Fairytale Endings

FLYING Staff

Thursday, June 21, 2007 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Landing is presented as a complex skill that combines art and science, being the phase of flight most prone to aircraft damage and requiring consistent practice for proficiency.
For conventional tricycle gear, smooth landings depend on a two-stage process: a precise setup and continuous back pressure during the flare, with visual focus 50 feet ahead.
Taildraggers demand exceptional precision due to their center of gravity, requiring strict adherence to three-point or wheel landings and meticulous control to avoid any sidedrift.
Landing large jets involves unique considerations, such as a highly stabilized approach by 1,000 feet AGL and initiating the flare at a higher altitude (e.g., 50 feet) to manage their dynamics, rather than attempting a full-stall.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Is landing an art or a science? That’s what the pilot of this King Air is about to find out as he maneuvers for a landing on a scenic runway out west, in the mountains.

Once the King Air gets down, go flying with Tom Benenson as he explores landing through the eyes of a flight instructor. There are a lot of fine points here. Then Russell Munson, our conventional landing gear expert, will regale you with tales of how to make peace with a tailwheel. Russell should know because he is on his second Aviat Husky, which is a world-class tailwheel airplane. (The first one was destroyed on the ground by a thunderstorm last summer.) Les Abend has been flying Boeings for a long time, and still does. As is true of a lot of airline pilots, his first gig in a jetliner was in a 727, which has always tested the landing mettle of pilots. He tells all.