NAFA member, AOPA, discusses treating your aircraft with care.
Nailing the power-off one-eighty is a source of pride for aspiring commercial pilots. It’s a precision maneuver done with throttle closed on the downwind leg of the pattern abeam a designated touchdown spot on the runway, often the 1,000-foot markers. An acceptable landing falls not before and within 200 feet beyond the spot; otherwise, it’s a practical exam bust.
All too often, candidates focus on planting the aircraft in that narrow window and forget about landing with any sort of grace. Such carrier landings may be appropriate at sea, but they have no place as a normal procedure because they exact an unnecessary toll on the aircraft. I think to myself, “If these folks owned the aircraft and paid for the maintenance, they would strive for better landings, spot be damned.”
This article was originally published by AOPA on September 1, 2021.
