Just did a landing following the pattern as RoboRay described. Fun! I have to admit that even though I fly according to approach plates whenever there are any for my destination, I usually rushed into the other airports as a madman... I approached too fast, slammed down the flaps to slow down and flew direct to the runway... Just now I did it according to the book, and it's fun! (And slowwwwwww... )

 

Slow = safe

 

Think of entering the traffic pattern as driving your car off the highway into a parking lot. You've got to poke around it, dodging other cars and pedestrians, while heading to your parking spot.

 

Flying the pattern is a good exercise for controlling your aircraft in various situations! I think I never really had to keep my plane level at slower speeds because I would start descending after cruise and descent right unto the runway. But now I descended to 1000 ft AGL, slowed down to the white arc speed (that's slow!), lowered flaps at the right speed, trimmed (a lot), etc. Nice, because I always thought it was a pity not every airport had approach procedures.... while in fact they all have, but not always on a chart. (Come to think of it: I think I always flew those published approaches at too high speeds too.)

 

I knew about the patterns (although I thought they were called circuits) but I don't know why I never flew them up to now in Flight. Stupid me.

 

Yeah, they do handle a little differently when you slow down, don't they? :Thinking:

 

And "circuits" is fine, as I believe it's used commonly outside the US. I expect that most pilots will understand what you mean.

And "circuits" is fine, as I believe it's used fairly commonly outside the US. I expect that most pilots will understand what you mean.

 

Of course. If someone from the U.K. told me he was flying "circuits and bumps" I'd understand immediately he was doing "touch and goes..." :Nerd:

I usually come in around 55 kts with my flaps fully extended, and touch down on all 3 at the same time, being as its a taildragger should I still flare? How do you land the maule usually? I've read somewhere you land with the front two wheels first then the back touches down, only problem is im afraid if i go for the first to wheels first ill descend to rapidly and crash

 

 

A good way to learn landings is to try to keep the airplane from landing. Just as you cross over the begining of the runway you should be less than 50 above it, pull the throttle all the way back slowly as the airplane continues descending. When you get to about 5 ft above the runway try to hold it level there by pulling back on the yoke. As the airplane slows it will want to descend and you will want to keep it from descending which will slow you down even more. The plane will descend because you have no power and will touch the runway on the main wheels. Practice like this several times and eventually you'll get a better feel for the airplane.

 

- Gary Letona

 

I pretty much land as Gary has described, the only difference is just as the wheels (front) are about to touch down I rev the throttle to about 50% (then back down once plane has touched down), I've found that by doing this I get a soft landing and no passengers/co-pilot saying 'Ouch' , 'Oooo', 'Ahhh' etc.

Ahhhh,,,50%

Will try that.

HeLLo

First of all I thank you all for your geat explanations.

I wish to tell simply how I proceed. Reducing the speed, I'm speaking of the little Maule here, I trim nose up around 25° and I let throttle 50-55 % in a way my plane slowly goes down.

So my speed is reduced now, I align on the runway reducing throtte around 30-40 % I'm near approaching now and I'm on the runway so if I reduce to idle and if I'm a little bit too high I put on the flaps gently.... now the Maule is on the ground, safe.

apologize in advance for may bag english and my "simple" procedure, but, it works

@@++

Just in case this has gone unnoticed. The Maule has 2 airspeed scales. If you are using the checklists (as you should) and trying to fly at appropriate airspeeds, make sure that you use the inner airspeed scale for Knots. The other scale is calibrated in MPH! :)

 

It may make for rougher landings if you are flying much slower than you think you are.

As you cross the end of the runway, gently pull any remaining power back and try not to land.

 

When should you start your descent from the 1000' AGL you maintain while in the pattern? I've read pattern instructions very similar to yours (thanks!), but making that last turn to final so close to the touchdown point seems to require a very steep descent. Or do you start descending while in the pattern? At what rate, approx?

 

I'm still struggling some with landing the Maule myself, as I'm a tricycle-gear-only guy in the real world. Tail-draggers are tricky.

 

I've no idea what works IRL, but in Flight, reducing throttle to idle will kill a landing in Maule. I only managed to get soft, controlled touchdowns when I learned to keep the throttle at about 40% (depending on load). Any less, and Maule will just drop like a paperweight. You can still flare, but raising the nose will not arrest your VS, and the touchdown will never be soft enough, at least in terms of passenger status and soft landing bonus in challenges.

 

OTOH, you totally need to kill the throttle to do a soft landing in RV-6. Otherwise that thing just won't descend or lose airpseed in time.

When should you start your descent from the 1000' AGL

 

In the base leg, although in gliders this is not true :-)

 

I've no idea what works IRL, but in Flight, reducing throttle to idle will kill a landing in Maule

 

idle only if you're comming really high on your final leg/approach, otherwise, while I don't know about the Maule in particular, mantaining throttle @40% looks good to me...

