But because your ground speed is lower (due to that strong headwind), you just won't float as far down the runway. With a strong headwind and a fast final approach speed, you'll still float for the same amount of time as you would when landing with no wind at all. You're flying 10 knots too fast on final approach into a 20 knot headwind. Check your POH to see if there are multiple approach speeds published for various weights. Once you've gained more experience and comfort, knocking a just few knots off your approach speed when flying light will keep float to a minimum. Your manufacturer might not publish a weight-adjusted approach speed table, because they'd rather have pilots fly slightly fast on final, than way too slow. On most light aircraft, there's usually just one published approach speed, so you should initially adhere to it. Couple that extra few knots with ground effect, and you'll really notice the difference. So when solo students fly without an instructor in the airplane, they're flying an airplane with a lower stall speed.īy flying the same published airspeeds on final and into the round out and flare, you'll notice extra float because your airplane has to decelerate a few more knots before it gets close to stall speed. In simple terms, a lighter-than-normal airplane requires less lift to be generated for flight, lowering your stall speed. Why? Time to get out your aerodynamics textbook. So in that case, the two speeds are right on par.įloating during landing is a common issue for student pilots on their first few solos. If you took the FAA's advice instead, based on a Vso of 64 knots, you'd have 90 knots (1.4 X 64). In fact, many that we know fly base at 80 knots, which is 24 knots faster than what the FAA says.Īnd the Cirrus SR22T? 90 knots is the manufacturer recommended base leg speed. However, not too many people fly base at that speed in a 172. So according to the FAA, an appropriate base leg speed in a 172S would be 56 knots (1.4 X 40). While the FAA offers no guidance for recommended speeds on downwind, according to the Airplane Flying Handbook, when you turn on to your base leg, you should transition to a speed of 1.4 x Vso (again, only if your manufacturer doesn't recommend a speed). Try to fly traffic patterns with recommended airspeeds from your airplane's POH. Start With A Flying A Good PatternĪll good landings start in the pattern. Here's what you need to know about why you're floating, and what you can do to fix it. Whether it's your first solo flight, or you're a seasoned professional pilot, floating down the runway past your touchdown point is a problem that all pilots face. Worse yet, your airspeed just isn't bleeding off. It's frustrating to watch stripe after stripe pass underneath your nose, well past where you planned to touch down.
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