How long did it take before you landed landing

[Jamie Kirk]

It's very refreshing to see this thread with so many others having a similar experience. I'm 18 hours into training and the last 4 lessons have been nothing but pattern work with 10-15 landings (and a few go-arounds). I'm still having the same consistency issues that others have mentioned with keeping things under control once I get into ground effect, especially the yaw. I think the real a-ha moment will be when the coordination between aileron and rudder control really clicks. My other problem has been figuring out the right amount of back pressure to apply in the roundout, with the CFI having to pull back pretty hard a couple times to keep me from burying the nose in the ground, and other times pulling back too much or too early and ballooning the plane.

It's all happening very fast on final approach right now, and I'm still waiting for everything to click and slow down. One positive thing I've noticed is that with each lesson I seem to be getting it closer and closer to the runway without any CFI intervention and the last couple I've landed a few on my own.

Looking forward to hearing updates (and seeing some video) from the OP. Seems like we're in similar spots. I'm excited to figure this out and move on to solo and cross-country!

What really helped me the last day was reading the post about needing pressure on both pedals. I was flying the place like you drive a car, only one foot on at a time. I noticed a dramatic difference after reading a suggestion from someone in this thread and while my CFI was telling me it just was not clicking. But when I read it the way it was typed it made sense.

I will have some video on Monday, I have an 8am flight lesson.

 

[tinerj]

CFIs say the darnest things. On my landings the CFI would yell "Opposite rudder." And sometimes he meant opposite to the way the nose was pointing, sometimes opposite to the way I was pushing the rudders, or sometimes opposite to the wind direction.

 

[woodchucker]

First off, I’m fairly new. 130ish hours. My landings still suck. I’ve had a few where I felt like I should stop the airplane and go back and look for parts.

Reading your posts you really seem to like analyzing the mechanics of it. Whatever helps you is great. But I might suggest that sometimes just flying the plane and not overthinking things can be helpful also. Just keep an eye on airspeed, but otherwise a landing is just flying the plane towards the runway, pulling power, and trying to maintain altitude.

The key to a great landing is to somehow luckily make it so that the wing loses lift as the wheels touch. That’s the hard part, which is why I usually just close my eyes once I’m in ground effect and hope for the best.

 

[Jamie Kirk]

Here is the video I promised. I failed to record the first day because I could not figure our the GoPro like an idiot

You do not need to watch the whole thing, here are the times. They are also in the comments and if you click them in the description it takes you right to the point in the video:
Pre-flight and taxi Start - 6:30
Run Up 6:30-10:05
Takeoff 10:05-15:30
Landing 1 15:30
Landing 2 19:45
Landing 3 24:10
Landing 4 28:40
Landing 5 33:05
Landing 6 37:40
Landing 7 42:15
Landing 8 51:05
Landing 9 55:30
Landing 10 59:50
Landing 11 1:04:00
Landing 12 1:08:30
Landing 13 1:13:08
Landing 14 1:17:05
Taxi back 1:19-Finish

 

[Boiler03]

Great video! Had to cancel my lesson today due to high winds, so I’m living vicariously through your Go Pro.

Looks like you’re really getting the landings down too. Barely saw your CFI reach for the stick at all. Did he say anything about sending you solo soon?

 

[Jamie Kirk]

Great video! Had to cancel my lesson today due to high winds, so I’m living vicariously through your Go Pro.

Looks like you’re really getting the landings down too. Barely saw your CFI reach for the stick at all. Did he say anything about sending you solo soon?

Today was my first consistent day. If I have a few more of those then I hope soon.

 

[mryan75]

Look all the way to the end of the runway when you start to flare...

It took me forever to learn to land...truth is I still am learning...1500 hours later...

Seriously. I've had my ticket for 6 years, and I'm starting to really get the hang of landings.

OP, slow down, seriously. Nobody is great at landing an airplane after 2 lessons.

 

[Jamie Kirk]

Seriously. I've had my ticket for 6 years, and I'm starting to really get the hang of landings.

OP, slow down, seriously. Nobody is great at landing an airplane after 2 lessons.

I have been trying to land for over 15 flight hours and it just clicked.

 

[danhagan]

Today we did 1.25 hours of pure touch and goes and floating over the runway. Today was hot, winds were bad and I was fighting the plane the entire day.

Fly early in morning. My CFI had the new students at 7am and progressively later with experience ... which allowed low wind thermal landings when you had minimal experience and worked your way up into the desert SW heat ... earning the 3pm slot wasn't fun in summer in the 152

 

[smbimage]

Got back to flying after soloing 13 years ago. Its NOT just like riding a bike.

 

[Kenny Phillips]

I have been trying to land for over 15 flight hours and it just clicked.

Every once in a while it will "unclick".

 

[chemgeek]

The good thing about flight training is that no matter how long it takes you to learn how to safely and reproducibly land an airplane, you only have to do this ONCE. In the grand scheme of flying things, the time it takes to yet there is not likely important.

On the other hand, getting really good at landings is a lifetime process...

 

[mryan75]

I have been trying to land for over 15 flight hours and it just clicked.

Write me back in a week. It clicks, unclicks, clicks again, ad nauseum.

And the best tip you will ever get is airspeed control. That is one thing you can't get wrong and make consistently good landings.

 

[TylerSC]

Once you learn the airplane it gets a lot easier. You’ll know exactly where to trim it for the desired speed, and once you can feel where the wheels are, flaring gets a lot easier. Sometimes it feels like I’m hanging my feet down under the plane and reaching for the pavement.