Landing My New RV 7

[apkp777]

Jay,

Yes, you can use Full Flaps, no Flaps or anything in between. However, full flaps is generally recommended and most widely used. Don't be afraid to try partial flaps.

First, level the airplane on a sturdy tail stand and sit in the cockpit. Note the sight-picture and the exaggerated nose low attitude. Spin the prop so that you can see just how much ground clearance you really have. If possible and safe, raise the tail so that you have about an inch or two of ground clearance from the prop. Then sit in the cockpit. You will feel like you are tipping over. Now when you do your wheel landings you will know what a significant margin of clearance there is.

Try this. Do your wheel landing with ONE wheel touch first (should be doing that anyway if there is any crosswind). Focus on that. It will really help the spring gear recoil and temper the "bounce". Next focus on NOT moving the stick back after to touching down on the ONE wheel. Any aft movement and you are going to bounce. You really need to plant the wheels by deliberate forward movement of the stick. Keep it on the one wheel to get a feel for the control input result.

[Plummit]

I'm bothered by the instruction to chop the power 3 feet off the ground. I was taught, and it has always worked for me, to keep a little power on until touchdown. It doesn't take much, but it helps you keep straight and gives better control. Remember, the throttle is a "flight control" too. I'm only talking about a couple hundred RPM above idle.

I also like the idea of touching one wheel first. That little bit of drag caused by the wheel touch really helps prevent the bounce, and it looks cool!

regards

~Marc

[rmartingt]

I pretty much exclusively wheel land the -6, as to me they seem much easier and more controllable, and a lot less bouncy. I usually use half flaps unless it's a short or grass runway or I'm practicing for same. Heavy or light doesn't seem to make much difference outside of a higher approach speed but a very aft CG makes it seem to want to settle a little more (though it's extremely rare that I have anything in the back).

The one time I had a chance to fly a -7 I found it flew pretty much the same, except for a bit more float and some power steering on the rudder (it had the BIG rudder, and Dad's -6 has the small tail).

[luddite42]

Originally Posted by Plummit

I'm bothered by the instruction to chop the power 3 feet off the ground. I was taught, and it has always worked for me, to keep a little power on until touchdown.

No power works just fine too - even with full flaps and a CS prop. These airplanes aren't jets. Flying a powered approach and going to idle before touchdown destabilizes the airplane and adds an unnecessary variable. All of this will be solved simply be the OP getting more time in the airplane, but in the meantime he might be well served by either flying final with no power, or a small touch of power carried to the point the wheels touch. One less variable. Everyone has their own preferred recipe, or how they "were taught". Don't hang onto one technique just because someone "taught" you that way. There are many ways to approach and land these airplanes. Like pilots in general, many RV pilots tend to approach unnecessarily flat, at too high an airspeed, and float excessively before touchdown. It all boils down to skill, comfort level, and personal preference. Experiment. These are simple little airplanes.

[alpinelakespilot2000]

Originally Posted by luddite42

No power works just fine too - even with full flaps and a CS prop. These airplanes aren't jets. Flying a powered approach and going to idle before touchdown destabilizes the airplane and adds an unnecessary variable. All of this will be solved simply be the OP getting more time in the airplane, but in the meantime he might be well served by either flying final with no power, or a small touch of power carried to the point the wheels touch. One less variable. Everyone has their own preferred recipe, or how they "were taught". Don't hang onto one technique just because someone "taught" you that way. There are many ways to approach and land these airplanes. Like pilots in general, many RV pilots tend to approach unnecessarily flat, at too high an airspeed, and float excessively before touchdown. It all boils down to skill, comfort level, and personal preference. Experiment. These are simple little airplanes.

Ditto. For me normal is power off abeam numbers all the way to touch down. Means nothing is going to drop out due to pulling power at the last minute. Side benefit is that it better prepares me to handle an engine out scenario in real life. That said, this is for a -9. The power-off sink rate of the short wing RV's might not allow this. YMMV.

