Saving The Approach

Its all but settled wisdom that a good landing is always preceded by a good approach. But define good? Does "good" mean you had the numbers nailed from the point you turned into the downwind? Or can you call an approach good if you sailed over the numbers on speed and kissed the pavement to make the first turnoff, even though you started too high and too fast and got behind on flap and gear extension? The second answer is the best one, in our view, because it implies two things: airmanship and judgment. The airmanship part means you have the skill to coax the airplane toward the right speed and attitude to land safely if not prettily. Judgment means you know when youre too far outside the envelope to even try to salvage an approach.

Key Takeaways:

• A "good" approach is defined by the pilot's airmanship and judgment in achieving a safe landing, even if the initial approach was flawed, rather than strictly nailing precise parameters from the outset.
• Botched approaches, whether visual or instrument, commonly result from a lack of planning, poor situational awareness, incorrect speed or altitude control, or improper aircraft configuration.
• Pilots can salvage many difficult approaches using techniques like extending the pattern, aggressive slips, or timely deployment of gear and full flaps, especially in slower aircraft, but must exercise judgment to avoid unsafe situations like runway excursions.
• The safest and often best option for any approach that feels uncomfortable or unrecoverable is a go-around or missed approach, as a second attempt is likely to be successful.

Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->

See a mistake? Contact us.