Question on landing(Trike vs 3-axis)

[Caledonner]

Yesterday, while practicing landings with my Trike(and not getting it right every time) I was wondering if it is eazier to land a 3-axis microlight in general.

[Splitter]

It's a matter of depth perception.

If you have not mastered it yet ( Don't look down, look ahead) you will experience the same problems with trike or 3-axis.

Don't dispear it takes time

[Thunderboy]

NO agree with splitter the only thing that might change is your ease or comfort with the different A/C and so if you feel more comfortable in one to the other (e.g. you might feel safer in one kind to the other) you might be able to concentrate more on the landing technique. Anyway keep at it, it will eventually come

Who flies both??? You tell us

[Thunderboy]

PS, Caledonner I see its your first post, welcome to the forum - don't be shy now

[DarkHelmet]

Welcome Caledonner! Don't dispear... All of us went thru it. One day it will just "click in" but it is VERY hard to understand exactly what it is that needs to click in the first place!

Not to put you down or dis-encourage you but it took me 23hours of circuit after circuit before my instructor was truly happy that I can bring myself back 100% of the time all the time.

It is an instinct that you do not have acquired yet and you need to hone this until you can do it flawlessly.

Keep motivated and keep practicing! Once you grasp it the sky is the limit!

[John Young]

Hi Caledonner,

See the following link and whatever you do, don’t feel lonely or the only one that has ever had trouble learning to land.

viewtopic.php?t=3073

Regards
John ZU-CIB

[DarkHelmet]

Yesterday, while practicing landings with my Trike(and not getting it right every time) I was wondering if it is eazier to land a 3-axis microlight in general.

Mmm... re-reading it all... Caledonner? Are you in training or qualified? We all just assumed you a starter

[Caledonner]

Thank you DarkHelmet - I flew 75 hours from 94 till 98 and stopped flyiing immediately when my instructer , as well as the guy who I bought my Trike from ,died tragicly in 2 separate Trike accidents within 3 months of each other. After all these years I have decided to take up this fantastic sport/hobby again and renewed my licence 2 months ago. Everything is goiing sort of allright but I just wondered about this landing business.

[RV4ker (RIP)]

I find if you try to put it on the numbers before you are totally confortable with the plane you tend to focus more on where to touch down than the actual touchdown and it becomes a mess... Aim deep and relax to start with. Try to make every approach exactly the same. Same speed, same distance from thresh, same ROD, etc.

When doing my RV convex (not ML, but applicable) my instructor said the following;

When you turn finals have a "gate" or "landing box" at a pre determined position. Does not mtter where in the approach it is, but make sure everything is as close as possible to "right" (POH numbers) when you fly through the box. if not go around and try again. In my case it is short finals, 72mph, 300ft decent, 12"MAP and dash on silver ball (at rand). If these are all there I usually only bounce 1ce , else it a bit of a rollercoaster... Moral of the story is that the last part of the landing phase is exactly the same every time regardless of what the rest of the pattern looked like and thus should become automatic (natural/feel/seat of pants etc) after a while... Get instructor to do a couple and feel the landing rather than looking at instrments/runway etc., then try a couple yourself with instructor. (If he gets out all the weights & balances change and it a waist of time going with instructor at all)

PS
Welcome back (it seems)

[GR8-DAD]

My best and most consistant landings were when I went solo. After I got my license and another 45-50 hrs of flying I get it wrong a lot more than right. I think I should practice circuits a bit more instead of flying away from the airfield and do a single return landing

[KFA]

I fing that most students tend to start to early with the roundout. Especially if your instructor likes you to storm the runway with too much speed.( you will balloon and mess up the landing especially in the beginning.) If you approach at just over 50 mph in most trikes and wait a little longer before you roundout(when you see the ground coming on and you think O shit we are going to hit) at this point you should start the roundout. It is a quick but smooth transition from a fast descent to a gentle one . At this stage you start looking up and try to fly her to the end of the runway. You will find that you grease the landing.

Remember that the wing is big with lots of drag and not much momentum to speak off. Once you start the roundout it is like pulling a handbrake. If you start to high you will lose speed to quickly and drop tha last metre or two like a vrot pattat.

[cobra]

Hi Caledonner

Can’t agree more with demon - if you not happy go-around (did 2 at Microland on Tuesday) heavy gusts near the hangers with a crosswinds .

Your question, is more difficult to land a trike, my opinion Yes. I have around 150 hours PPL (Cessna and Piper) and it is a fact that with three flight controls (rudder ) inputs it makes it easier to sort yourself out in gusts or crosswinds - the problem is weight-shift. I battled with the weight-shift concept. Lift the wing in a sudden gust near the ground and the trike swing out the other way close to the ground and you of the runway.

It is just pratice, concentration and being prepared to go-around Hang in there - I only grasped the concept 20h.


Ask me if I will sell my trike for a fix wing - NEVER

[Duck Rogers]

......(when you see the ground coming on and you think O shit we are going to hit) at this point you should start the roundout. It is a quick but smooth transition from a fast descent to a gentle one . At this stage you start looking up and try to fly her to the end of the runway. You will find that you grease the landing.

Excellent explanation

[The Agent]

Bliksem but you okes are clever.

Impressed boys one always needs help.

Time time time and all will come together.
Oh and a good destructor.

[skydiver]

all of this is such excellent advice for us beginners. Landing is what it's all about, isn't it? Take off is automatic. Straight and level comes soon and turns aren't hard. Landing! Meet the ground! Anyway, it is so encouraging to read that one is not alone.