Basic Landing Skills

Avoiding unplanned encounters with the ground

Text, photos, and video by Tom Hintz
Posted – 9-18-2020

The proverbial “smoking hole” plane-killer crash can be spectacular but thankfully relatively rare. There are far more busted props, torn up landing gear and assorted other damage caused by simple landing errors. I would love to say that I am above dinging up a plane on landing, but the real world, the ground, and my landing gear know better. However, I no longer mess up a landing because I do not understand how to do it. I do get complacent occasionally and fail to miss the ground efficiently.

Practice

There is nothing in the flying of RC planes that benefits more from practice than does landing. Learning how your plane handles at the different speeds and directions landing at your field can require is key. I know there are lots of folks who simply do not fly if the wind forces them to take off and land in a direction with which they are uncomfortable.

I began teaching new pilots to fly before the advent of the trainer cord when we at times had to literally chase the “I got it” pilot to get the transmitter away from them before the plane crashed. When trainer cords came on the scene, I could let the student pilot get far closer to the ground before I took control. That capability allowed them to become more comfortable flying the plane low to the ground.

With today’s trainer systems I tell my students to keep flying the plane until I tell them otherwise. That way they seldom realize they landed the plane until I tell them. I had a student once that after making three perfect trainer cord landings, told me he was ready to do it on his own. He was a little shocked but happy when I told him I had nothing to do with the last three landings. Knowing that they had flown perfect landings gives students a confidence that is difficult to come by without trainer systems and the practice they get without dinging up a plane.

Touch and Go’s

My landing-related revelation came within weeks of flying without an instructor. I was landing my new Ugly Stick when it snapped to the right and nosed into the tall, shock absorbing weeds surrounding the flying field. I lucked out and did not hurt the plane but knew exactly what I did wrong. I was focused on keeping it level as it approached the field and kept pulling in more and more elevator until it ran out of airspeed, snapped, and crashed.

I put my Stick back in the air and began shooting approaches, now paying close attention to giving it enough throttle to continue flying as it slowed. As my approaches improved, I began doing touch and goes and my obsession with them was born. Not surprisingly, my landings to crashes ratio went way down.

Doing touch and goes is great for developing the fine control skills needed to control the plane all the way to the ground. They allow us to explore different paths to the runway that make the landing process safer under various wind conditions. Learning to adjust where to turn in, and how high to be as we approach the field are crucial.

Touch and goes also acquaint us with recognizing when it is better to get back on the power and going around for another attempt. Trying to force a plane to lose altitude for landing is dangerous for the airframe, going around is not.

Flying Site Idiosyncrasies

Many flying fields have terrain features close enough to produce wind-related oddities ranging from annoying to downright dangerous for our planes. Things like large trees, tall brush and structures can force us to fly around them. Often, their impact is dependent on wind direction and speed. If you want to fly on more than dead calm days, part of your landing strategy must include learning ways to help your plane deal with those winds and the disruptions they cause. Investing time in learning how best to maneuver your plane in these situations will give you more flyable days with a commensurate reduction in repair costs.

Depth Perception

At the RC Wingers field (Mooresville NC) where I frequently fly, landing from the right means having to miss a big tree before turning in towards the runway. Nearly everyone is sure they are well short of that tree, yet many planes have found their way into the upper branches. While driving into the field I have noticed many people flying well behind that tree, just high enough to miss it. When I teach people to fly at our field, I stress the importance of “seeing sky” between their plane and the top of that tree.

Just to prove that you need not be a new pilot to make such an error, I flew my 30cc Edge 540 through some brush off the right end of our runway. Though I “almost missed” the upper branches, the impact was bad enough to give me the subject matter for my “Repairing Leading Edges” How-To story elsewhere on my site.

Rudder Control

Too many RC pilots use the rudder only for steering on the ground and fail to take advantage of it while flying. As the plane gets close to the ground, using the rudder with a little aileron cross control can be safer than banking to make a course correction. Keeping the wing farther from the ground is always good. Also, keeping the wing more horizontal prevents winds from getting under it causing unexpected banking that can also be dangerous.

Of course, too much rudder can cause trouble with many airframes. Excess rudder can induce a snap roll, particularly when combined with other controls. Even at landing speeds, most rudders remain surprisingly effective. Holding small rudder input is all that is needed. As with most piloting skills, practice makes the rudder easier to use.

Fmodes

I have long been a fan of Fmodes because they allow me to have settings specific to different flight conditions. Plus, Fmodes automatically update (and save) as you change trims within the selected mode.

I usually have a General Flight mode that has the plane trimmed for normal flight with a slightly elevated idle to fight deadsticks while doing maneuvers that include chopping the throttle suddenly. I also have a Landing flight mode that usually has a little down elevator trim and reduced idle.

Your Cheeks

Watch pilots on the flight line of any RC field and you frequently see quick glances at the windsock as the pilot decides takeoff or landing directions. That means taking your eyes off the plane entirely for a few seconds which can lead to disorientation, especially for newer pilots but not them alone. I have seen veteran pilots suffer brain fade or some other break in concentration that results in a plane hitting the ground or other obstacles.

When I teach someone to fly, one of the lessons is to “read the wind” with your cheeks. In most winds, you can feel it blowing on one side of your face or the other. Simply recognizing that means not having to turn to view the windsock. I know this sounds dead simple, and it really is but surprisingly few people trust their cheeks. Even many crosswind conditions can be felt if you learn to recognize them.

Taking the time to practice landings under various wind conditions, with whatever plane you are flying that day goes a long way to preventing landing-related incidents. While each plane will have its own characteristics, there are common skills related to the winds that help hone your overall landing technique.

Resources

Setting Up Spektrum Fmodes

Repairing Leading Edges

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