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Old 05-24-2011 | 03:33 PM
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CGRetired
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From: Galloway, NJ
Default RE: Power Plane Landing Technique Question


ORIGINAL: InTheLift

Wow, that was quick! Thanks for the tips. I see I ave a few things to work on.

1) A little more flare to get the mains to touch down first.

2) More practice to find the right landing speed.

3) Fly it in with a little power and watch the wheels...I know I'm watching the fuse and not the wheels now.

I'll check back in and let you all know how I'm doing.

Thanks![8D]
Yeah, you want to practice this at an altitude we normally call "three mistakes high"...

You can launch, then do some orbits to get calmed down, then come around for a landing approach. When it comes around, point it RIGHT AT YOU and decrease the throttle. Watch it bleed off both altitude and airspeed. When about 20 feet up, add power and go around.

Do this several times, then on the next one, come in lower. Do the same thing, but at a lower altitude.... then add throttle and go around.

At some point, probably after you have had about 15 to 20 approaches (yeah.. do nothing but approaches), you should be at an altitude when you don't add power, just get lined up with the centerline, and then watch it glide down... and when you are just a bit off the ground... cut throttle, flair, and land it.

The "point it right at you" stuff gets it closer to the centerline. You will do what's natural and not let it hit you, but you will adjust the position so it's relatively close to you and on the runway centerline and ready for a good landing.

Believe me when I say this that I do this over and over again, even after I've gone way beyond "mastering" the landing techinque because you never... NEVER master landings to the point where you are truly beyond training. Mainly because this is the single most important part of your flying RC.. hell, the single most important part of ANY flying, RC or Full Scale.. landing the aircraft safely and in one piece.

CGr.