Pilot Proficiency: Landing Rehabilitation - by Harold Green The Left Seat: Is age just a number?

by Harold Green

Copyright 2021. All rights reserved! touchdown point. Along those same lines, the first time a pilot wears bifocals can have a significant change in his depth perception. Some of us learned early on that progressive lenses prevent an erroneous horizon line, particularly in instrument flight, as

Most of us who have been well as upon landing. That demarcation line can cause a grave flying for a while have error in perceived bank angle, changing with the angle of one’s found ourselves with head. landing problems. All at once we are The brain interprets the visual information and produces either flying the silly thing too close to an image of what will happen based not just on what we are the ground before suddenly rotating focused on, but peripheral images as well. That includes the with an attendant porpoising, or we rate of change of that information. Thus, when watching the stall out several feet in the air, testing runway, or any other view ahead, the brain puts together a the integrity of the landing gear. And sometimes we misjudge the touch-down Harold Green picture, including the cowling, the windshield supports, the instrument panel eyebrow and any other elements which the point. So, what can cause this? brain picks out and their relationship with one another. All

There is no elegant research which I am aware of that components are put together, along with the apparent change provides a foundation for landing issues. The following is just in the ground view, to form an estimate of the aircraft’s future one instructor’s perspective on the issue. Note that ground position. Once a pilot learns to maintain the proper visual control after landing is one of the principal causes of accidents image or perspective, landings become acceptable or at least but will be left as the subject for another article. better. Therefore, whatever you do to change your position

One of the most common causes of landing problems is relative to any of these elements will affect your prediction of a change in eyeglasses. Sometimes a seemingly insignificant aircraft track. Things that produce changes include the height change in the center of the lens can affect our depth or position of the seat, the number of cushions one uses, a perception. The effect is a change in the apparent height of change in the height of the instrument panel brow, etc. So, if the aircraft above the runway, and a change in the perceived MidwestFlyerMag2021.qxp_Layout 1 2/10/21 2:27 PM Page 1 your landings have gone south on you, review all of the above.

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