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Old 07-30-2013 | 09:34 AM
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BobFE
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From: Burlington, CO
Default RE: Distance judging

I agree with slipping. I had a guy at my last club that harped on using the rudder for landing. He was one of those old crotchety guys that always had some comment, usually negative, about everyone's flying but I listened to him because he had been flying for years. I started using the rudder to control my plane while on approach and only used the ailerons to keep the wings level. Because the roll rate was much slower with the rudder I had more control of the plane on final, and this allowed me to have more control on short final. Most of the time I now grease my landings, nice and smooth. If you think about this it creates a natural slip. If you are adjusting for a crosswind, then you will have to hold in a rudder input to keep the plane on centerline, and by correcting the roll with the ailerons, you are now in a slip. All you have to do is increase or decrease the amount of rudder and aileron you use pending on wind.

Another good practice, like was said before, is to fly a rectangular box pattern for landing. Again, this will allow you to adjust how far out you start your approach by extending or decreasing your downwind leg. A good rule of thumb is if you do not have a good approach, you will not have a good landing. Work on the good approaches and you will find your landings will get much better.

Acdii, something you might also want to think about, the field might be too small for your 4Star120. Hard to say without seeing it.