Flight School: The Touch-and-Go

Pia Bergqvist

Friday, August 19, 2011 at 07:30 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The use of touch-and-goes during flight training is a debated topic among flight instructors.
One perspective cautions against touch-and-goes for new students, arguing that each takeoff and landing should be treated as a distinct, unique event requiring proper post-landing procedures and debriefing, with immediate transitions deemed counterproductive and potentially dangerous.
Conversely, another view advocates for touch-and-goes as a valuable and efficient training tool, enabling more repetitions of critical approach and landing elements (such as the flare and go-around skills) per hour flown, provided they are utilized with good judgment and in appropriate situations.

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Are touch-and-goes a good idea during flight training?

William F. Ball_ has been an active flight instructor for 30 years and a designated pilot examiner (DPE) for 21 years. He conducts testing and certification activities for all FAA certificates and ratings. He has given more than 8,000 hours of flight instruction and is currently an instructor for SimCom, teaching in the Cessna Citation CE-500 and CE-525 jet programs. He says:_