dude, I am so high!

What's that got to do with the (bad) advice that all approaches should be done that way?

Gotta agree there. Could see it in the Instrument flying handbook but that is NOT stabilized. Look at the a/s indicator for gods sake. If he's on short final that fast, gonna have to chop the power and maybe slip just to bleed off the energy.


Not a vfr pattern approach pic. 90 kits and 480 fpm. Looks like a nice IFR approach. Not the subject of discussion here. With all respect to the post.
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This is very good advice... if you do that consistently, it's game-changing.
A lot of primary students, despite all they've seen and heard, get into the habit of focusing too close to the nose as they land.
Looking way ahead helps fight that urge to pull back that comes when you suddenly think you're going to smash the nosewheel onto the runway (which is usually at more than 10 feet AGL, LOL). It's a common beginner problem; I did it a couple of times; most pilots have. I still find myself saying aloud "end of the runway" to remind myself to look out there. The problem could be that you are over-thinking the "flare", and putting way too much thought and effort into it.Landing is not about diving for the runway, then somehow stopping the descent by pulling back, then hoping you did so at the correct height. Remember, the point of the "flare" is not to stop your descent so much as to transition smoothly from a good steady descent to rolling on the runway. It is definitely not a good time to be looking at the altimeter or over the side, so you must eyeball the horizon and look for a picture similar to (surprise!) what you see when you take off.

Other than always, ALWAYS looking out over the nose as you come close to where you intend to touch down, another good thing is to try a few low passes over the runway, in ground effect (which is within one wingspan of the surface, and ideally you want to do this lower than that). Fly very slowly. (maybe even with the stall horn starting to squeak). This should give you a better idea of what you should be seeing when you are at the ideal height to pull the last of the power out and smoothly add just enough up elevator to kill some more lift and let the airplane settle out of ground effect. It also helps you learn to make that transition smoothly, with elevator and throttle.
A variation on this is a training trick one of my CFIs tried with me: come over the threshold, look down the runway, get into ground effect, start sneaking the last of the power out, then DO NOT LAND. Try as hard as you can to delay the inevitable as you descend towards the runway, but don't just try to pick up the nose with a big pull on the yoke. "Holding it off" like that gets you into the habit of having airspeed, pitch, and power right where they need to be for those last few feet. You will land long the first time you try this (so make sure there's enough room), but you will probably land very smoothly.
I know the "don't land" thing seems to contradict what I said about not trying to stop the descent by "flaring", but trust me- if you try it, you will get it.

Your post is spot on and is what I'm experiencing.

After about 10 hours I've gone from "oh **** I'm going to smash into the runway if I don't jerk back on the yoke" to keeping the nose down longer than I "think" I should.

My instructor has relayed the same advice about "keep it flying..." As you finish the roundout, establish a pitch attitude that keeps the airplane from descending, and hold it. Eventually I get the squeak.

The last 4 or 5 landings I have been able to get my focus away from just over the nose or 50 feet in front of it and transition my stare to the far end of the runway in the roundout, and it's made a huge difference in being able to judge where I'm at:)
 
UPDATE:

let me first stress this...........a lot of people have said it at some point in this forum, but a good landing starts with a good approach in the pattern, as far back as crosswind. the better landings I made yesterday were because I was ahead of the plane in the entire pattern, nailing my turns, altitudes, airspeeds, radio calls, pre-landing checklists, etc.... the 'bad' landings were due to a mistake I made somewhere in the pattern, forcing me to play catchup. one mistake I made twice was making the turn to base leg before pulling power back. it screwed me up (for obvious reasons) and then from there I was scrambling. my better landings* came from each leg being spot on.

*with that being said, my roundout/flare still sucks. I'm not high anymore (and lemme tell ya, sobriety sux!) but I just don't have the feel of a smooth roundout/flare yet, and it's p!ss!ng me off. no smooth landings, coupl'a balloon landings, instuctor still has his hands a half inch from the yoke. my airspeeds are good, I'm getting closer to the centerline but I'm still jerky with the yoke. I don't trust it yet to just pull back, pull back. driving me nutz. I'm close though, I know I'm close but just not sure why I can't nail it yet.
anyways, I got my pre-solo test from my instructor so I know I'm close, but I feel like it's this one hurdle that's preventing me from soloing.

I guess the good news is, I get to keep flying until I work it out, so its not all bad!
 
Sounds to me like you are experiencing a learning plateau. That's normal.... You might ask your CFI if you can spend a lesson doing something else like hood work with a VOR or a short XC, something to break up the pattern work. Then when you come back to it you'll be refreshed and may see it anew.

Don't worry, it will come, it's just a matter of perspective. If you are flaring too high still then when you get to the height where you would normally want to pull, just take a breath, smile, look long and then start easing back pressure. The landings don't have to be greasers to be safe and solo-able. Just consistent and controlled. Are you good at go arounds? That's just as important.
 
DUDE, you will be fine. I struggled with landings as well. It will happen soon and you will get the hang of it. Just keep practicing and don't let these times that are frustrating get to you. Just wait until you have to land at night with your lights out. I just did that last night :)
 
Don't get too wrapped up in the numbers of flying. When you say your poor landing had something to do with what happened on crosswind I get concerned you are focusing on the trees and missing the Forrest.

Flying is just about doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done. Do stay ahead of the plane but don't think because you turned base before pulling power or you pulled power before turning the landing is destined to be bad.

Relax and practice.
 
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