2.6 (7) Graceful Landscape ~ Epilogue
<Other Types of Takeoffs and Landings>
Following the first cross-country flight the other day, I will learn about the new types of takeoffs and landings such as those for the short runways and grass or dirt runways: Short-Field Takeoff, Short-Field Landing, Soft-Field Takeoff, and Soft-Field Landing.
These require a little different procedure than normal takeoffs and landings. I believe these dramatically improved my skills of the normal takeoffs and landings for the following reasons.
<Short-Field Takeoff>
As for Short-Field Takeoff, I stated a little in the past article (only in Japanese) 0.7 JAL B777飛行機の墓場ツアー（3/3）～ロケットスタート | 自家用操縦士訓練物語～超怖がりな私が空を飛んだ日（My PPL Training Days） (ameblo.jp). In the short-field takeoff, a nose attitude should be a little raised compared with the one in the normal landing called “VY Pitch.” This is called “VX Pitch.” Because of establishment of a different pitch attitude required, I came to pay more attention to the aircraft climbing attitude, which led to safer and nicer takeoffs.
<Soft-Field Takeoff>
In the soft-field takeoff, since you need to stay moving even during taxi, I had to imagine the proper power control and the taxi route in advance to keep the aircraft toward and on the runway centerline. Even after airborne, you will lower the nose a little to gain airspeed until reaching VY Speed, maintaining the runway centerline. These efforts made me get more conscious of keeping the centerline.
<Short-Field Landing>
The practice of the short-field landing made me develop a habit of paying attention to the airspeed indicator in landing. In the short-field landing, you have to maintain a little slower airspeed than the one in the normal landing, causing you to glance at the indicator. In addition, a little slower airspeed represents the airspeed closer to the stall speed, which I was in fact more careful of the speed.
They say, during the final approach, you judge the proper path by looking outside except for glancing at the airspeed indicator. I think it is because the airspeed control is critical in landing. Before learning the short-field landing, I failed to understand importance of the airspeed because I couldn’t afford to rather than paying less attention. However, this type of landing practice gave me a habit of glancing at the airspeed indicator on the final leg, leading to safer and stabler landings thereafter.
<Soft-Field Landing>
The soft-field landing practice made me pay more attention to seeing far beyond on the runway. In normal landings, the power is smoothly reduced to idle. Meanwhile, in soft-field landings, the power is a little bit added at the final moment before touchdown to make the path shallower avoiding the wheels dipping down. As a result, I got the habit of looking far beyond on the runway.
Through these landing practices, I received more and more compliment. An instructor was joking, “This is no beginner’s skill any mor.” Actually, I was able to feel the aircraft attitude in detail and calmly remember what happened.
<Epilogue of Graceful Landscape>
Triggered by learning various types of landing, I spent more time in thinking about landing. One day, while sleeping, I saw an impressive dream. I was flying like a bird slipping out of the bedroom to the runway where I usually practiced. Another bird-like someone was also flying nearby teaching me how to fly, such as that’s the timing of round out, here flare control, and how to touch down the runway.
I woke up with a clear memory of the dream. “Oh, no, I was thinking too much about landing or the Landscape far beyond.” But the day, I successfully landed as instructed in this dream. Two months have passed since the DC-9 cargo captain gave me some advice about seeing far beyond the runway. During the period, I was thinking about landing every day and finally learned the ropes. That was the epilogue of the graceful landscape. This time, it was not doing by chance, but acquiring the skills. This became unstable just a week before checkride but restored three days before. This may have happened because of some advice of the cargo captain, someone in the dream, and of course instructors.
In this way, as I learned about various types of takeoffs and landings, even if I was instructed either takeoff or landing, I managed to deal with it calmly and confidently.
Next, I will fly another dual cross-country flight for a longer distance with three points landings. An event will happen during a long-distance cross-country flight on a very hot day. (continued)