Too high

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Ravioli

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Haven't decided what my mental block was today, but I went to three airports and arrived TOO HIGH at each.

Denton I called a go-around to let down.
Mexia I did a 747 sized pattern to let down.
And then home at Meacham I called the go-around and they had mercy on me and gave me a right 360 to land.

If nothing else, it reinforced my thinking to "set it up again" when I don't like what I'm seeing, but I've got some thinking to do about how I hosed up the arrival 3 out of 4 times this morning.

Flying is learning.

Stay safe out there!
 
Hmm and here I always thought 3 strikes and you're outa hereeeeeee! :cool:
 
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At least too high an approach gives you a lot more options than too low....I hate dragging it in!

Sight pictures at different airports can really affect how you set up. If I haven't flown for a while and there's a bit of rust, I tend to err on the high side. Kudos for doing the safe thing and going around at Denton.
 
I think I was blowing my timing on Top of Decent. May have been distraction talking with Mike and Lisa. May have been other distractions. Still not sure as I re-fly them in my head.

I'm a 380hr pilot... just an off day I think...
 
Yeah, me too coming home Friday afternoon. Blended in with heavy traffic nearby (2 in the pattern plus me, one departing, 3 waiting on the taxiway) for a nice touch and go. Came home, entered the pattern just fine, but was high on final. Not long after rolling wings level, I pulled the throttle to idle and added a little more flaps down. Made the second turnoff.

20170224_131721.jpg
 
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Maybe you were getting hit with some thermals this morning. Even though it was cold here, the thermals were still really strong out here in north TX.
 
If I err, I generally err on the high side. Since I've started landing at 50F, though, I've really had my moments. There's a big hill at the approach end of 35, and it's really unnerving to be on glide slope and see how close you are to the ground. The first time I arrived at night and you couldn't see anything on that hill, I kept two whites on the VASI until I got to the start of the displaced threshold.
 
Frogs97 said:
If I err, I generally err on the high side. Since I've started landing at 50F, though, I've really had my moments. There's a big hill at the approach end of 35, and it's really unnerving to be on glide slope and see how close you are to the ground. The first time I arrived at night and you couldn't see anything on that hill, I kept two whites on the VASI until I got to the start of the displaced threshold.
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You probably already know this but if the runway lights look like they are twinkling or flashing while on final it's because there is something in between you and the runway. Most often I see it with trees. Not all runways have vasi and I've noticed the ones that don't are generally the one that really need them.
 
Tarheelpilot said:
You probably already know this but if the runway lights look like they are twinkling or flashing while on final it's because there is something in between you and the runway. Most often I see it with trees. Not all runways have vasi and I've noticed the ones that don't are generally the one that really need them.
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You know, I can't say I ever heard or considered that. Makes complete sense, thanks for the tip!
 
Hank S said:
Yeah, me too coming home Friday afternoon. Blended in with heavy traffic nearby (2 in the pattern plus me, one departing, 3 waiting on the taxiway) for a nice touch and go. Came home, entered the pattern just fine, but was high on final. Not long after rolling wings level, I pulled the throttle to idle and added a little more flaps down. Made the second turnoff.

View attachment 51707
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What airport is that, Tallassee? Thought I knew just about all the airports in AL & MS. Just curious.
 
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Hank S said:
Yeah, me too coming home Friday afternoon. Blended in with heavy traffic nearby (2 in the pattern plus me, one departing, 3 waiting on the taxiway) for a nice touch and go. Came home, entered the pattern just fine, but was high on final. Not long after rolling wings level, I pulled the throttle to idle and added a little more flaps down. Made the second turnoff.

View attachment 51707
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Nice job, Harrison. Looks like you're lined up nicely for the grass between the taxiway and the runway, where every self-respecting tail dragger pilot lands every time.
 
Ravioli said:
Haven't decided what my mental block was today, but I went to three airports and arrived TOO HIGH at each.

Denton I called a go-around to let down.
Mexia I did a 747 sized pattern to let down.
And then home at Meacham I called the go-around and they had mercy on me and gave me a right 360 to land.

If nothing else, it reinforced my thinking to "set it up again" when I don't like what I'm seeing, but I've got some thinking to do about how I hosed up the arrival 3 out of 4 times this morning.

Flying is learning.

Stay safe out there!
Click to expand...

Mine does not want to come down very well from being too high on final, without full flaps, constant speed prop in fine pitch and slipping. And then they don't drop like the 172 unless I get under 70 kts, behind the power curve.
 
Something I love to do is go fly the pattern and see how bad I can screw up my approaches to landing and still be able to touch down smoothly...sometimes works, sometimes ends in a go around but drilling bad approaches makes for better landing recoveries when you don't intentionally make a bad approach!

I still take the attitude that all approaches are a go around until proven otherwise.
 
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I always err on the side of being too high on approach as well. I've had to slip a few landings to get down in a hurry, rarely will I go around unless I'm just super uncomfortable with the approach. I have done it though.

On the flip side, the only time I was too low was when I had a potential buyer for my plane dragging it in because he wanted to try a landing. Two reds and trees closing in = me taking over the landing. That was a bit scary...

Still, good choice going around when you are not comfortable.
 
Found myself high last week, and realized the wind had shifted from cross to tail by the time I touched down. Variable winds drive me nuts. It's always good to be prepared for a go-around. No shame in making several approaches.
 
I try to avoid slips with passengers, but I did one about a month ago. CAP cadet ride, arriving at Concord stupid-high for some reason (probably watching for traffic while I should have been slowing down and descending -- it was busy). So I pulled it to idle, dropped the flaps to full, and slipped it down. The right seat cadet got real excited and said the glider pilot had taught him that earlier the same day. Ended up being a nice teachable moment. Landed on 1L right on the numbers and ended up making the second turnout, for a nice short taxi to Transient.
 
Some of my first few flights where in gliders, my bro in law had been a glider pilot. After that the club where I first started flying taught me that altitude is money and you'd always rather be too high and go around than be sitting there low dragging it in. There is such a thing as "too high" of course, but I tend to come in generally a bit higher and usually deploy *some* slip to get it in. Never usually at idle and slipping for more than 10-15 seconds... and I've never had to go around for it in over a decade of licensed flying, but it's just enough that should there be a power failure, shear, etc., that extra altitude would become very valuable

It made me feel better when I flew on Cape Air last summer and the pilots kept it real high... frankly I thought we would go around... but about a mile out they dumped the gear and flaps and dropped it in
 
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