Hone Your Short-Field Skills

It's important to set a target and establish a stabilized approach when making a short-field landing.

Wednesday, September 14, 2022 at 01:16 PM ET

Verified

Transylvania County Airport (formerly 22W, now 3NR3) requires landing 'right on the spot.' [Illustration: Clare Nicholas]

Key Takeaways:

Short-field landings require precise technique, focusing on landing exactly on a designated spot using maximum drag, minimum airspeed, and power for glidepath control.
The "power approach" advocates using throttle for descent management while maintaining constant airspeed, stressing the importance of going around if an approach becomes unstable.
Angle of Attack (AOA) indicators enhance precision and safety in short-field landings by dynamically accounting for factors like bank angle and wind, optimizing airspeed control.
Applying short-field landing skills to real-world destination airports provides a practical, enjoyable, and effective learning experience.

See a mistake? Contact us.

For a couple of reasons, we didn’t want to land at the main airport (KAVL) at Asheville, North Carolina.

First, we had looked ahead on airnav.com and saw that the fuel prices there for 100LL tacked at least an extra dollar per gallon onto what we could procure elsewhere in the area. Second, I had landed at Asheville before, and I always liked a new challenge. Third, well, I was not getting much love from the controller on Asheville Approach when I asked for VFR flight following through the area—cementing my idea of finding elsewhere to land.