Flight Training - September/October 2020 - 44

ADVANCED PILOT ACCIDENT ANALYSIS

ON THE SPOT
WHY BOTHER MAINTAINING A SKILL
YOU NEVER ACTUALLY USE?
BY DAVID JACK KENNY

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Supported by

mourn the cancellation of 2020's EAA
AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, is that
hundreds, perhaps thousands of pilots felt
less impetus to refresh their spot landing
technique. Like many things we learn to
pass checkrides, precision landing skills are
a perishable commodity, and while pride
and self-respect should provide enough
motivation to stay sharp, these apparently
pale next to the potential embarrassment
of missing the mark in front of the world's
largest airshow audience.
Well, whatever it takes....
Backcountry pilots, of course, rely on
their ability to put the gear on the ground
right there. Reaching the approach end
without floating a couple of hundred feet
beyond can easily become the difference
between flying yourself out and hoping
someone hears your emergency locator
transmitter. But those of us who habitually
operate off thousands of feet of pavement
are at risk of creeping complacency. If I've
stopped before the last turn-off, why fret
over how many stripes drifted past before
the airplane decided to stop flying?
Self-respect aside, there's a safety
interest. The less runway you chew up, the
less opportunity animals, vehicles, errant
aircraft, and even oblivious pedestrians
have to invade your right-of-way where
they'll be difficult not to hit. The records
contain examples of each, including
the woman who wandered across the
active runway of AOPA's home field on
foot, in broad daylight, with the tower in
operation. (She told the members of the
Maryland State Police Aviation Unit who
intercepted her that she couldn't figure out
why such a broad street had no traffic.)
Maximizing the amount of runway
in front of you also leaves more room to
dissipate energy in the event of a brake
failure, and even if your brakes are meticulously maintained, avoiding all-out efforts
reduces wear and associated replacement
costs. Taildragger pilots have particular
reason to brake gently due to the risk of
noseovers.
44 FLIGHT TRAINING SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020

FLY-INS

RUNWAY DOTS
EAA's color-coded landing system

Spot landings are a particularly valuable skill at
the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual
gathering, EAA AirVenture. This massive fly-in
and airshow draws more than 10,000 aircraft to
Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and in the rush of traffic a system of dots
on the runway allows air traffic controllers to
usher in more than one aircraft at once. The colored dots, spaced 1,500 feet apart, allow tower
controllers to keep appropriate separation
between landing aircraft by instructing pilots to
land on the appropriate dots.

Most important, precise control of the
touchdown point is essential to getting
down and stopped in the shortest possible
distance. This is worth practicing because
it may become vital with very little advance
warning. It's easy to neglect if you fly an
aircraft model that consistently requires
more room to take off than to land, but
there may be compelling reasons to land
at a field too short to take off from again.
Smoke in the cockpit or, worse, an in-flight
fire come immediately to mind, followed by
other mechanical or system malfunctions:
imminent fuel exhaustion caused by a leak
or dangerously elevated cylinder head
temperatures that suggest misfuelling, for
example. A short field could be the best
available option for avoiding thunderstorms
or spatial disorientation in deteriorating
visibility. Any medical emergency threatening pilot incapacitation would certainly
qualify-and any of these might also be
reason to land downwind on a runway
that's otherwise barely long enough, again
bringing short-field technique into play.
Maintaining proficiency in rarely used
skills follows the guiding philosophy of
flight training: Prepare for the worst, and
enjoy it if it doesn't happen. FT
DAVID JACK KENNY is an airline transport pilot

and aviation writer living in Frederick, Maryland.

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Flight Training - September/October 2020

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