There's a lot that goes into a stable approach to landing. [Credit: Meg Godlewski]
Key Takeaways:
Unstabilized approaches, often caused by pilots getting "behind the airplane" or incorrect configuration, are dangerous and should always result in a go-around.
Effective training for stable approaches and go-arounds includes ground sessions with visual aids and "faux pattern" drills performed at altitude.
Instructors must prevent learners from developing dangerous habits in the pattern, and proper go-around execution requires anticipating right rudder, managing pitch, and careful flap/gear retraction.
Regular practice of go-arounds is essential for pilot proficiency and to safely handle unexpected situations or air traffic control instructions.
When a pilot gets behind the airplane in the pattern, it is never a good thing.
Rushing the checklist—or worse, forgetting the checklist items—leads to a late configured or nonconfigured airplane or being too fast or too high on final. All these things result in an unstabilized approach.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
