As a modeler that has taught may people to fly, I was just wondering what method other instructors use to teach there students to land?

Micro,,
As a modeler that has taught many people to fly..
If a person is capable of flying the plane instead of teaching them to land I show them how to make a low pass.. Most people get
jittery by being too close to ground, fear of crashing.. Show them
the plane will fly at a lower altitude.. Let them make a few passes comming in as low as they are comfortable doing.. As confidence builds add challenge..Now they are learning that plane will fly at lower altitudes, and allows them to learn how to line up for runway.. When they are comfortable enough then have them do the low pass but now reduce the power and have them do the same thing, up elevator to fly away, but without power plane will now flare.. If landing on grass, remain on up elevator after touch down.. If on pavement,, let go if stick after touch down..
Soon they will have it well under control and be able to grease it in often by learning to 'fly' plane into a landing...
Realise this is a rather simple version, hope you get the idea...
Robby

I tell people to keep making low passes until you are ready to chop throttle and land. You find that the word "flair" means anything from a small movement to straight vertical. Sometime it is difficult coming from grass to hot asphalt. Just teaching how to get excited without destroying your plane is what has to be mastered.

I teach them to fly the landing pattern a safe height then as the student gets comfortable at that height we begin lowering the runway passes until ten foot passes are decent, then I teach the students to keep the plane level with elevator and us the throttle to raise or lower the plane,basically the same as above post,depends on the students pucker factor,might take one day or a couple of months,I try not to train pass the fun factor.
Have a goodun,John

I do prety much the same. First I teach them to "fly the box", keeping the up-wind leg over the field/runway. Once they can do this without any trouble, I tell them to throttle back on the up-wind leg and drop altitude, then power up and go around. I tell them, "you're not going to land, you're just practicing lining up with the runway in preperation for landing".

I never say, "Ok, this time you're going to set it down." We just keep doing the attempts until one of them is so "on the money", that I will say, "Ok, chop the throttle and let it settle in".

They are usually quite amazed that they landed, and never got nervous because they had no idea it was coming!

Just adding to what has been said, I make the trainnee :
1.- to call for landing on down wind leg
2.-to say " throtler at 25%" on cross wind
3.- to say " throtler at 10%" on final
and if I do not like his approch I call" abort"
and he has to go around and do it again, otherwise he chops the throtler and lands!!

" good approches give a greater amouth of good landings"

just my input!!

after a student does a bunch of low passes on his own, I reach over and cut off his engine when he is about 5 feet high and over the runway, then tell him to continue flying it, but don't let it land - they end up making a perfect two wheeled landing all by themselves! Works for me...

Jerry

tailskid:
I do like your tip, it will be in my list of option!!!

Good technique Minn

I just bring out my pet monkey, have him make a few landings and leave.

Reaching over and cutting the engine sounds a lot like throwing a child into the deep end and expecting they'll learn to swim.

Having just soloed five weeks ago I can say that there is a high risk that your reaching over would have convinced me you were going to take the plane away and almost certainly resulted in a crash.

Also, if you cut my engine and I crashed I'd have a hard time not holding you responsible for the damage to may plane.

If any of you other instructors think that's a good idea, let me say that as a recent trainee, I think its not at all a good idea.

If a newbie pilot can't make himself (or herself) put it on the ground, then maybe they aren't ready to land.

Hi Ghostbear,
as an instructor I agree with you.
Have a goodun, John.

I like tailskid idea and is now in my list of options just because at 5 feet and ready to land.., good approuch.., killing the engine allows you to give your first little class of" dead-stick landing", It may kill your nerves ghostbear, but one of this days you will have a dead-stick landing and if you are already a little familiar with it, handling the situation will be much easyer.( being familiar with it means that you kown that if you stay focus nothing wrong really happens, just land it!!)
It is easy as well, for all instructor to remember how fast a beginner give us his radio or ask us to take over in any dead-stick situation.
any way calling the instructor responsible in case of crashing will cause the instructor to repair the damages, and as instructors we are well aware of it...; I have thought 6 beginners and chrashed twice forcing a student, (both time giving the " stall class") and I fixed the planes for them, no big deal, at least here in mexico!!.

Ghostbear, I wasn't totally clear on my technique.

First of all, I stand to the left of the pilot and 'move' the left stick while the student is flying. I don't like a buddy box after the first hour (+/-) of instructions.

I'm always playing with the left stick to keep their bank angle low, increasing or decreasing throttle depending on altitude, etc.

When the student is 'in the grove' or 'Call the Ball' situation, the plane is level, nose slightly high, plane sinking at a gentle rate, chopping the throttle will merely continue the flight path - right down the runway and by gently increasing the elevator, the plane will land itself!

That last part is very important - most trainers today will do just that IF they are 'in the grove' so to speak.

Most beginning pilots want to land too soon and will bounce 3-4 times before reaching LANDING SPEED! If the student will keep adding up elevator and NOT let the plane land when it is 4-5 feet off the ground - a perfect landing will occur - if the engine is not running!

Try it and see if it works for you....I know it does for me

Jerry