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"Go Around" When To Do It, and When Not To.

Geico266

Geico266

Well Known Member
Another thread reminded me of a subject near and dear to me (for many reasons). Seems most pilots have never done a "Go Around" and are darn proud of it! This kind of macho (I can make a landing no matter what! :mad ) can get you into trouble. I have had 3 occasions in 1,750 hours where a go around has saved lives, property, and lots of aggravations. Maybe I'm just a bad pilot, or maybe I'm over cautious., you be the judge. For me, I'm gonna make go around part of my flying.

1. I was a solo ultralight pilot doing many T&G's on a grass strip and it was approaching 0dark30. Practicing short field landings I was on final and looked up as I was told (to check out the rest of runway before touch down) and I noticed 3 black dots that were not there before. Instinctively, I hit the power and pulled the nose up and held it just before stall. I passed over 3 kids that got up and ran off the field. They thought it would be cool to hide in the tall grass on the runway. :eek:

2. I was on short final (with a passenger) on an unfamiliar private runway, in an LSA and a convertable car was paralleling the runway at a good speed. I looked up ahead and saw that the road crossed the runway and I could see a possible problem if the car did not see or hear me. Full power, go around. The car stopped at the intersection and all would have been fine, but I certainly did not know that. Later he told me I was silly for going around. :cool:

3. Learning how to land a tail dragger it is easy (for me anyway) to get into PIO (Pilot Induced Osculation) SEVERAL times I have hit the power and started flying again to kill the PIO and corrected the approach and made a "good" landing. :eek:

The point is, there are times when a "go around" is the best thing to do. I am certainly no expert when it comes to flying airplanes, I've just done it alot in many different airplanes. Don't be afraid to use it. :) Better to have botched a landing and done a go around than to ball up a plane or worse hit something, or ground loop it.

When in any doubt do a go around. You'll just may be glad you did. ;)
 
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If you were as bad as I was first learning to land, I thought the go-around was just normal procedure!!:p I love aborting a landing! I think of it as a life freebee!! I really think most get complacent and committed in their heads to get the rubber on the runway...think about it...push the throttle forward...arrest the decent...watch the airspeed accelerate...clean up the flaps...maintain airspeed, establish a positive rate of climb and do it all over again...what's the big deal?

See, the flying thing that came oh so natural to some of you, was a bear to us 40ish guys just learning...So this begs the question...Is it normal for the CFI to roll his eyes and say for the umpteenth time...Go-around? Or was it just me?...Heck I can do them in my sleep!!! I did get my PPL in 48 hours total time..and every approach since has not warranted the infamous go-around...ummm maybe once during a BFR...but it all came right back..hmm.. you might have a point Larry!! Practice makes perfect. :D Might want to do a few for fun every once in a while!!
 
Sometimes I go around simply because I don't want to stop flying yet!! :D:D

Perfect excuse to do another lap or two :p
 
I fancy my self a peaty good pilot and have 700+ hours on my 4 since buying it a little over 3 years ago; I go around when ever things are not going just right, several times a year. If I flair a little high and add a little power but still don?t get it down right and the nose is getting high I just go around and try again. I have seen the affects of the proud pilot that wont go around and that wont be me, I don?t care if I have a passenger or on lookers, I do what ever it takes to do the best job I can even if it means going around, I?m happy to say it takes very little to trigger the go around for me. I have also gone around for being to long at a short runway and for people, animals, cars and airplanes coming on to the runway. If going around is not a normal part of flying for you than I recommend doing them occasionally just to keep the idea at the front of your mind, you will need it some day.

Russ
 
should've done a go around..

i was a student pilot.. cross country solo, returning to home airport (on a military base) and the active runway (RWY 27) had a 5kt quartering tailwind.. i was on a 10 mile "base" (coming in from the south) and given clearance to land, as i got closer i noticed three E-2C's idling at the hold short, awaiting takeoff...

what i didn't think about was the 5kt quartering tailwind was blowing their propwash and exhaust all over my landing zone!! (not a problem for an experienced pilot) but i still new!

coming in for landing, everything looks good, landing checklist done, right on the glideslope, then just before i flare, i hit the propwash and exhaust, tossed me around like a rag doll!! so i stayed high for a little while till it cleared then came back down flared to high but was powering for altitude, so i settled gently on to the 8000'+ runway.


lesson learned.. i from now on do a go around if something doesn't seem right..


i had the mentality "this is an 8000' rnwy, i do not need to go around..."

i'm not so cocky anymore.
 
