Mounted the iphone this morning. Sorry for the shakiness. I need to try a different mount.

This was a power off 180. Pattern altitude was 500' AGL. Langewiesche's "stall-down" landing with minimal float. It's always a bit more challenging from higher altitudes (1,000'+).

https://youtu.be/5ZohnwyBNbE

Good practice. I should do some of that. I’ve become too accustomed to the sight picture of a power on approach.

What is a “Stall-down Landing”? What happens if you hit an air pocket while doing one, do you go into a tailspin or a nosedive?

Very nice approach and landing. That takes a lot of skill. I have always cheated with the power/pitch apparent brisk walk rate of closure approach, but had to do power off twelve times for real. G44, "Stick and Rudder" "The Landing" page 302. "The 'stall down' landing requires that you blend the approach glide, the flair out, and the slowing up of the airplane all into one maneuver so that, when you arrive at ground level, you arrive in a three point attitude, all slowed up and ready to squat."

Wolfgang also covers the apparent rate of closure approach on page 304. "The clue is to watch the intended landing spot and the scenery beyond it and to the sides of it. Once the normal glide has been broken, the process of stalling the airplane down can be gauged entirely by watching the spot and the perspective in which it appears and its apparent motion."

I agree, G44, that power controls glide angle and rate of descent much better than elevator. The really hard part of the power off stall down landing is that we are taxing elevator with both apparent rate of closure (apparent groundspeed) and with glide angle and rate of descent. Gusts, given this approach, will require more airspeed and the spot will not be made. Gusts with any power pitch approach, especially one as slow as the apparent brisk walk Wolfgang is talking about, are not a problem as the throttle can be used dynamically as can any other control.

Have not had an engine failure yet. I often practice for just such an emergency. Some of my dead-stick practice include simulating engine failure on takeoff. I'm pretty comfortable turning back (power off) at 300 feet in the right conditions. On a real dead-stick landing, I would carry a bit more energy to the landing than I do in the "stall-down" landing where I can add power if needed.

Here is a video of a turn back to the runway after simulated engine failure.
https://youtu.be/2KT2LaG3rEk

You might add the three second startle delay for grins and move altitude or airspeed up a bit, but really nice. Very nice (with the nose well down) rudder turn (skid) to align with the runway without putting a wing into the ground. A tear drop after leaving the runway also helps with getting lined back up. Be sure that you fall off the centerline extended downwind so as to have the diameter reducing headwind component to help with alignment.

Also, you are coming back to the runway well down the runway. If you remain in low ground effect until cruise airspeed, that zoom reserve airspeed will get the 300 or 400 feet altitude quicker and safer than an earlier pitch up at less airspeed. Airspeed will increase the diameter of the turn back so we want to trade most of the airspeed for altitude before the turn. Thus we have the energy management turn. Nine of the twelve forced landings I made used the energy management turn to get to the forced landing site. The shot down Cobra doesn't count. You go just there, regardless. Not many 180 autorotations are even attempted. The extra load factor will spin the rotor too fast requiring you to add collective so you are not going anywhere anyway. Down there between your feet regardless of what you do.

Power-off 180 from circuit altitude (600-800) is a Canadian Commercial Flight Test requirement. Landing has to be on first third of selected surface. Not an emergency, pilot selects when to pull power. Lots of wind implications as you turn. I see a lot of these as an instructor. The "stall down" from Wolfgang's book is a good description of what I like to see.

The nice thing about flying kite like airplanes is that we get a good feel for how wind speed and direction affects radius of turn and ground speed and drift and such.

Karmutzen wrote:Power-off 180 from circuit altitude (600-800) is a Canadian Commercial Flight Test requirement. Landing has to be on first third of selected surface. Not an emergency, pilot selects when to pull power. Lots of wind implications as you turn. I see a lot of these as an instructor. The "stall down" from Wolfgang's book is a good description of what I like to see.

Interesting, so in Canada you as long as you land in the first 33% of the runway you’re good?


In the US for a CPL fixed wing it’s a power off 180, tolerance of +200’ from the target and -0’ from the target

CPL rotor is +/-100’ from target