Bad landing.

[Sandesh]

I was doing my second solo couple of days back. I came in for approach power idle, 30 flaps in C-152 but just could not get the 60. I was too low to pitch up to reach 60. I put the airplane to an attitude that would give me 60 but was unable too. I rounded out, I don't remeber if i flared or not, but the next thing I heard is a loud sound and me up 20 feet in the air. It was a pretty big bounce. I went ahead and gave it full power, retracted flaps and went around rather than coming back down and trying to land. This literally scared the jeebers out of me. The airplane was ok and so was I, after the go around i went ahead and did 2 more landings before heading back in. This was a scary experience for me.

Best regards,
Sandesh

[desertdog71]

Originally Posted by Sandesh

I was doing my second solo couple of days back. I came in for approach power idle, 30 flaps in C-152 but just could not get the 60. I was too low to pitch up to reach 60. I put the airplane to an attitude that would give me 60 but was unable too. I rounded out, I don't remeber if i flared or not, but the next thing I heard is a loud sound and me up 20 feet in the air. It was a pretty big bounce. I went ahead and gave it full power, retracted flaps and went around rather than coming back down and trying to land. This literally scared the jeebers out of me. The airplane was ok and so was I, after the go around i went ahead and did 2 more landings before heading back in. This was a scary experience for me.

Best regards,
Sandesh

Let me help you with some definitions.

Good Landing = Any landing you can walk away from.

Great Landing = Any landing you can walk away from and take off again.

You will have moments like this in your progress, learn from it and move on.

Pitch for Airspeed and Power for rate of descent or climb. That quick rule may help in the future.

[bdhill1979]

Originally Posted by desertdog71

Let me help you with some definitions.

Good Landing = Any landing you can walk away from.

Great Landing = Any landing you can walk away from and take off again.

You will have moments like this in your progress, learn from it and move on.

Pitch for Airspeed and Power for rate of descent or climb. That quick rule may help in the future.

As long as you learn from it you will be OK. Everybody makes a crappy landing somewhere along the line.

[SeanD]

Those bad landings would be me as of late. I get so worked up on approach and trying to make everything perfect and forget simple little adjustments to make it a smooth touch down. I have a HORRIBLE habit of constantly looking at my instruments. Just thought I would vent.

[Mahesh]

Hey I'll confess to a bad landing I had. My circumstances were different (gusty X-winds causing me to choose to approach faster; not so familiar airport with a displaced threshold) but I ended up bouncing hard and going up 20 feet. Only I didn't go around and tried to save the landing. I bounced more times than I can count and was lucky not to have had a prop strike. I also drifted to the left and by the time the 172 finally settled on the ground, I was close to the edge of the runway. It was during my first solo cross country several years ago.

You made a good decision by going around! I was lucky to get out of that one without damaging the plane or worse, getting hurt.

[tonyw]

You're human. Learn from your mistake and move on.

There are only two types of pilots. Those who have had bad landings, and those who lie.

So, if you know what you did wrong, strive to not make the same mistake again.

[surreal1221]

Sorry to hear about your incident, it's all for the best though. Good to hear that there wasn't any significant damage to the equipment or to your body. Learn from the experience.

[NuevaLuna]

I know a guy who once landed a DC-9 so hard the O2 masks came down.

[CapnJim]

Landings go in streaks. For weeks on end, you'll be golden. You'll grease 'em in everytime, and salvage excellent landings from the most challenging of approaches.
Then the streak will die, and you'll be all over the place, and feel lucky that you hit the runway at all. You won't be able to buy a good landing, and your approaches will resemble an oragutan making sweet, sweet love to a beachball. You may even resemble a dog watching television.

The key to breaking a bad streak is No Mind. Quit thinking about everything. Just fly, and do what you were trained to do. Pitch, power, airspeed. All that crap.

[falconvalley]

Originally Posted by CapnJim

You won't be able to buy a good landing, and your approaches will resemble an oragutan making sweet, sweet love to a beachball.

LOL, and the approach will be filled with unoragutanlike explicitives, right?

[falconvalley]

Originally Posted by SeanD

Those bad landings would be me as of late. I get so worked up on approach and trying to make everything perfect and forget simple little adjustments to make it a smooth touch down. I have a HORRIBLE habit of constantly looking at my instruments. Just thought I would vent.

That one can usually be fixed easily. It could be your scan. I used to do that all the time. One instructor covered all the instruments except the altimeter and made me fly on pitch and power settings. It works really well in a 172. It made me more of a monitor than a dragon conductor

[BobDDuck]

My solution for student's instrument fixation was to take them up at night and turn off all the aircraft lights except the beacon/strobe. Just them flying the plane by feel and a VASI if they were lucky and Willie was running the 30s.

[flyguy969]

The best thing to do about a bad landing is to learn from it, figure what you did wrong and analyze it on the ground afterword. The go around was a very smart move. Remember there is never anything wrong with doing a go around!

[I_Money]

I was doing my second solo couple of days back. I came in for approach power idle, 30 flaps in C-152 but just could not get the 60. I was too low to pitch up to reach 60. I put the airplane to an attitude that would give me 60 but was unable too

If you were fast, power idle, full flaps you were not too low to pitch up in time - am I reading it right?

[Mahesh]

Originally Posted by BobDDuck

My solution for student's instrument fixation was to take them up at night and turn off all the aircraft lights except the beacon/strobe. Just them flying the plane by feel and a VASI if they were lucky and Willie was running the 30s.

My instructor caught me spending too much time looking at the instruments and too little outside. So one day, he made do several approaches and land with the six pack covered up with a sectional. On top of that, he had me keep the airplane just off the ground while he controlled the throttle and rudder. It was a great way for me to get the feel for the airplane.

[SmitteyB]

Originally Posted by SeanD

Those bad landings would be me as of late. I get so worked up on approach and trying to make everything perfect and forget simple little adjustments to make it a smooth touch down. I have a HORRIBLE habit of constantly looking at my instruments. Just thought I would vent.

Microsoft Flight Simulator alumni?

[SmitteyB]

Originally Posted by NuevaLuna

I know a guy who once landed a DC-9 so hard the O2 masks came down.

That must have put everyone at ease...

[BuickCFI]

just remember if you don't feel comfortable or something just isn't right "there is no such thing as a bad go-around"

[Champcar]

We all plow one in now and then

[aviatorrbt]

Originally Posted by Champcar

We all plow one in now and then

All though, I personally have not yet, but I am sure I will.

Did the plane have any damage at all? Did you tell the school?

[SkyHawg]

I had a bad landing when I learning and I had to step back and relook at what I was doing. I found that I was over generalizing what the instructor told me and skipping steps. In the end it made me a much better pilot. Keep at it. Live and learn.

[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.

[Ian J]

Originally Posted by CapnJim

Pitch, power, airspeed. All that crap.

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?

[SeanD]

Originally Posted by SmitteyB

Microsoft Flight Simulator alumni?

LMAO at one time yes! Far before I ever started real training.

[flying_ME]

well I might as well share a story too... couple days ago I hopped in a plane, headed east, and decided I might as well land at an uncontrolled field to log some xc time. got to my destination, but I was so fixated on the crosswind that my landing was downright embarassing. I was high, fast, and all over the centerline (overcorrecting/overreacting). I did manage a full stall touchdown.... unfortunately I was still at least 10ft off the ground. The rest of my landings that day were good.

good job on the go around (something I probably should of done) and good plan to get back on that horse as they say. good luck.