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Just did a go around tonight.

Runway 27 and the sun has just gone down behind the mountains to the west but it's still pretty bright and right where I need to look. The old Cherokee's plexi windshield isn't exactly crystal clear and I find myself misjudging aim point and flare. Touched down but bloomed into the air again a bit...:eek: Should have made the decision before that point but finally throttled up and went around. The additional time in the pattern allowed for the light to change enough to actually see the runway, resulting in a fairly nice, "normal" landing. (There's also a lesson to be learned here about not attempting landings on rwy 27 at sunset!)

I envy those who have mastered the art of landing such that they've only had to make 3 or 4 go arounds in 4000+ hours of flying. As for me, I'm afraid my skills demand that I know how to, let's say, "Go around early. Go around often!" :)
 
12 hours, 1st solo and go around...

...that was back in 2000 (which is the last time I flew), though actually it wasn't my decision. ATC told me to go around from short final because a big jet was coming in to land. So I did. Wasn't really sure what to do since the instructor had never actually covered the scenario. I opened the power, cleaned the flaps up, flew straight and level on runway heading until intersecting the climb out (or where it would be) and then added power to climb out as I would normally have done. Went around and landed back as normal. Did I do the right thing? [rhetorical Q] Instructor didn't seem too concerned at the time.

I don't think I'll ever worry about going around; better that than the potential alternative and my ego isn't so big I care.
 
Go arounds

Go arounds are free gentlemen.... The key to a lot of things... including go-arounds is not having an ego. Besides... the time spent above the earth does not count towards your time on earth :) Generally in the airplane, if I'm flying with somebody new... we don't have an altitude go or no-go point.. if we don't get the warm and fuzzy on approach, then we go around..... We are never committed on an altitude basis.... I've had full touchdown go arounds because of stuff on the runway all the way to go arounds when I'm on downwind and need some extra time for a formation of airplanes to do their thing. In the helicopter, I teach high orbit, low orbit, one pass over the spot.... and then final descent. I've made students go around for no particular reason.. just so their not afraid to do it. SWOP is what I use. Suitability, Winds Obstacles and Path. Funny things happen to aircraft when you jam on the power... so a nice gradual increase in power and away we go... if you jam on the power... then in certain engines you can unbalance the crank counterweights.... and depending on how fast you jam on the power, you can have the aircraft kick one way (depending on the rotation of the prop) or the other... making an already uncomfortable situation worse to a student pilot. (And we are all student pilots if we have our head on correctly)
Best
Brian Wallis
 
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Ian / "lightning"...just something to consider...

The E2's engines & props at ground idle produce no thrust. Even with brakes off, the E2 will not tend to move. The props are constant speed controlled, and the go levers actually only change the prop pitch. The speed governors add fuel as needed to keep the props spinning at their established %rpm. The design of this engine extracts almost all the hot gas to spin the prop, so very little exist the nozzle as thrust.

I believe what you experienced was the smell of the "drifting" jet exhaust and the air turbulence was caused by the close proximity of these large carrier aircraft upwind of your quartering tailwind situation.

The take away here is that any large structure close to the active (billboard, hanger, large transport) can cause this situation.
 
Two (of many more) go-arounds bring a smile. One, in a C-150, was in West Virginia many years ago at an airport carved into the side of a hill. I was high and too hot and the turbulence took me by surprise. On the second attempt I was ready for it and did a pretty good job. The FBO asked me where I was from and said, "You did a pretty good job for a flatlander."

Years later I was landing a Phantom ultralight on a grass strip I was very familiar with. But this time, there were numerous white rocks in my path, big enough to cause problems. I went around and picked a spot where I knew I could miss them. Turned out to be puffball mushrooms!

The go-around can save your bacon. It is nice to now fly something that does them so well.

Bob Kelly
 
My First Go Around

I was 9 years old, flying with my dad in a Cessna 150, short final to landing on the parade grounds at Fort Sam Texas, two kids and a dog ran in front of us... my dad turned on the landing horn :) to let them know we were coming, but they were still in the way, so we went around!