[Snowflake]

Originally Posted by alpinelakespilot2000

Ditto. For me normal is power off abeam numbers all the way to touch down. Means nothing is going to drop out due to pulling power at the last minute. Side benefit is that it better prepares me to handle an engine out scenario in real life. That said, this is for a -9. The power-off sink rate of the short wing RV's might not allow this. YMMV.

This is what I was taught from day one in my flight training... If you remove power on landing, plan for the situation where you don't get it back.

I find if i'm having trouble wheel landing the -6, if I add a little more speed on the next circuit it gets easier. You really want to be flying it on, not hanging it there such that removing power will cause you to drop out from 3' up. Once you've flown the wheels on, a healthy amount of forward stick will keep it there.

As for flaps, I have 4 notches on my manual flaps (it came this way). I give 10 degrees abeam the numbers as I hit the flap extension speed. 10 more on base, and 10 more on final, each time i'm 10 knots slower than I was when I added the previous notch. That means i'm landing with 30 degrees of flap most of the time, I've only bothered with 40 when going into shorter strips or wanting a steeper approach.

I've tried adding all the flap at once at Vfe as you were doing. The amount of effort it takes on the manual flap lever tells me that the added stress on the airframe isn't worth it. 10 degrees at a time, slowing 10 knots at a time, and the flaps come out with very light pulls on the lever. If you have electric flaps, you won't be aware of this, but I guarantee you're putting more stress on the airframe than you need to.

[luddite42]

Originally Posted by alpinelakespilot2000

That said, this is for a -9. The power-off sink rate of the short wing RV's might not allow this. YMMV.

Sure they do - it's just a matter of comfort level. Some pilots are actually uncomfortable with the descent rate of a 172 power off. A short wing RV w/ full flaps, power off and a CS prop comes down faster, but it's all relative. Anyone who thinks there's a lot of descent rate associated with the setup I just described should should get some time in a Pitts S-2C with that fat blade Hartzell claw. Comes down way faster and will make the RV seem like a glider. That S-2C can do a power off 180 just fine. So can any RV. Modern flight training teaches power on "stabilized" flat approaches, but it's great practice to do it power off.

[JonJay]

Originally Posted by Snowflake

I've tried adding all the flap at once at Vfe as you were doing. The amount of effort it takes on the manual flap lever tells me that the added stress on the airframe isn't worth it. 10 degrees at a time, slowing 10 knots at a time, and the flaps come out with very light pulls on the lever. If you have electric flaps, you won't be aware of this, but I guarantee you're putting more stress on the airframe than you need to.

It can handle it, and then some, but I don't disagree.
Mike Seager teaches a simple two step approach, 20 abeam then 40 on base. If I have to make an extremely short approach, I will turn base and dump everything. Don't worry about the airframe, but as you, I avoid dragging it in under power unless I want to make a super short landing, which will be more like a controlled crash in the 6 than a landing in three point or you can drag tail low and roll it onto the mains. Every RV I have flown have different characteristics depending on engine, prop, weight, DA, etc....

[gereed75]

Lotsa RV 6 landings - I am not a fan of full flaps unless the runway is short. 1/2 flaps is my standard. 1/2 flaps add lift co-efficient, full flaps only add drag

Do not chop the power at 3'. The airplane does much better being flown onto the deck in a tail low wheelie, not dropped on in a 3 point. 3 points are very inconsistent in my experience. The airplane is generally not stalled in a 3 point attitude and there fore very sensitive to pitch changes near the runway. Hold or adding a very slight amount of power is great help with two aboard, reducing smoothly to idle just befor or as touching down.

I would look critically at your CG condition with two aboard. Sixes and Sevens can have CG's tending aft with two souls especially with light props. In this condition they get very pitch sensitive and bouncy!

Fly it on smoothly on the mains - FLY it on as opposed to drop it on!!

[Robb]

I have been doing three point landings in my 7 since I bought it last year. I was taught 3 point in my Aviat Husky years ago and still use mainly 3 point for obvious reasons. I too have experienced in consistent landings in my 7 when doing only three pointers. I am going to work on wheel landings in the 7 but so far i have been getting bouncy when trying it. I like the idea of flying it down and just slowly reducing power for wheel landings. It is a lot different than a Husky with big tires