Bad landing.

[CapnJim]

Originally Posted by ChinookDriver

This is by far the best explanation of how to land I've heard! Jim, you mind if I borrow this to teach my students?

Hell to the yes, bro!
Here's how I taught crosswind-landings, too:
"All your left hand does is put you on centerline. All your feet do is align the plane with the centerline. Everything else is the same, period. Nevermind the sock, nevermind the ATIS, just 'left hand for centerline, feet for alignment.' And for god's sake, small, smooth adjustments! You're flying a plane, not (insert memorable expletive)!!!!"

[aviatorrbt]

Originally Posted by Sandesh

Thanks everybody for the morale boost, I was feeling bad about myslef but now I have taken your advice and got back in the airplane for another round.

everyone needs a little boost. on my ppl checkride i thought i failed. i did everything perfectly... stalls, turns, all that stuff. but i was so overwhelmed by my actual ppl test that i did not really pay attention to where the examiner told me to go (after being under the hood, the turns and stalls). so after all that he was like 'ok bring us back to the field.' then i realized that i was sort of lost. see, the area i was flying in looks the same as further north. it was the same terrain and the same coastline so i started flying where i thought i needed to go according to my map. after about 10 min flying the in the wrong direction i finally realized i was incorrect, so i found my positioning using the VORs and the few points i had on my map and got us back. i thought i failed, but as soon as i shut of the engine he told me that i did a remarkable job.

keep your head up.

[Cav]

Congrats on making a great decision and executing a go around. You displayed some airmanship that shows not only maturity and confidence, but knowledge as well. Having been an instructor a few years back, many at your experience level would not have done what you did. I say learn from the experience but better yet congratulations on your decision making. Keep up the good work you'll be fine.

[SmitteyB]

Originally Posted by aviatorrbt

everyone needs a little boost. on my ppl checkride i thought i failed. i did everything perfectly... stalls, turns, all that stuff. but i was so overwhelmed by my actual ppl test that i did not really pay attention to where the examiner told me to go (after being under the hood, the turns and stalls). so after all that he was like 'ok bring us back to the field.' then i realized that i was sort of lost. see, the area i was flying in looks the same as further north. it was the same terrain and the same coastline so i started flying where i thought i needed to go according to my map. after about 10 min flying the in the wrong direction i finally realized i was incorrect, so i found my positioning using the VORs and the few points i had on my map and got us back. i thought i failed, but as soon as i shut of the engine he told me that i did a remarkable job.

keep your head up.

You should have busted.

[SmitteyB]

Kidding.

[BEvaristo]

I received my PPL in June and am still low time. I went up a month ago alone for the first time at night. Just wanted to get night current with the landings. The winds were nothing I haven't been in before, so I went up. Flew the pattern and on final the winds seemed to be a little stronger than they were stating on the ATIS. My approach was the worst I had had thus far in my short flying period. Just before going over the numbers, I realized I was too far out of alignment and needed to do a go around or risk something bad happening. Go around went fine, but on the downwind I started thinking too much. I decided if I get the plane down this next time I'm calling it a night and I'll try it again some other night. This landing was perfect as were the other 5 I did that night.

Longer story than I planned, but my point is keep at it. I was really nervous out there at first, but after all was said and done, I had done more that night to build confidence in my flying than anything I had done to that point.

[SmitteyB]

Originally Posted by BEvaristo

I received my PPL in June and am still low time. I went up a month ago alone for the first time at night. Just wanted to get night current with the landings. The winds were nothing I haven't been in before, so I went up. Flew the pattern and on final the winds seemed to be a little stronger than they were stating on the ATIS. My approach was the worst I had had thus far in my short flying period. Just before going over the numbers, I realized I was too far out of alignment and needed to do a go around or risk something bad happening. Go around went fine, but on the downwind I started thinking too much. I decided if I get the plane down this next time I'm calling it a night and I'll try it again some other night. This landing was perfect as were the other 5 I did that night.

Longer story than I planned, but my point is keep at it. I was really nervous out there at first, but after all was said and done, I had done more that night to build confidence in my flying than anything I had done to that point.

Excellent point. I hadn't had much experience with crosswind landings until my time building module while working towards my CMEL. Most of my time is multi right now, so I was comfortable in the airplane.

I was flying during the day from Fort Pierce, FL to Key West about 1.5 hrs one way. When we left FPR the weather was calm, no problems. When I got to EYW the winds were 180 @ 26 gusts 35. I was in a duchess. I was so extremely nervous. Anyone who knows EYW knows the runway is 9/27. So rightfully so, it was a direct crosswind. I followed a Gulftstream 1900 (from MCO) into the airport and watched him go around. So my confidence is at an all time low...We were crabbed so much we were looking out our side window at the runway. I ended up landing the airplane, without damage and walked into the Conch Flyer and ate brunch.

The moral is, the more you do any landings the more confident you become and they better you'll execute them. Don't give up, and flying will reward you with some great fun and experiences.

[berge7f9]

..

[Lee D]

Everyone. . . I mean EVERYONE has bad landings. Just part of learning to fly and flying in general. (Not the kind where things break, but the kind that are embarassing, and you admire how tough that airframe really is.)

If nothing is broken, no soft tissue damange and you didn't compress any of your vertebrae, was it really that bad of a landing?

[Aero_Engineer]

Learn from your mistakes so later you dont get in situations such as that again.

[LoadMasterC141]

Sounds like you made a good call. I have had a few bouncers so far as well. My problem was that I would not hold the flare long enough. Just took a while for it to feel right I guess.

Another time, we flew to a nearby airport with a MUCH wider runway. I misjudged the approach, got pre-occupied with the kid trying to hit me with his RC plane just outside the airport, and all of a sudden was flying low and fast over the runway. I pulled the power and glided halfway down the strip. The instructor looks at me and asks "are you going to land this thing, go around, or just let fate decide". Yup..indecision. Should not have done that. I eneded up going around.

You made a decision quickly but safely, which is better than letting fate decide