[rant]

What is it about landings? An R/C pilot could fly an aerobatic flight requiring much skill but, at the very end, bugger up the landing a little. Guess what everybody would remember? Yep, the bad landing. I can't tell you how many times I've seen this happen. Likewise, a full scale pilot could work his butt off trying to give his passengers the smoothest flight possible during a three hour flight in poor weather. Passengers will ignore the pilot's work during the flight and complain about a "firm" landing.

This amounts to nothing more than armchair piloting and Monday morning quarterbacking. Don't become one of these people. [:@]

[/rant]

P.S. Biged, this rant is NOT about you. It's just from general observations as an R/C and full scale pilot. You're allowed to give me crap any time.

Ok, so tell us what happened to you, we need to know now that you threw that out there.

For RC it is practice, and slow flight.

Full size, Navy style or Air Force.

Nothing in particular. These are observations I've seen happen to other pilots. My landings are always perfect.

SKS has a great video called "Crash Action #1"

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=905

Most of the "Crashes" are crash landings caused purely by pilot error.

Bad landings, never!! For a good time watching bad landings go to a Madera Race and watch the pilots land after racing the unlimited class. Looks a lot like solo day at the club field. Give this some thought though, these guys have been flying giant scale planes at 200+ mph and then it's over, just like that, they missed out on the mid airs, didn't hit the pylons and didn't crash or have some of there favorite parts come flying off there airplanes. Now it's time to land. I'm more surprised I don't see more TXs passed over to the caller, I don't think I could hold my TX. I do remember when take offs and landings were scored so at events I still watch them and give them a score as well as the flight. Being the last thing I see I do remember it the best but that's what the score cards are for.

Listen carefully, when you are landing your model.
Just a couple of seconds before touchdown, every noise behind your back suddenly stops.
If the pits remain quiet after touchdown, it means you nailed a decent landing.
If not, the silence will give path to some "comment".
If the comments are positive, it is just the right time to call a flight day and pack.

Yes, there is something about landings that attracts people's attention.

Average pilot landings are where the pilots skills are truly shown in the . In the giant scale 3D guys, there is definitely more skill involved in a rolling harrier and others than a landing. In the average pilot, which is what most people are, anyone can do loops, rolls, snaps, inverted passes, (most anyone) but not everyone can bring in the plan for a perfect 3 point, or drag the tail the length of the runway on a tricycle geared plane. That was my favorite thing about me trainer, but it's kinda hard to drag the tail with the floats that are now on it.

Landings are what people can see, both RC and full scale...now I am talking the average person..not a pilot.....

You're right about the noises from the peanut gallery. I've actually had applause twice... my first ever landing on the maiden with my Dual Ace (absolutely greased it in), and once on my Harmon Rocket when one of the wheel pants had come loose and hung vertically during flight, and I managed to flip it up-side-down on touchdown and use it like a ski (thankfully on wet grass). Ran out perfectly, but I wasn't game to try to taxi it in.

An old timer once told me just about anybody can fly a plane, but what separates the good pilots for the average pilot is consistency in landing. After my students solo, I always tell them to concentrate on shooting touch-n-go's and full stop landings for a few weeks to get better at it (and it's quite evident after a couple of months who has listened and who hasn't). Every plane has its own feel and landing characteristics so I like to do this for each plane I have (some planes you just can't do this with like gliders, 1/2A or pylon racers that land dead stick). Even when I take the club trainer out after not having flown it for a couple of weeks I always try to shoot several touch-n-go's before I put my students up.

Hogflyer

I agree with comments from the peanut gallery. Usually, it's always the new plane being test flown that brings everyone out to watch. One little bounch and you'd think that it was smashed to pieces. I figure a couple of little bounces never hurts anything - I can just say it was a rejected go around! What hurts is when I'm trying to taxi back in (in a steady wind) and the warbird decides it wants to have its prop cleaned. But its always in good fun and I respond in kind.
I do get a kick out of new students when I grease their trainers in. Usually sounds like "Man, I'll never do it like that" response "just takes a lot of practice"

Nowhere is this more true than in the Navy. Every carrier landing is graded and debriefed face-to-face by the Landing Signal Officer. The grade is logged and posted on a bulletin board in the ready room. In addition, every landing is televised real-time on a monitor mounted at the front of every ready room and throughout the ship and is videotaped as well. There are no secrets in that environment.

Funny thing for me was that my landings had been really good most of the summer. I made a change to one of my planes, re-balanced, and all of a sudden my landings were less than ideal (to put it lightly).

I learned that I had been flying nose heavy planes from when I started training at the beginning of the summer, and got so used to it I ended up setting all my planes up to be nose heavy. Flying a properly balanced model showed me that I had A LOT to learn about using throttle and less elevator for landings!

Well about the peanut gallery. Today I was landing my big extra and I was about 2 feet off the ground when I let it get too slow, no wing rock warning, just snap!! First Extra I have ever flown that has ever acted like a CAP. Only five of us at the field counting myself. Sounded like a busy Saturday!!!! The guys acted like I wasn't there to see it myself. I managed to touch both wing tips, both stabs and the prop all in one landing. Other then the prop nothing broken but I think I was only there for the comic reilef!! [:-]

As Nathan said, he does a great job in his landings.

However, on training nights at our field I've only been helping as ground crew.
I hadn't had the courage to try being an instructor, until recently.

Anyway, in our training sequence, landing is the last event we train our students. Since I'm in the peanut gallery I try to reward the students for good landings. Yet, offer encouragement for not-so smooth landings.

It's watching the experienced pilots bounce along the runway that sets everyone to crrying on.

EJ

p.s. that would include BigEd.

Yep, the Greenie Board, completely filled with OK 3 wire passes. Ha, ha to that!

When you land you are getting close to the ground and air speed is low, all mistakes are visible. In the air, you do not notice much. Landing requires a lot of coordination and experience. I always grease my landings in and its because I was forced to practice them when I was learning. That made me good at it.

Gray Beard ... I saw videos of those interesting landings, yeah, big fast expensive planes but they look like noobs landing a trainer. Why is that?