Help with landings

[doc_mdc]

How to tame my landings........I have a 3W 33% Extra 330S wita a DA 100 up front spinning a 28x10. My approches are fine and have it set up with the run way. the speed is fast so I pop a little elevator to exspose the wing and bleed off speed but I end up dropping too much speed and have to gun the engine to keep from stalling. I either have fast landings or thud and go's. I cant decide on spoilerons or flaperons. Help me decide, whats your thoughts?

Looking to slow down without lossing lift.

[aviti]

No flapperons, no spoilerons. Begin slowing down on your downwind leg. Make the approach lower and slower and once the plane is getting closer to stall speed, fly it all the way to the runway. Use the throttle to control descent. If you are doing it like I am trying to describe, you will be able to land very slow even with the throttle above idle.

[1bwana1]

I had trouble with this when I first started flying big gas planes. Having to bump the throttle during landing is normal, and good. Going back to basics, you control your air speed with your angle of attack, by using elevator. You control your rate of descent with your throttle. By using these two forces in opposition to each other, you get a very controlled landing. Having a nice stable low throttle is a great help in doing this.

[3ddd]

also what helps is to set both ailerons down about 3/32 of an inch .this will not effect normal flight but will add just a hint of flap when you slow down. i have done this on my 100cc cap and it works great,just use sub trims

[ken crane]

	Quote: Originally Posted by doc_mdc
	How to tame my landings........I have a 3W 33% Extra 330S wita a DA 100 up front spinning a 28x10. My approches are fine and have it set up with the run way. the speed is fast so I pop a little elevator to exspose the wing and bleed off speed but I end up dropping too much speed and have to gun the engine to keep from stalling. I either have fast landings or thud and go's. I cant decide on spoilerons or flaperons. Help me decide, whats your thoughts? Looking to slow down without lossing lift.

heres my learning curve. i flat out sucked at landing no question about it.i now land like my plane is on rails almost every time. the biggest secret i learned is not to be afraid of the ground. it was worse to land too slow than too fast. if you learn to bleed speed after your turn to land , use the approach to align yourself with the end of the runway and have the plane aprox 4-6 feet off the ground at the end of the runway let the plane settle past ground effect then flair a foot off the ground. you should stand near the end of the runway you are landing at. try and land right in front of you not at either end.if you try and get the plane to land near the end of the runway and you are too fast you always have the rest of the runway to wag the rudder to slow the plane down. once it happens and you loose the fear of the ground its ground breaking. all you will want to do is show off. also go arounds are free. if it doesnt feel good power up and go around. do it 100 times until it feels right. if it feels right land. then do it again and again.i made the mistake learning to fly well and only land becuse it was nessesery. not showing off but i will say i can land with the best of them now what ever i fly. i start by taking my wagstaff up making a few passes then land and take off land and take off. then i go about my flying.

also. if i land and it isnt almost perfect i go right back up and re land. it has to be a good landing for me before i go back to the pits.

[Mithrandir]

OK...
1st, Get your idle to a low RPM... Set up a "Flight Idle" and a "Ground Idle". On the turn from base to final, switch to ground idle. Likely you can hear the motor slow down when you switch... part of this is because the plane will hopefully be slowing and increasing the load on the engine.
2nd, learn to fly the plane around in a "Semi-Harrier"... what I mean is learn to fly straight and to turn with the tail wheel 3 inches lower then the main wheels... This is the attitude you want to learn to land in... if you touch the tail wheel first, it will not bounce up and fly 150 feet.
Landing approaches are sometimes tuff because you don't have a good sense of the aircraft speed... so it will require practice....
Also.. try to find the "Sweet Approach" angle and replicate that every time. Once you get it figured out, you can do steep Side-Slip approaches...like 500 feet up and 600 feet downwind sideslipe steep approaches!!!

[zzw26n]

	Quote: Originally Posted by aviti
	No flapperons, no spoilerons. Begin slowing down on your downwind leg. Make the approach lower and slower and once the plane is getting closer to stall speed, fly it all the way to the runway. Use the throttle to control descent. If you are doing it like I am trying to describe, you will be able to land very slow even with the throttle above idle.

And once you've done the above a few times, you'll understand and feel it every time. Very difficult to explain, easier to watch and much better to feel it and do it.

[Nelvick]

Another trick is use your elevator completely up to lose speed. Yo have make sure you dont have speed to take up again. That will work as air brakes. Some times windy days are better for that. I has the same problem last week. I am lerning too with my 35%. My first landing was close to the end. The next ones was much better. Try to land exactly in the begining and dont wait for the last moment.

Make sure your RPM are low.

[eagle1]

I know where you are coming from, learning to land my composite-arfs took some time, they always seem to come in hot, Daniel tought me a little trick and it was also mentioned by mithrandir, set your idle on the ground to where the plane will stay static, then go up 4 or 5 clicks on the trim, on your approach, set your idle 4 or 5 clicks down to get the air speed to dr drop, I go around at least one time at my flying idle, about half way back I set my ground idle then use some throttle to get it to the run way, takes less than what you might think, keep trying you will get it just takes time around the big ones to get use to the landing speed 7 mph wind really helps. good luck

[pepatrick]

I am right handed. I have found the more coordinated I get with my left thumb, the easier throttle control is. You dont realize how important left thumb or finger control is until you have it...and all of a sudden everthing become easier. Another trick that works is to set a landing speed on your idle. Flip a switch and you RPM lowers a bit slowing your plane down, and the abosolute best thing to do, is practice, practice and just when you think you got it...practice some more. There is no substitute for that. When I first started flying 35% planes...I would do touch in gos for a solid 12 minutes until I was not afraid to land the plane.

[Darren94]

Guys, I am now on the 8th flight of my first big plane. I have a sd-model 30% yak and i have been having landing problems as well. I can fly the plane great, knife edge, hover, flat spins etc. But, i have not have 1 good landing. I bring the power to an idle make my turn in and begin the approach. i often bump the throttle to maintain lift but, always have a nice approach then boom. As soon as it touches the ground, bounce-bounce-break. killed the stock gear, bunged up wingtips and broken props. I just cant seem to get it to be a smooth landing. any input?

[Nelvick]

Do you check your balance?

The more easy way that i get landing is keep the nose up to try stall a bit the plane. Like harrier landings.

[Darren94]

Yes, the balance is right at 6 3/4 as the manual recommends. I think the problem is in my technique. As i make approaches with my nitro planes, i kill the power and float all the way in. Once i am 1-2 feet off the grass, i slowly add more elevator until the plane almost stalls then, make a nice 3 point landing nice and slow. With the big bird, when i add elevator to slow it and do a almost stall landing, she goes right back up in the air and bounces a few times. I think i need to practice coming in a tad fast and once she touches down, not do anything until is slows WAY down. Sometimes i feel like i have to do something with the controls as soon as it makes contact. which is causing my bounces(small elevator input)

So, i think if i come in with a high idle, flip the switch to a low idle at the last second and touch down a bit fast. the plane should make contact and not bounce. As the tail settles down and makes contact, i think i should add more elevator to bring her to a stop?

[Jim T]

This is a great topic that really hits home. I'm interested in this concept of "flight idle" and "landing idle". I'm flying an Aeroworks 50cc Yak 54 w/ a DL50 that I'm still breaking in. Once the break-in is finished, I'm curious what would be good to strive for for both the flying and landing idles? So far l've been using spoilerons on landing to help overcome the tendendcy to ballon back up. I like some of the landing concepts I'm reading hear better.

Jim

[Darren94]

^ does that make the ailerons act as flaps or, do they go upward?