2004 National
Flight Instructor
of the Year |
Whereas every flight test
for a pilot certificate from Sport through Commercial
requires the demonstration of soft-field takeoff and landing
techniques, the vast majority of pilots, including some
flight instructors, have never operated on a truly soft
field. In fact many airplane rental policies forbid
operations on any surface other than a paved one, let alone
a soggy grass runway. Therefore, the learning of these
techniques quite often rarely goes beyond the rote or
understanding level. We, as instructors, have the
responsibility to take the learning all the way to the
correlative level. Our techniques have to start before we
begin our taxi.
If the field
conditions are truly soggy one might get stuck if stopping
to run-up before taking off. Therefore it would be best if
the run-up and before takeoff checks are completed prior to
starting to taxi. Considering the immutability of the rule
of primacy, shouldn’t we incorporate the teaching of run-up
and before takeoff checks being completed prior to the start
of taxi as part of our initial “soft-field” training?
Observing what I see demonstrated on practical tests
indicates we are not doing a very good job of teaching this
important step to pilots-in-training.
In a tricycle gear
airplane full back pressure on the stick or yoke will need
to be maintained all the time one is taxiing. In the case of
the tricycle airplane we are endeavoring to keep the nose
wheel as “light” as possible, thus keeping it from sucking
into the muck and bringing one to a stop. In a tailwheel
airplane a “neutral” stick position should suffice while
taxiing. It is quite possible that it will require full
power just to taxi. If that is truly the case one might want
to reconsider whether it will be possible to accelerate to
flying speed. It might be best to taxi back to the tie down
or hangar and wait a few more days for things to dry out
some more. That would be much better than getting out on the
runway and rutting it up, and perhaps even getting stuck.
Ensuring that no one
is on final approach one continues onto the runway and
commences the takeoff roll without stopping. In a tricycle
gear airplane, don’t ever relax pressure on the stick as
full take off power is smoothly applied. In the case of the
tricycle geared airplane we want to get the nose wheel out
of the muck and mire as quickly as possible. As we
accelerate, we will need to slowly relax the back pressure
once the nose wheel starts to lift, and then maintain that
pitch attitude that keeps the nose wheel just off the
ground, until we lift off. In a tailwheel airplane holding
full back pressure on the stick will only serve to drive the
tailwheel down into the mud, significantly reducing our
acceleration. So, in a tailwheel airplane, one needs to
maintain just enough back pressure on the controls to
provide directional control through the tailwheel, but
nothing more.
Once we lift off, we
now have to level off and accelerate while we are still in
ground effect. If we don’t relax pressure on the yoke,
reducing the angle of attack, the possibility is high of
climbing out of ground effect, stalling, and finding oneself
back on the surface. Once Vx (if obstacles are present) or
Vy speed is achieved the rest of the climb out is the same
as for any other take off. But as the old saying goes: what
goes up must come down, and so we now have to deal with
landing back on this sodden piece of terra not so firma.
It is important to
teach the necessity of keeping the approach speed slow, no
faster than 1.3 times Vso, and to touch down as lightly as
possible. Many pilots will add just a touch of power as they
break the glide and dissipate the energy. Keeping the nose
high, they cut the power just as the main wheels touch down.
This allows them the soft touch down that is needed. But “it
ain’t over ‘til it’s over” as Yogi Berra used to say, and
the fat lady hasn’t even cleared her throat yet. Unless you
want to be “clearing the throat” of your airplane it is
imperative that you keep the stick all the way back, keeping
the nose wheel out of the mud (or the airplane from nosing
over, if the little wheel is in the back) for as long as
possible. It might very well be possible that you will need
to add some power to keep the taxi roll going. So there are
the techniques for a soft field take off and landing. But
then I have to ask… how many pilots will ever operate into
or out of an airport that is really that soft? How many
pilots are eager to coat their beautiful bird with a layer
of slime and goo? In fact it is quite possible that with one
exception, (which I’ll get to shortly) the only time they
will use these techniques is during a flight review, or
practical test. Unfortunately I see this as leading to a
potential disaster.
Almost every pilot and
instructor I know uses the technique of either carrying a
little power all the way in to the landing, or of adding a
little power during the flair to soften the landing. If you
are indeed intentionally landing on a truly soft surface,
such as a sodden grass runway, or perhaps off airport on a
beach or other unpaved surface of unknown consistency, the
addition of power is fine, and as it should be. I would
further add that I teach my clients to not use full flaps if
flying a tricycle gear airplane, since full flaps would only
serve to drive the nose wheel into the ground on touch down,
which could, in a worst case scenario lead to flipping over.
I advise the use of only partial flaps, using a forward slip
as necessary to lose altitude, and carrying the appropriate
slight increase of airspeed to compensate for the slightly
higher stall speed that partial flaps yield. But now we get
to the one exception I mentioned earlier about when we might
need to use a soft-field landing technique.
For the vast majority
of pilots the only time they might be landing on a soft
surface, such as a mucky meadow, or a sandy beach, or a
recently plowed field is after the engine has gone quiet,
and refuses to restart, and the airplane has turned into a
glider. As Murphy would have it, it might be that the only
place available to land is a truly soft field. To add to the
problem it might have trees at both ends, or power lines, or
some other type of obstacle, and if Murphy is really having
sway it probably isn’t too terribly long either. For those
pilots that have only practiced soft field landings, using
power to cushion the landing, they might now find themselves
nose deep in doo-doo. Practice the techniques of power off
soft field / short field / steep approach landings. Learn to
effectively use either a forward slip and / or flaps to
control the glide path and controlling speed with pitch.
Know that combining the proper use of pitch, configuration,
and the forward slip you can remain “on target, on speed”.
The timing of breaking
the glide in a power off, or dead stick soft-field landing
is critical. There has to be enough energy left to hold the
nose high throughout the touchdown, and roll out. A typical
error I see is that pilots tend to flare too high in this
power off landing, sometimes running out of energy while
barely getting in to ground effect, yielding a touch down
that is anything but soft. I teach my clients to start their
roundout just as they enter ground effect. Obviously flaring
too late might very well end up with the airplane
inelegantly inverted in terra unfirma.
Remember that soft
field technique is not just for flight tests and flight
reviews. Even if you do not normally operate from a
non-paved runway, the situation that requires a landing on a
soft or unimproved surface may arise. Knowing, practicing
and being proficient in the proper techniques will help you
to enjoy your time aloft with extra confidence. |