should be. If you wait to see and analyze results you're way behind the machine.

Back to basics and all that math above could be very wrong, as I am just thinking it but not very swiftly or accurately. It's been 15 years since I had to make those decisions. HA!
Rule #3: As you slow down a bit on final approach the same headwind may lessen due to ground effect, increasing your ground speed. More likely as you correct your descent path and for sure as you do slow your descent, your drift angle will then increase, making your heading appear off course. To counter this you will need to lower the upwind wing into the wind and use applied rudder to keep the aircraft tracking down the centerline of the runway. Now you will be holding a pressure and don't release it when you start to flare.

If you fail to be drift free at touchdown the wheels effectively touch while in a crab thus being in a skid and will make a greaser look a whole lot different. [8D]

As you reduce any power setting during the flare, the increase in pitch lowers airspeed reducing wing lift, remember that lift is a function of the SQUARE of the airspeed and then the biggie rule of the prop driven aircraft is that as power is reduced there is also a drastic reduction of airflow across the horizontal stabilizer, thus reducing the ability of the stab-elevator to hold the wing in a positive angle-of-attack. This is where the proficient pilot learns the use of control pressure and holding attitudes.

It's something a pilot needs to be aware of and the use of control pressure is very important. So many times I have watched great air-work RCers flare then allow the pitch attitude drop and destroy a good approach.

A good approach can be the start of a good landing. OTH some of the worst landings I ever made, 1:1 scale were on those times I was cleared to land way out, long straight-in approach, almost no wind or very slight on the nose and beautiful weather. YUCK!!!

On the other hand every landing from the River Approach at Washington National was always good. Your RC landings will be good if you remember the basics and DO NOT QUIT FLYING UNTIL IT STOPS ON THE ROLL OUT!

Horrace Cain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEJfS1v-fU0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdF2S...eature=channel