Of all the maneuvers you will learn during your primary flight training, the touch and go will be the one you practice most often. [FLYING file photo]
Key Takeaways:
The touch and go is a common, high-workload training maneuver where an aircraft lands briefly before immediately applying full power to take off again.
It requires precise aircraft control, careful flap management, and a non-rushed cleanup sequence to avoid safety hazards like runway excursions, stalls, or accidental belly landings, especially in retractable gear aircraft.
Instructors employ methods like teaching full-stop landings first and the "faux pattern" at altitude to demonstrate proper procedures, emphasize control, and highlight the dangers of improper flap retraction.
Of all the maneuvers you will learn during your primary flight training, the touch and go will be the one you practice most often.
The touch and go is a variation on a normal landing. Instead of bringing the aircraft to a complete stop, after the aircraft touches down, you add full power to takeoff. It is sort of a modified go-around.
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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.
