solo trouble

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seroth

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Seroth
i've posted this in another problem and was directed to come here for better help?

hey guys, i've got this problem.
please remember i fly gliders so i have no idea if this has applies to power, or just me, but i want to ask anyway

i soloed a couple weeks ago and did 3 perfect landings. i didn't fly for a little bit after that because i had vacation with my family. anyway after vacation i come backand fly the gliders with my instructor and every time i continue to have a hard landing. I'm not sure if this is because i'm just nervous with this instructor because i don't normally fly with him, or if i was just flying really well during my solo because i was nervous about it? it seems i always forget to correct for the appropriate landing speed and i screw up my pattern, pattern entry.


frown.gif
 
I'm not a glider instructor, but even if I were, I don't think I could help without flying with you. Ask to take a ride with a different instructor to get an independent opinion.
 
a little more info would be nice. what kind of glider are you flying? describe your technique for roundout and flare. what role are the airbrakes playing? what are you using to judge altitude in the flare?

Im a CFIG in Central Iowa, where are you flying at? Its great to have more glider people here!
 
haha, i think you were the one recommended to me tony. I fly out of X51 in homestead

i'm flyng a l-23 blanik. Airbrake usage depends on how far up and out i am from the point i'm trying to land on/ near. usually, if i'm 500 or more when i turn final, i will apply full airbrakes until i feel comfortable and then i will pull it down to about 75%. I usually use lots of airbrakes when i am and landing.


as for flare, they tell me not to do so much on landing, as the tail is super delicate, but on one landing my other co-worker and instructor said it was practically a space shuttle landing :/ i don't really understand though because when i soloed, it was fine. i think it may just be because i'm nervous--not sure.

i'm going flying agiani on saturday hopefully.
 
I did some of my first solo in an L23 in Marfa, TX. you are right, I loosely used the term flare, as it is not nearly the same as you would flare an airplane. you want to set it down as smooth as possible on the main wheel. as you come down to about 3 or 4 feet push the airbrakes forward to about half, then just hold a steady attitude and let it settle down. dont rush it. if you are getting rough landings then you must be hitting the ground at too steep an angle. i didnt ask what kind of speed you are flying but it should be sufficient or you wouldnt have solo'd. my bet is you are using too much airbrake into ground effect and the bottom just drops right out. try a little less, smooth things out.

where did you get recommended from?
 
i forgot who it was but i was on the aviationforum.org forums
 
probably PJ, hes the only one I know that visits over there. doesnt really matter anyway, just curious. Let us know how soaring goes tomorrow!
 
It was me... I told him you'd be able to help him out Tony... Thanks!

Seroth - Welcome to this forum!
 
it looks like i'm not gonna be able to go because my dad wants to take the boat out tomorrow, thus i won't be able to go to Airport and work and fly.

:[
 
Seroth, I'm certain Tony could straighten out your landing problem if only you could fly with him. One thing Tony left out that AFaIK applies equally to gliders and power planes is where you should be looking when you "flare" (yes the flare in an airplane is noticeably more nose high than in a sailplane). There's a strong tendency to stare at the spot 20-30 ft ahead while waiting for the plane to settle because that's the same "look angle" you were (correctly) using during the approach and when you transition to the flare it's all too easy to keep looking in the same place. What you need to do instead is to shift your gaze to the far end of the runway (to the horizon actually if you can see it) at the same time as you flatten out your pitch attitude because it's much easier to judge your descent rate with that perspective and your goal is to minimize but not eliminate your vertical speed as you get close to the ground.

I suspect that looking too close is a major part of your problem as this is something that many pilots have to "learn" several times before it really sticks in their mind.

I do agree with Tony's comment about reducing the spoiler extension if you feel like you're touching down way too soon after leveling off over the runway. Besides being a CFIG, Tony's got a lot more glider time than I do and most of mine is in the distant past but my recollection is that unless you are trying to land short beyond a tall obstacle, full spoilers is way too much on the approach as this will indeed produce a shuttle like descent profile in most gliders. Seems to me the drill was to plan for half open leaving the most range for adjustment. I also remember slowly pulling all the way back on the spoiler control to plant the main wheel once I was within 6-12 inches of touching down (unless there was a reason to land long).

WRT to "dad" taking the boat messing up your flying plans, does that mean you normally go to the airport by boat? Is it too far to go by bicycle or walking?
 
excellent point Lance. i dont see anything there that I would argue with. Need to get you back to the dark side
 
lancefisher said:
Seroth, I'm certain Tony could straighten out your landing problem if only you could fly with him. One thing Tony left out that AFaIK applies equally to gliders and power planes is where you should be looking when you "flare" (yes the flare in an airplane is noticeably more nose high than in a sailplane). There's a strong tendency to stare at the spot 20-30 ft ahead while waiting for the plane to settle because that's the same "look angle" you were (correctly) using during the approach and when you transition to the flare it's all too easy to keep looking in the same place. What you need to do instead is to shift your gaze to the far end of the runway (to the horizon actually if you can see it) at the same time as you flatten out your pitch attitude because it's much easier to judge your descent rate with that perspective and your goal is to minimize but not eliminate your vertical speed as you get close to the ground.

I suspect that looking too close is a major part of your problem as this is something that many pilots have to "learn" several times before it really sticks in their mind.

I do agree with Tony's comment about reducing the spoiler extension if you feel like you're touching down way too soon after leveling off over the runway. Besides being a CFIG, Tony's got a lot more glider time than I do and most of mine is in the distant past but my recollection is that unless you are trying to land short beyond a tall obstacle, full spoilers is way too much on the approach as this will indeed produce a shuttle like descent profile in most gliders. Seems to me the drill was to plan for half open leaving the most range for adjustment. I also remember slowly pulling all the way back on the spoiler control to plant the main wheel once I was within 6-12 inches of touching down (unless there was a reason to land long).

WRT to "dad" taking the boat messing up your flying plans, does that mean you normally go to the airport by boat? Is it too far to go by bicycle or walking?
Click to expand...

no he or my step sister usually drive me because there because it is about 7 or so miles down the road and i live in a rural area. I also don't have my license so everything i have to do depends on them. I have an internship at this flight school, which is why i get free flight lessons, but because of parents, weather, time, my instruction and flight time is so erratic and has taken so long for me to solo.
 
meh, i was about to go fly today and once i went to the field from the office the weather turned to crap in about 15 minutes and we (me and everyone on the field) got stuck under our tent for about an hour from the rain :[
 
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