I've done hundreds of go arounds since then, many of them in my RV-7! Go arounds are a normal part of flying - those that say they never do them... well...

Dave C
 
You know... I never realized some pilots had an aversion for go-arounds until the other day. I was landing at a short grass strip in the rain and I went around due to me being a bit fast (problem I seem to always have in the RV). After I landed on the second attempt a pilot walked up to me and congratulated me on the go-around. I was thinking to myself that a go-around is not a maneuver that requires congratulations. But then I realize from talking to him that a lot of people refuse to go-around at that strip. I now have 25.7 hours in my RV-4. I've have gone around 3 times and am not ashamed to admit it.
 
If you are not familiar with "go-arounds" you obviously don't fly out of a 1500' strip with a county road at one end and a railroad at the other.
 
noelf said:
The E2's engines & props at ground idle produce no thrust. Even with brakes off, the E2 will not tend to move. The props are constant speed controlled, and the go levers actually only change the prop pitch. The speed governors add fuel as needed to keep the props spinning at their established %rpm. The design of this engine extracts almost all the hot gas to spin the prop, so very little exist the nozzle as thrust.

I believe what you experienced was the smell of the "drifting" jet exhaust and the air turbulence was caused by the close proximity of these large carrier aircraft upwind of your quartering tailwind situation.
Click to expand...

yeah i understand, i'm a P-3 mechanic, so i understand the T-56 powerplant and the way it works....... (although i beg to differ... park a T-56 200'+ away from tall grass and run it at ground idle... you'll see that grass layed over)

i also understand that large objects in close proxmity upwind can cause a bumpy landing... i just should've been more "situationally aware"

fortunately it just resulted in a 1500' "float" instead of something worse!!

thanks very much for the heads up!!:cool:
 
Good thing that I though about this a little before posting.

I was going to post that I had never done a go-around that I had to do. But after thinking for a little, I decided that that wasn't true.

On my first long trip with my wife in our C172 (Oregon to San Diego), I had stopped in Bakersfield for gas and food. The guy in the tower said they no longer had food there, but the Hesperia to the south-east had a great diner.
Fueled up and headed out.
No traffic at L26, check the sock and turned into downwind on 03. The ground on that end is higher then the airport so you have to fly lower (AGL) then I was used to. I used normal approach technique (a green 200 hour pilot) and was still floating 10 feet above the runway at the midway point.

Well that wouldn't do and so around I went. This time I kept a little lower to the hills to the south west and came in again. I little better this time, but still had not touched by mid point, so around again. This is crazy! How come I had lost the ability to land? Was the high hills throwing me off that much? Now what to do?

I look as the windsock as I headed downwind again and it struck me, I had read the windsock backwards! :eek: Switch over to land on 21. With the 15 kt tailwind now converted to the 15 kt headwind the landing was easy and I made the first turnoff.:cool:

I tied the plane down and headed in the the diner hoping that no one had seen me trying to land backwards.:eek:

In retrospect, I must have done it that way so that I could practice a couple of go-arounds. Yeah, that my story and I am sticking to it.:p

Kent
 
Late Go Arounds

While giving some recent approach and landing instruction in an RV-6 I called for several go arounds following hard bounces. All of these were commenced with a very nose high attitude, very low speed and very close to the ground. The RV handles these maneuvers very well with smooth application of power, careful aircraft control and acceleration. By the way, no rush to retract the flap. FLY THE AIRPLANE FIRST AND FOREMOST. Clean up when safe.

By the way. Flying the heavy machines we always rehearse every step in the go around maneuver before every approach.

A Wise practice for all of us regardless of aircraft type.

Just one more skill in our bag of tricks that needs to be kept sharp.
 
Who Cares?

So what if someone goes missed and does a go around. Nothing worse than forcing a bad situation.

Real men do go arounds. Smart ones too.
 
