Our current field has a landing field 14' wide x 200' long and with the trainer I could hit it half or 3/4 the time. With my second plane a goldberg tiger 2 ARF I have the hardest time hitting it. I have to come in with fair power or she drops like a rock and if I come in too fast it zips past me and does not "settle" in. The angle has got to be perfect or by the time you touch down your into the beans! So, am I a very bad pilot or is my field just way too small. Not sure what I want you to say but I'm back to my trainer and it is not as much fun to fly so I could use some help.

Practice will always teach you the perfect approach for the plane.
200' is like an aircraft carrier for some of the faster models, but you
should be able to set that plane down easily in that distance...
all in good time.

You'll know when you've finally got it, because you'll be finess'ing the throttle on final,
to pick your touchdown spot. I try to shoot for wheel touchdown "Just"
across the edge of the runway, on pavement, whenever possible.

Shoot a lot of missed aproaches and touch & goes. It just takes time.

Also, make sure your engine is idling down, and that you have the right prop.

Another thing that used to help me, when I was learning, was to pay attention
whenever someone was flying the same model I was having trouble with.
Watch them from the minute they turn downwind... pay attention to their
engine's sound, the height at certain points of the pattern, etc...
If you need help, get one of the guys who always greases it in to coach you a bit!
You'll get it sooner or later
Just don't be stingy with the fuel... every gallon you burn makes it that much easier!

Sounds like your plane may be nose heavy. A tiger II should not "drop like a rock." You should be able to manage a nice flat glide with little or no power. Double check your balance and make sure you are withing manufacturer specs.

I have checked the balance and it is just less then an 1/8" of the center of the range the book gives. I really should not say drops like a rock but without fair forward speed it looses alt fast. I can slow my Airvista trainer and just about catch it in my hand but not so with the tiger. When setting it up I was worried about Tail heavy as just sitting there with an empty tank it you could just slightly bump it and the nose would flip up as the tail went to the ground. So that is why I balanced so carefully. (I had to move the battery but now it is just about perfect.) - Proplem could be pilot. Seems like trying to land on a carrier! Slope, glide plane, angles seem too tight for my skills!

thanks

If you get where you can land on your field, then you'll be able to
fly anywhere. I don't know what is at the approach end of the
strip, but you need to be no more than 5 ft. high when you cross
over that end of the strip. With experience, you'll get the feel for
the right speed as you make the final turn for approach. Just keep up the practice and it will land ok.

Randy

Sometimes coming in only 5 feet above the apprach end is not always possible, like if you have corn planted on one end of the field or even with soybeans you have to add a couple of extra feet to that.

I had a problem like this with my Skyvista, it always came in really fast, and usually rolled of the runway. So I installed some really effective flaps under the wings, they don't interfere with the ailerons or aileron linages, and now I can come in steep and land in about 20 ft. of space. Take a look, the one flap bay is open and the blue square is the other flap door.

The tail dropping slightly when the tank is empty is normal for the ARF. I too thought I had a problem and our head instructor wanted verification that the plane was balanced before I flew it. I bought a Great Planes CG machine and proved to everyone the CG point was correct. My ARF will float forever with a little head wind but as you say if I let go of the sticks on the final approach it will drop more than my old trainer. There are times when I forget to slow down the throttle on the down leg and end up having to do a go-around but usually the plane will land easily within the 200' feet you specified.

Keep at it.

That is a very tight landing area, but yes depending on what is around it. The tiger II is faster than most trainers on landing but not a really fast model. Perhaps you should consider a flaperon set up on landing. The balance sounds like exactly like mine and it seemed good. Just tipping up when empty.

be sure to drop the nose and keep the glide speed up. the gear on my tiger 2 has bent a lot from rough landings.

When I was learning to fly I had one piece of advice that my instructor gave me which served me well in this exact case. And I have passed this advice on to everyone that I myself have taught to fly. Shoot touch and gos. I'm not talking about just a couple. But and am talking about multiple flights on multiple days. Just keep shooting the touch and gos. after a few days you'll be able land your plane on just about any field in any wind condition. I know that this sounds boring, but it's well worth the time you will invest in doing it. Heck, sometimes I'll take my ultimate bipe and quit burning holes in the sky with it and spend a tank of fuel shooting touch and gos.

I read a post on a different forum about a year ago where they were discussing the most difficult manuever to do correctly, and I agree when somebody posted that it was the landing.

As with anything else in this hobby, practice makes perfect.

Good luck.

Good advice. I need to do just exactly that. Touch and gos. I always have the most trouble right there at the threshold. I've even heard some say that I'm rushing my landing. It's the slowing it down that seems so tricky. I'm flying an Avistar. CG is a little forward, I'm thinking of checking that and making sure its right on. Might make a difference. Like I told my Sister-in-law once, I can never make enough "good landings". Definitely going to add that to my practice. Good flying, Tom

Heh, I took it upon myself to do just that a few weeks ago. I kept on shooting touch and go's with my Avistar. I would touch, then open up on a 45deg climb, get some altitude, half-roll, then pull up elevator for a 5/8 loop to be lined up for the next one. After about 20-30 of these, I must have gotten bored or stopped paying attention because on the last one I didn't get enough altitude. My poor plane almost made it through the 5/8 loop - smack! ...unplanned ground incursion. Engine/firewall went one way with tank attached, wings left the plane, nosewheel somewhere else. LOL! I had her patched up that Sunday though! Being my first crash, it was kind-of a wake-up call.

Good practice, though. I like to do it while the wind is changing.

I would still try adding a little tail weight. Airplanes are like people, no two are alike. Remember that the MFG's suggested balance range is just that... a suggestion. You should balance your plane where IT wants to be balanced.

What you have to do is to learn to stall the plane, just off the edge of the runway (beginning) and just above the asphalt (grass). This will give you your best chance of landing successfully. I am having a difficult time doing this with my Giles but with my Extra, it is no problem!

Hey Goldwing,
My wife has a favorite restaurant up in Alex. Maybe some weekend I'll take her there for dinner and we can get together for a few flights.

Sounds good to me but maybe you should bring your SPAD so if my plane hits your plane you won't cry! Actually it's pretty safe in the air and safe on the landing stip but any where else on the ground it could be a target! I went out the other night and just flew patterens and worked on the line up and landing slope. The only real problem to that is the Tiger is totally Different then my trainer. But I will get better at it in time. Next time we cut the grass I will cut it just a bit wider. (16' to 20') Maybe someone who knows what they are doing can just talk me through the landings! My trainer guy is North East of Miltona and his strip is large so hitting that one is totally different then our field! Let me know I will charge the batteries and even cut the grass!

Sounds like a plan!

(I wonder what the wife has planned for the weekend?)