I should have done my first solo by now. I’ve put in the hours, passed the exams, done dozens of touch and goes and yet I still can’t crack it (poor choice of words).
Starting with my first flight my instructor let me land the plane more-or-less by myself. I’ve progressed through the normal stages of learning to land: “HOLLY SHIT PULL UP!” Bump, bump, SLAM. Bump, balloon, SLAM. Bump, balloon, GO AROUND!
I’m getting better at recognizing if I’m too high or low on the approach, keeping my airspeed not one single knot under 61 and lining up on the centre line even in a cross-wind. I can do a go-around in my sleep (but hopefully will never have the need to) and I rarely cause my instructor to sweat blood and cross himself anymore.
It’s the last few feet that are the problem.
According to the book, on final approach you are to select an aiming spot on the runway, just past the numbers, and keep it in the same position of your windscreen pretty much up until you touch down. You are to keep a bit of power on, around 1500 RPMs, until you have rolled out and are flying level about a yard or so over the runway; then you pull the throttle back to neutral, ease the nose up and touch lightly on your rear wheels. Keeping the control column pulled back the plane will stall and the nose gear will touch down gently. All of this I utterly fail to do.
I can be rock-solid in my approach but the second I clear the runway threshold it all goes to hell. I’m pulling up too soon, veering off the centre line, hitting too hard on the rear wheels and not keeping enough back pressure on the stick; thus causing the nose gear to slam down hard. I know what I am doing wrong but I can’t seem to get my brain and body to work in a coordinated fashion to fix it.
Last week after four decent landing, one horrible one and two go-arounds my instructor said, “Well, you are less dangerous.” Great.
Apart from my utter lack of skill, part of the problem in learning to land is that the actual landing bit is over so fast that it is difficult to understand and correct your mistakes. In an hour of doing touch and goes we will spend less than one minute actually landing the plane. The rest of the time is spent in the climb-out and circuit.
Flight simulators, except for the big full-motion ones, are rubbish at teaching you how to land. They might help flying a good circuit and lining up, but for the most difficult part, those last few feet, the only way to practice is sitting behind the controls of a real aircraft and hoping that the landing gear is up to the punishment.
Needless to say this is hopelessly discouraging and each hour I put in without getting it puts me an hour behind where I think I should be. True, everyone learns at a different pace but I’ve been practising landings for so long now that my inability to get them right is weighing on my mind. On several other occasions, in different exercises, I struggled but eventually I was able to come through. Landings are an entirely different matter. I'm giving it my best but it just doesn't seem good enough.