Ian "lightning"

E2-A's (and B's...not sure about the C's) needed a huffer to start the engines. The one and only huffer on base in Bermuda was inop. A C-130 tanker (same engines as E2 / P3) pulled in front of us, went 100% on one engine, got both props spinning and we started. They really can move some air::D...We all joined up xx miles EAST of Bermuda and continued on with the assigned mission.
 
noelf, wait a minute!! are you saying you gotta use a huffer to start BOTH engines??? you can't use bleed air to start #2 after #1 is online??

lol, we in the P-3 community are pretty spoiled... we like everything to take care of it's self!! LOL

but i do understand the lack of an APU, as weight is an issue when launching off the pointy end of a carrier...........



and yes, C-130's can move A LOT of air... almost identical set up to a P-3... (except they run their engines upside down :p)
 
As for "when not to"......

This accident involved a popular local dentist, his brother, and their significant others. It was the subject of much local scrutiny, both within and outside the pilot community. Nice people.

http://www.ntsb.gov/NTSB/GenPDF.asp?id=FTW99FA262&rpt=fa

Here's the quick synopsis. Cylinder failure indications in flight, vectors to a 3000 ft runway, poor approach, attempted go-around, and didn't clear the trees at the far end. The investigation determined the attempt was made with partial power (hole in a piston) and with full flap extension.

The pilot based the A36 at our local airline/Guard base airport (big runway), and reportedly didn't practice much at our two small airports. So, a poor approach under pressure. Set that aside. A go-around without retracting flaps is an error. Set that aside too.

The fundamental issue was electing to go around with an engine problem. Perhaps he really thought the engine problem had cured itself. We'll never know if he took any steps to determine engine health before the approach.
Clearly he didn't think ahead and ask himself "What am I gonna do if I make a bad approach and the engine is sick?" When he found he was going to land long, he didn't accept or didn't yet realize his lack of options.

Pilots more senior than I seemed to feel that following the poor approach, the only option was to plant it on the runway regardless of remaining length, if necessary retract the gear at the overrun, and ride it out. I was taught airplanes are disposable, so I tend to agree. Tough decision, and certainly worth thinking about in advance.
 
Go round or "Photo shot"?

Recently my very heavy son in law, Josh, wanted a toot in "Rough Red" (RV6A)
The family was assembled outside the hangar for the return from the local flight. The plane just seem to bucket in on final and clearly wasn't set up comfortably so a go round was explained to the PAX.

Back on gound the family asked why we didn't land? "Just giving you a photo shot: replied Josh. ;)
Not bad but we did explain that weight plays a big part in how the aircraft feels when landing.

Ted
 
Go arounds are just another tool to use when things aren't working out.

I do a go around probably once a month for some reason. Usually it is because I turn base a bit early and can't slip it enough to get the thing down.

Or in the case two weeks ago, I was participating in a spot landing contest and after getting some PIO going, I figured it was best just to add some power and give it another try.

The only shame is bending a perfectly good airplane because you don't go around.
 
I also don't understand why some pilots are averse to go-arounds. My first flight instructor had me go-around dozens of times for even fairly moderate deviations from proper position and airspeed. Not only did I internalize the view that go-arounds aren't such a big deal but it helped reinforce the idea that one must strive to use proper procedures.

When I make a mistake but manage to get the plane on the ground without bending it, I will always think about doing better next time. However, I fear that my subconscious is thinking "Hey, that worked out OK. Maybe that rule isn't so important." So I will often go around at the first mistake just to keep my subconscious in line. The idea is to get it right this time instead of waiting for next time.

Even those that don't see it that way should remember that a go-around gives you a couple more minutes of flying so it can't be all bad.

One thing I've noticed is that non-pilot passengers are often unnerved by go-arounds. There's been a few times with a passenger when I've gone-around when things weren't going great on approach. In all cases, I felt I could land safely but decided to play it extra safe with my passenger aboard. When we talk about the flights (sometimes years later) they make it clear they felt they were in some danger even though there was nothing particularly notable about the maneuvers from my perspective.
 
I'm one to admit that a go around is prudent when things don't go right. Generally I'll do a go around because the plane in front of me just doesn't make the right decisions. The last one, just happened to be an RV, was ahead of me and just plain out screwing up, first he did his whole pattern at about 300agl, second he flew in on the prop, than he touched down and went to the end of the runway. All the while I was right behind (and he knew it), it should have been enough for me where I was, at least behind a Cessna, but not this one. All the sudden the tower tells me to go around, I half way expected it, so I came back and requested a quick 360 at 1000 ft from the approach end. I was given the go ahead, I stayed at about 300agl, did a quick 360, when I straightened up, the RV was just turning off the 4000ft runway. Needless to say, I did enjoy doing the go around.
 