In the Maule, I usually come in on approach around 7 kts or so , flaps extended in the second position - I do not use full flaps - I cross the threshold and usually am around 65 kts as I am just a very few feet above the runway, then I slowly ease back on the stick as I slowly reduce throttle to idle, it practically kisses the runway. I have been greasing my landings pretty good in the Maule of late. Hard to truly describe how I do it, but once I got the hang of it , it was not too difficult. It did however, take me a while to get that hang of it.

Interesting readin here: http://www.airbum.com/pireps/PirepMauleM-7-235C.html

When should you start your descent from the 1000' AGL you maintain while in the pattern? I've read pattern instructions very similar to yours (thanks!), but making that last turn to final so close to the touchdown point seems to require a very steep descent. Or do you start descending while in the pattern? At what rate, approx?

 

I'm normally beginning to descend as I turn Base. I honestly don't look much at my VSI during approach and landing, as I'm focused on the runway (and VASI lights, if any) out the window, glancing in at the panel mainly to check my airspeed. Maybe 400-500fpm.

 

I've no idea what works IRL, but in Flight, reducing throttle to idle will kill a landing in Maule. I only managed to get soft, controlled touchdowns when I learned to keep the throttle at about 40% (depending on load). Any less, and Maule will just drop like a paperweight. You can still flare, but raising the nose will not arrest your VS, and the touchdown will never be soft enough, at least in terms of passenger status and soft landing bonus in challenges.

 

Yeah, that corresponds with my more recent observations. I'm managing much better landings now that I'm keeping some power in during the approach and coming back up on it some more just prior to touchdown. Consistently happy passengers and no startled animals, even.

 

OTOH, you totally need to kill the throttle to do a soft landing in RV-6. Otherwise that thing just won't descend or lose airpseed in time.

 

This is actually how I'm used to landing, pulling the throttle all the way out before turning base and hopefully not needing to touch it again (unless I screw up) until the wheels are on the deck. This technique contributed greatly to my poor landings in the Maule, it seems.

 

If we come to a general consensus on this, I may add some notes specific to landing each plane at the end of the Flying the Pattern tutorial. I need to fix a couple of other minor problems with it, anyway.

 

Interesting readin here: http://www.airbum.co...leM-7-235C.html

 

Hmmm... Very interesting, indeed. Thanks for posting that!

 

In particular, these comments...

 

The first trip down final was an interesting experience because I didn't expect the airplane to need so much attention to maintain a given airspeed. I also didn't expect it to require such accurate airspeed control. Frank said the factory advised 65 mph for a normal approach and 58-60 mph for a short approach. We used full flaps, 48°, in almost all approaches . Using less flap for a crosswind moved the approach speed up to 70 mph.

 

As I played with the airplane, I found it changed personality twice in the speed band between 60 mph and 70 mph. At 68-70 mph, it was a floater and demanded getting all the power off to let it land. At 64-66 mph, it had a moderate float and might need a touch of power in the flair, but usually not. At 60-62 mph, you'd better be right there with the throttle all the way through flair because power-off, it had no ground effect at all and would flop onto the ground like a dead flounder, if you'd let it. Reducing flaps to 40° didn't seem to change anything.

 

...seem to indicate we are not doing things incorrectly by using so much power during the landing to achieve a smooth touchdown.

Interesting readin here: http://www.airbum.co...leM-7-235C.html

 

... At 60-62 mph, you'd better be right there with the throttle all the way through flair because power-off, it had no ground effect at all and would flop onto the ground like a dead flounder, if you'd let it. ...

 

Looks like MS modeled that effect pretty accurately! :LMAO:

Um, yes, it seems they did get it right. I have verified that portion of the flight model quite thoroughly. :good:

OTOH, you totally need to kill the throttle to do a soft landing in RV-6. Otherwise that thing just won't descend or lose airpseed in time.

 

Most simulations don't do a very good job in simulating the braking effect of a constant speed prop. In fact, I know of no simulations that portray the effect to my liking. The real RV with a C/S prop drops real fast, when power is pulled back. Prop setting doesn't need to be full forward either. A fixed prop RV6 will float, and requires the pilot to slow well before the pattern. I can do a downwind at 120 knots, and easily slow to 80 knots as I head downhill on final. I'd either have to make steep decents and flare at the perfect time, with power off; or use a bit of power in the flare. Both methods work. My statements all apply to the real RV. I don't have the Flight model for comparison.

 

L.Adamson

I suspect the Flight RV performs with power back more similarly to the fixed-pitch than C/S version would, in the real world, but I haven't flown one (fixed or C/S) to compare.

 

It's good enough to make me really want one, though. :Thinking: