Midwest Flyer Magazine

Second, the degree of turn is not likely to be consistent from
approach to approach. The result is that the distance from
the runway approach end varies from landing to landing.
This in turn disturbs the pilot’s development of position
awareness. Third, while looking toward the runway the pilot
is not able to watch for incoming traffic on a long final. A
much-preferred technique is to focus on performing a 90-
degree turn toward a target while also scanning for incoming
traffic and then, when the wings are level, take a look at the
runway and judge the aircraft height. When a 90-degree turn
is completed, the runway will magically appear off the wing
after the wings are level.
NOTE: I have never heard of a runway being moved
once in the pattern, so I find no need to watch it during a
turn. This gives the pilot an undistorted height perspective
and, after picking a tracking target, allows more accurate
assessment of wind effects on the airplane’s path, thus
providing a more stable basis for judging when to turn onto
final. If minor altitude adjustments are to be made, small
changes to the track toward or away from the runway will
accomplish this.
Again, when turning final there is no need to watch the
runway during the turn. It will show up in the windshield at
the proper time. The pilot need only wait. During the turn
onto final, the pilot can also be watching for any aircraft that
might be on a long, unannounced final, particularly at nontowered
airports. After the runway is in view, the last portion
of the turn onto final can be used to ensure that the airplane
is on an extension of the runway centerline. At this point
power and speed should be as close to final as possible.
The classic “stabilized approach” is critical to a good
landing. Any change in aircraft configuration from this point
on just makes a good landing difficult to achieve because it
introduces new variables into the flight. The pilot should
be able to focus on the projected touchdown point, while
applying any required wind correction. Since the target point,
without leveling to slow, is that point in the windshield,
which remains stationary, the need to maintain a constant
pitch angle is obvious in achieving the desired landing point.
A very common sin at this point, regardless of the
technique used to get there, is that pilots tend to settle for
pointing at the runway centerline, rather than being on an
extension of it. Even if landing on a runway, which does not
have a centerline, such as a grass runway, the airplane can
be positioned tracking parallel to the edges of the runway,
midway between them, and things will work just fine.
When approaching the runway at an angle, it is more
difficult to judge touchdown point and height to say nothing
of attempting to determine the effect of any crosswind.
Therefore, it is very important to maintain the track along the
runway centerline. Ideally, the final leg should be stabilized
at least 250 feet above touchdown elevation. That is an FAA
recommendation and one, which makes sense.
There is one more point about this turn onto final. That
is, that we still have far too many stall-spin accidents from
overshooting the runway and then attempting to correct with
steep, uncoordinated turns. This is particularly a hazard when
the crosswind results in a tailwind on base.
Since the pilot is tracking toward the downwind target,
the wind will be a known factor, and therefore no surprises
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JUNE/JULY 2013 MIDWEST FLYER MAGAZINE 15