Whenever I need to

It's my butt in the seat, and I will err on the conservative side. If I am not 100% sure of a safe outcome for me and the airplane, I will go around barring any equipment malfunction that would limit the ability to do a go around. The way I figure it, it's alot less embarassing to go around than to bend an airplane or even worse.

But I only have 20 hours in my logbook, maybe I will get more careless and complacent as time goes on. Nah, probably not.
 
Wave offs (go arounds) are free as long as you got a healthy airplane and gas has always been my motto.

I never criticise or penalize a student for a wave off, I may question them about the wisdom of it only when we are simulating a sick aircraft...

my .02 USD
 
Too High!

A very common "should have gone around" situation seems to be when the approach is too high and fast. Very difficult to recover from for most of us, even with a slip. Yet nearly every fly-in and airshow I have attended, I see more than one pilot come screaming in too high and bounce down the runway. Maybe because they are unfamiliar with the visual cues of an unfamiliar airfield? They just seem to refuse to give up. But its funny, because every pilot watching from the ramp is thinking "go around dude."

Chuck Olsen
RV-7A
Tehachapi, Ca
 
Ahhhh see you yankies miss out on so much!

We have great gorounders down here..... they eat the grass, make great BBQ's and hop all over the runways..... :eek:

Yep they even adorn the tail of the National carriers Aircraft!

1407662.jpg


The Kangaroo!
gray-kangaroo.jpg


Cheers

DB:cool:
 
"It might reflect negatively............"

So many have failed to go around, and suffered the consequences of an incident or accident because it might reflect negatively on their stick & rudder skills that the following was coined many years ago:

"It's better to die than to look bad!"

.......somebody had to get this oldie in.

Barney
 
I went around twice this weekend while landing at a grass strip full of spectators. First approach I didn't like because I didn't want to buzz the houses on that end. So I went around, tear dropped it around and came back to land the opposite direction but I was high. I got ribbed sufficiently for the go-around.

I keep a picture of my 10 month old son on my instrument panel and when people ask about it I always say "that's my reminder not to do anything stupid". Ridiculed or not, I'll go around any day if my approach isn't 100% to my satisfaction, especially on a short, narrow grass strip surrounded by million dollar houses!

What's that old saying? There are old pilots, there are bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots. Touche.
 
When to go around

When the CFI in the back set of your RV4 (that has no rear throttle) screams POWER! POWER! Thats when you go around. I will NEVER get slow and flare high again.
 
the next time people ride you for doing a go around, just snap back with a response of... I love flying this RV so much I couldn't stop flying it, had to keep flying. Try this the next time you do a go around with people on the ground, wave at them with the wings as you go by.
 
I made 4 go-arounds at Fox Field one afternoon in a PA-180, when I was a newly minted pilot with a craving for $100 hamburgers (now, probably $180). The crosswind that day threatened to make a mockery of any landing procedure I initiated. The winds were variable between somewhere comfortably in my crosswind landing ability and a good ways out of it. Not sudden gusts, more of a waiting game. It took 4 times around the track before I was able to settle in.
 
Good move.

Jamie said:
What's that old saying? There are old pilots, there are bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots. Touche.
Click to expand...
......

......and also, "Pride goeth before a fall"

Seriously, a good landing is not one that you walk away from, it's when the airplane is re-usable!

Regards,
 
Off the end...

Several years ago a fellow landed very long on a 4000 foot runway. Skid marks off the end, then across the grass, ending up with the nose in a salt water marsh. No injuries, no real damage to the airplane other than the need for a quick clean up to get the salt water out of the lower cowl. When questioned on why he didn't go around, the pilot stated "I have been flying for 40 years and have never gone around." Probably should have this time. The FAA investigation turned up the following; The pilot did not have a current medical. The airplane was out of annual by 3 years. The airplane was over gross weight (4 large people on board). Anyone see a pattern here? :mad:

John Clark
FAAST Team Member
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA
 
John Clark said:
When questioned on why he didn't go around, the pilot stated "I have been flying for 40 years and have never gone around." Probably should have this time.
Click to expand...

