When was your last precautionary landing practice? During your PPL? Obviously, we all prefer to land on a nice asphalt runway that is three times too long for our needs. The idea of improvising a landing in a field or on a side road is not really appealing I agree. Still, the precautionary landing might just be your best option in some emergency situations; and maybe the only one! Whether it's due to weather conditions, lack of fuel or an emergency on board, the precautionary landing could just get you out of trouble. But if you never practice it, chances are you'll be very apprehensive about performing it to the point where you might prefer a much riskier alternative like getting into IMC conditions.
The objective of the precautionary landing is to land your aircraft on an undeveloped surface. The technique aims to make contact with the ground at the lowest possible vertical speed and horizontal speed. By itself, the precautionary landing isn't too complicated, but it shouldn't be underestimated either. The purpose of this article is not to describe the complete procedure. Refer to your flight manual and even better, have a qualified instructor explain it to you. Overall, the technique consists of:
a) The choice and inspection of the landing axis and the choice of the approach circuit :
The terrain is chosen taking into account the force and direction of the wind, but also according to the axial and lateral clearances. To do this, the pilot makes a first pass head wind at about 500 feet above ground level, to locate obstacles entering and exiting the terrain, giving himself landmarks and visualizing the circuit. The pilot adapts the circuit according to the cloudy ceiling, visibility and obstacles.
b) Short approach and landing
The main challenge of the precautionary landing is the approach in slow flight configuration to perform a short landing. The objective is to land into the wind, if possible at 1.3 Vs0 maximum or according to the flight manual! At these speeds, leaving less room to manoeuver, the pilot must be extremely careful and have dexterity in his maneuvers, hence the importance of practicing. The pilot must control both his approach speed, but also his descent speed.
In summary, the precautionary landing is a technique that every pilot should master to the point of feeling very comfortable to execute it if necessary. Consider going out with an instructor to practice it and even land on a grass track that you do not know. There are also several security elements that you should be aware of. For example, the pilot should, just before touching down, turn off the ignition and the fuel inlet to minimize the risk of fire if the airplane were to be damaged. It is also important to prepare the passengers in the briefing before landing your plane. So there are several details that you should review with your instructor.
Have a good flight.
Contributed by Gilles Jean
Photo: Pilot Workshops
It is the turn of the Association of Pilots and Owners of Saint-Jean Airport to invite you to an RVA on August 7th.
