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" landing demonstrates pilot airmanship and judgment, enabling a safe touchdown even if the initial approach was flawed.
• Approaches frequently go awry due to inadequate planning, poor situational awareness, and errors in airspeed, altitude, or aircraft configuration.
• Pilots can salvage high/fast approaches through techniques like aggressive slips, strategic power/pitch adjustments, and full flap deployment, adapting for aircraft type.
• Ultimately, a go-around or missed approach is the safest and always appropriate solution when an approach cannot be safely salvaged.

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