This is exactly why I started this thread. Hopefully, the pilots here can use better judgement, un-learn a bad habit, or just become more aware that when things are just not adding up and you have a couple "strikes" against you (too fast, too high, too much wind, bad gust, ect.) Go around, be safe. Don't hope you can make a good landing, know you can.
 
John Clark said:
Several years ago a fellow landed very long on a 4000 foot runway. Skid marks off the end, then across the grass, ending up with the nose in a salt water marsh. No injuries, no real damage to the airplane other than the need for a quick clean up to get the salt water out of the lower cowl. When questioned on why he didn't go around, the pilot stated "I have been flying for 40 years and have never gone around." Probably should have this time. The FAA investigation turned up the following; The pilot did not have a current medical. The airplane was out of annual by 3 years. The airplane was over gross weight (4 large people on board). Anyone see a pattern here? :mad:

John Clark
FAAST Team Member
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA
Click to expand...

John,

I certainly understand your point and hope we get guys like that out of the air. But, if there were no injuries and little or no damage, why did the FAA get involved? It certainly didn't constitute an accident. Our local FSDO doesn't want to be called unless it is absolutely necessary. Just a question...

Bob Kelly
 
because, generally when something like this happens, someone will call 911, first comes the local fire dept. than the police. The first thing the police ask for is your pilots license and then your medical. From there it's down hill.
 
Larry (and the gang):

Good discussion of an aviation gotcha that can affect pilots at all points in their flying career (biz or pleasure). Go-around aversion can be an equal opportunity affliction, and airing it out is a great way to dispell the myth that good pilots don't have to go around (like was said earlier, take the ego out of it).

While there are times when goin' around is the obvious choice (airplane on the runway or the "really hosed-up" approach that anyone would wave off), how 'bout that borderline, "hmmm, I think I can make it" situation? After a good hangar flying session like this, perhaps more of us will make the right call, because we heard others tell their stories!

In that vein, some memorable go-'rounds:

C-150, Kern Valley, CA..."Is that lake water flooding the first 500 feet of the runway?"

KingAir, Chama, NM..."I wonder if that Elk on the edge of the grass strip will go towards or away from the centerline if I land?" Gear up, lights on, buzz the field, and guess which way he went...yep, right to the middle! OBTW, no one asked why I went around, they said, "nice flyby".

B-737, San Diego, CA...as a fairly new FO then, I turned a tight base when cleared for the visual, calling for the gear to slow it down. CAPT just started laughing, and asked, "you gonna land this airplane at that airport?" I didn't (on that pass), but he let me learn, and took all the sting out of doing my first Part 121 go around (though not my last). I try to do the same with my FOs now...no ego, no negative comments...in fact, as was said before, all the better to give praise for making the call.

And of course...

RV-6, Reno-Stead, NV..."man, I didn't know an RV could bounce that high!" :rolleyes: ("round we go").

Just tossin' a couple stories into the pot.

And John...that guy that hadn't gone around in 40 years of flying...yes, quite a pattern, as you pointed out. Kind of reminds me of the TV commercial, Joe Isuzu...remember him (he's lying...about a lot of things!)

Cheers,
Bob
 
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Off the end...

videobobk said:
John,

I certainly understand your point and hope we get guys like that out of the air. But, if there were no injuries and little or no damage, why did the FAA get involved? It certainly didn't constitute an accident. Our local FSDO doesn't want to be called unless it is absolutely necessary. Just a question...

Bob Kelly
Click to expand...

Good question. In this case the pilot's actions caused a runway at a reasonably busy, towered airport to be closed for the time it took to crane the airplane out of the marsh. Between the response by the CFR crew and the runway closure I'm sure there were several reports generated. Without the medical and annual problems it could have been a near non-issue. At worst, probably a "709 Ride."

John Clark
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA
 
One thing is clear to me - a go-around in an RV is a very different experience than in a 150 or 172. I did a number of go arounds this spring when transitioning into an RV and into a taildragger at the same time. The first time I bounced - you know the feeling when you are hanging up there for a second or two and just KNOW you are about to come crashing back down - I added full power and was amazed as the bird just picked itself right out of the air and flew off. Love it!
 
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