Are you landing on a short runway? Does your runway have an obstacle at the end of it? Then you need to put your short-field landing skills into action. Here’s how you’ll do it, step-by-step.
How Short Field Landings Are Different
When dealing with a short runway or a runway with an obstacle near the end, one needs to adjust the approach and landing to safely touch down and stop on the runway.
So what are the steps of a good short field landing? We’ll break it down into four phases: the approach to landing, clearing an obstacle, touchdown, and rollout.
Approach To Landing
To make a great short field landing, one must be in complete control of the airspeed and descent rate. When stabilized, on speed, and on glide path, one can touch down where desired, prevent the plane from floating down the runway, and stop well before running out of runway.
All of this starts with the approach.
The Airplane Flying Handbook recommends flying a slightly wider-than-normal traffic pattern, giving plenty of time to configure the aircraft and ensure stabilization on the approach. While not necessary, it’s not a bad idea. The more time given to stabilize, the better the landing will likely be.
There are a few more things to consider when flying the pattern: if the POH doesn’t suggest a final approach speed, fly final approach with full flaps at 1.3 Vso. For example, if the plane has a Vso of 47 kts and the POH doesn’t list a final approach speed, use 47 X 1.3 = 61 knots. Flying 61 knots on final will provide a good setup for landing.
Getting comfortable with flying a stabilized approach in this configuration can be one of the most challenging parts of a short field landing. That’s because when configured for landing on the final approach, one is on the back side of the power curve. This means using power to adjust the glide path and pitch to adjust the airspeed.
It can take a few tries to get this right. A good way to practice is to fly a pattern all the way down to short final, go around, and try again. After a few pattern flights, one will feel like a pitch/power pro.
Clearing An Obstacle On Final
If there is an obstacle at the approach end of the runway, a slightly steeper-than-normal approach is needed. By flying a steeper angle, the obstacle can be safely cleared without using up too much runway before touchdown. The steeper the glide path, the more runway available for touchdown.
But flying a steeper approach has its disadvantages. Flying a steeper descent angle with a high descent rate requires careful flare judgment. More pitch is needed in the flare to overcome the descent angle and arrest the descent rate for a smooth touchdown.
Timing the flare in a short field landing is a matter of practice. Flaring too late results in a hard touchdown, while flaring too early can cause early stalling and a large sink rate. The best way to avoid these is to practice and practice more.
The more stable the final approach path, the more likely for a good landing.
Touchdown
Next comes the moment when all the hard work pays off: touchdown. As approaching the runway, slowly reduce the throttle to idle.
This differs significantly based on the airplane flown. For a lighter airplane with light wing loading, start reducing the throttle as approaching the runway threshold. For a plane with higher wing loading, keep the power in a little longer to avoid getting too slow or missing the landing point.
As approaching the touchdown point, continue reducing power and start flaring. The goal is to touch down at the minimum controllable airspeed just above stall speed. Touching down at stall speed results in the lowest possible ground speed, setting up for the shortest ground roll.
Rollout
Once touchdown, use maximum aerodynamic braking. After touchdown, slowly pull back on the yoke, being careful not to lift off. As increasing the aerodynamic braking, more weight is placed on the main gear, making the brakes more effective as more brake pressure can be applied before the wheels lock up.
Be gentle when applying the brakes and then increase the braking pressure to slow down. It’s easy to lock up the wheels when the ground speed is still high and the wings produce a lot of lift. Keep pressure on the brakes until sure of being slow enough for the taxi turnoff, then gently release the brakes. Smooth application of the brakes is key to a good landing rollout.
Common Problems With Short Field Landings
Short field landings may take some practice before being comfortable. Here are some common problem areas to consider before practicing:
– Too much airspeed on final, causing floating down the runway.
– Excessive descent rate on final, leading to a hard touchdown.
– An unstabilized approach, with oscillations between slow and fast descent rates, flying above and below the glide path.
– Over-braking on rollout and locking up the wheels (nobody likes flat spots on the tires!).
– Setting the nosewheel down hard instead of controlling its touchdown (remember, the nosewheel isn’t as strong as the mains).
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