Garfly Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 A nice philosophy of flying essay by a retired airline pilot. The readers' comments at the end are worth looking at, too. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/13/opinion/sunday/are-you-a-takeoffs-or-landings-person.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yenn Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 A bit hard for a pilot to work out which he prefers. I look forward to the take off as I line up and then I look forward to the landing at the end of the flight. As I am getting a bit long in the tooth I suppose the last landing will be happening in the not too far distant future, so take offs are the way to go. They won't have the finality of that last landing. I think most of us tend to treat landings as more important, but really every take off is a lot more dangerous than the landings. I have been lucky with only a couple of "interesting " take offs and have made several landings interesting especially the one where the brakes locked on. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgmwa Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 I usually don't make many landings. That only happens when my arrivals went better than expected. 1 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 With multi engine planes the take off is by far the most critical part. Most place a great deal of importance on a "good" landing as it's what most makes an impression. It also marks the end of the flight which to many as the first time they relax as many are scared of flying. In many non western countries the Passengers CLAP after they" survive" the landing.. Nev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okihara Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 If I may weigh in on this, I usually record my flights on camera and while takeoffs are entertaining to watch, I find that the whole approach part leading to the landing is a far, far more interesting part of the flight to experience and watch again later on. Landings clearly win the day for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Koreelah Posted July 18, 2019 Share Posted July 18, 2019 This question always intrigued me. Because I enjoy landing much more than take offs, does that mean I don't really like flying? Leaving the ground is easy: just open the throttle and point the aeroplane. Getting the damned thing down again (in one piece) is a whole lot harder and results in a feeling of considerable satisfaction, even relief. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted July 18, 2019 Share Posted July 18, 2019 There's a little more to doing a take off properly than "open the throttle and point the aeroplane.". You are supposed to brief yourself on what you will do if the engine falters /fails at any stage and it's a potentially critical phase of flight, every time. AND you might have to land on something which isn't the aerodrome at short notice.. Of course if you just want entertainment watching landings on challenging days is more fun. but you are "setting up" THAT landing from way out so have less excuse if it goes pear shaped and you have the whole strip to land on.. If the landing has a great element of luck involved, then time with an instructor on "rougher days" is warranted. SAFE landings with maximum control in evidence constantly is better than a series of squeekers on fine days.. Nev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfly Posted July 19, 2019 Author Share Posted July 19, 2019 "Takeoffs are wonderful maneuvers and I never failed to think of it as pure magic when the weight of the airplane shifted from the ground to the wings. It’s still the same airplane but when it flies it comes alive. That’s the happy part of taking off. What comes next is a period of flight with few options and where any problem can quickly become a serious problem." Richard L. Collins https://airfactsjournal.com/2016/05/takeoff-riskiest-three-minutes/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w3stie Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Nice article, thanks for posting. As pilot Ive only landed at the same airstrip I took off from, so from that perspective I don't have that feeling of arriving at some exotic destination. Take off is a magical moment, and it escapes me why more people don't learn to fly. Generations past longed to have this privilege that we take for granted. Landings are more technical and challenging, but fun in a different way. Trying to balance the plane against the winds and wobbles of the air as you paint the piano keys or the end of the airstrip on your windscreen. A good landing is deeply satisfying. There are other aspects to flight though. For a glider pilot, getting a thermal or lift and gaining 2000' or 3000' and another fifteen or twenty minutes of flight is a wonderful feeling. On good days, you can stay aloft all day and descend only when you're too tired or hungry or sated to continue. Some of Balleka's videos are inspirational. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfly Posted July 21, 2019 Author Share Posted July 21, 2019 Meanwhile, for landing lovers, the latest from Backcountry 182: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaz3g Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 A bit hard for a pilot to work out which he prefers. I look forward to the take off as I line up and then I look forward to the landing at the end of the flight. As I am getting a bit long in the tooth I suppose the last landing will be happening in the not too far distant future, so take offs are the way to go. They won't have the finality of that last landing. I think most of us tend to treat landings as more important, but really every take off is a lot more dangerous than the landings. I have been lucky with only a couple of "interesting " take offs and have made several landings interesting especially the one where the brakes locked on. It’s that final landing that I’m not too keen to try! kaz 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 You can avoid that by not doing a final take off.. Take offs are not compulsory. Unless the tide is coming in. Nev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfly Posted July 22, 2019 Author Share Posted July 22, 2019 "Too late!" she cried, as she waved her wooden leg. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 The original article was pretty much" musings " of an older pilot.. Certainly the" landing" is often considered the Gauge of how good the flight was. Whether this is the correct issue to be the basis of judgement is arguable.. A pilot may have to dump the plane on the runway and get the brakes on as a priority if the runway is short. The super landing may have been something of a fluke and not due to exceptional skill too..You can pull off some good landing s by doing it by numbers but not be flexible with coping well under varying conditions. Having maximum control of the arrival is the best concept. to aim for. Nev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfly Posted July 23, 2019 Author Share Posted July 23, 2019 A new Take-off tips video, emphasising the oft neglected Full-Power check. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 Desperately in need of an instructor: 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 Or a windsock. Nev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfly Posted July 24, 2019 Author Share Posted July 24, 2019 Who hasn't been deceived, at times, by the sloping runway phenomenon?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 Those who are yet to land downhill. I still reckon ground speed was the problem there. I've watched birds learning to fly and taking off and landing into wind is # 1 lesson. Nev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yenn Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 Downhill landings I hate. Not only are they likely to end up in a float, but I cannot see the ground ahead and the edges of the strip disappear. I find it too easy to stray off centreline. As for the crashing on take off are we not all taught to check rpm at the start of the TO run and also to do a static test of rpm as part of the preflight check list. If you were not taught that, you could ask what else you were not taught? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfly Posted July 24, 2019 Author Share Posted July 24, 2019 #fly8ma #flighttraining #aviation Don't crash on Takeoff Comments HighFlight2k2 I wasn't taught this by any of my 4 instructors. Oddly, I learned it watching YouTube. Thanks for the great information! Brett West VERY good advice, very few CFI’s teach this. It should be as common as “air speed alive.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 Never take a problem into the air you don't have to or lift the gear too soon. Be ready to abort every take off. When you fly airlines you aren't committed to fly till after V1, by which time there's not much runway left (usually) and you are going pretty quick requiring critical braking. An earlier decision makes it less critical.. I've only witnessed a couple of U/L's aborting a take off or non critical go around (touch and go) and I've always spoken to the pilot and passed my ideas on the wisdom of having done it to them..Nev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yenn Posted July 25, 2019 Share Posted July 25, 2019 If this is not taught as standard practice, what does it say about the standard of flight training? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfly Posted July 25, 2019 Author Share Posted July 25, 2019 Poor old "flight training" comes in for a lot of stick; much of it undeserved. Not everything can be crammed into 40 flight hours. Not all students are alike. And they only ever claimed it was a licence to learn. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted July 25, 2019 Share Posted July 25, 2019 It's not the only issue Yenn. Many pilots I've flow with said" I didn't know you could do THAT ",when I suggested something which I thought was general knowledge. . Be lucky if one in eight could do a good well controlled and judged sideslip. Garfly.. Regarding the" licence to learn" yes that's true and it's also true of the PPL and especially of the lower flight Instructors ratings who are supposed to only operate under the CFI Are the NEW certificated Pilots fully aware of the fact they are NOT able to fly a plane near It's limits at that stage of their "career".? In my view there's no other time in a pilots career that one learns faster than when you are in the first 100 hours of instructing others. At that stage you CAN fly a plane as you have a commercial PL but you are not fully prepared for what some students may do to/in a plane. .Nev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now