The Perfect Landing

[Webb]

We all have one that sticks out above all others. Mine came on a Friday the 13th, the day I took my private pilot's test.

Wind, 21 knots gusting to 29 knots at the airport. Had to go up to 6000 feet (agl) to get enough smooth air to do the stalls, turns, etc... On slow flight, even managed to hover the plane.

It was the emergency landing. Dead stick to a little bitty country airport between the pine trees. Examiner pull the throttle and I had to spiral down. When I had the airport made and was lined up, I asked it it was satisfactory and should I power up and go. Answer...no, land the plane. On the numbers!! When I came to a stop, my palms were wet with sweat.

Not perfect, just a best.

[yakdriver]

I too like the landing process as much as any other phase of flight. There are some airplanes that I never get tired of landing. When I flew the Pitts I would almost always do at least three landings a flight just because it was so much fun. Like Paul says there's nothing like a J3 and that is another airplane I can spend an hour or two just in the pattern (you ever landed looking backwards or one guy has the stick and the other the throttle and rudder pedals. All great fun in a Cub.) The best is open cockpit in a big slip down final with the wires singing, kick it straight and squeak on a wheel landing on the big long stroke oleos. Thanks for starting this thread Paul it got me looking in the logbooks and remembering some of the great fun I've had. Don

[ronschreck]

Sometimes perfection is just getting it down. In the mid-seventies I was flying an A-7D ?Corsair II? from the Vought factory in Texas to my home base in Myrtle Beach, SC. The aircraft had just been through an extensive modification and during the first hour of the flight I was busy checking out all of the systems to insure that my night IFR arrival would be uneventful. All was well as cloudless skies gave way to a solid undercast as I passed over the Mississippi River. Soon I was cruising high above the undercast in darkening skies with the setting sun behind me and no sound other than the reassuring hum of the single Allison TF41 turbofan and the occasional chatter from Atlanta Center on the UHF. The inertial navigation system pointed directly to my destination and all was well with the world.

Total electrical failure was the last thing on my mind. Such an occurrence was so unlikely that the aircraft manual did not even provide a checklist for the situation. As the cockpit lights extinguished and the autopilot dropped off the line I was suddenly fully awake and facing the biggest challenge of my flying career. I had returned from a combat tour in Vietnam a few years earlier and foolishly thought that the life threatening challenges were in my past. Fool! I took stock of my situation with the help of my USAF issue flashlight which came equipped with a red lens filter for just such occasions as the white light was so bright that all night vision was severely impaired under it?s glare. Battery power was lost along with the generator and the small emergency generator on the ram air turbine failed to restore any power at all. Engine running fine, although I had no engine monitoring gages operational. As long as the fire was lit I had no reason to believe the engine would be a problem. Fuel? enough to make it to Myrtle Beach with over an hour of reserve but not enough to make it back to VFR conditions west of the Mississippi. Location?. a few miles east of Atlanta. Navigation equipment? a single whiskey compass. Communication equipment? none! I started to review my options. It only took a few fingers to count them.

I had a good estimate of my arrival time over Myrtle Beach Air Force Base and I could just continue on the present heading and let down safely through the undercast over the Atlantic Ocean. But then I would have to reverse course and find the base without any navigation aids. The last weather report indicated 400-foot ceilings along the coast. Finding a landing site before running out of fuel or hitting one of the many towers along the coast could be difficult or impossible. A controlled bailout was becoming an attractive option. I had only used two fingers to count my options and I was about to toss a coin to pick one when I remembered something. I think we covered it one day in basic training ground school. If I flew a triangular pattern it could alert ATC to my situation and perhaps there was another aircraft that could rendezvous with me and lead me to a safe landing. It was a long shot but the two fingers that I still held up in the red glow of my flashlight didn?t look much more attractive. It occurred to me that I really should turn off the flashlight and save it for signaling the aircraft that probably wouldn?t come to rescue me as darkness was falling quickly.

I started a 120-degree turn, held level flight for one minute, another 120-degree turn, another minute of level flight, again and again. Ten minutes passed, twenty? I didn?t see the C-130 at first, just a faint glow of red, green and white lights getting brighter as the big aircraft climbed through the undercast. It was turning in front of me and climbing. Some alert radar operator must have seen my triangles on his scope and sent this big Hercules to my rescue. Or, maybe this was just a coincidental sighting. Whatever, I dove to meet the big bird and latched onto his right wing. He was mine! It was still light enough to see faces in the cockpit window and I hoped they could see my hand signals as I didn?t recall any flashlight signals that would convey my intentions. I held my fist to the top of the canopy and extended two fingers, the HEFOE (hydraulic, electrical, fuel, oxygen, engine) signal for electrical failure. I remember having a moment of doubt. Was electrical failure two fingers or five fingers? There were two ?E?s? in HEFOE and I was never sure which was ?engine? and which was ?electrical?. Stupid! If I had an engine failure I would not be having this conversation! I waved my hand over my mouth and ear to confirm that I could neither talk nor hear over the radio. Probably not necessary since I had already ?told? them that my electronics were out, but I was showing off now. I put my right hand on my left shoulder, indicating that I intended to land on their wing, then held up three fingers, indicating an approach speed of 130 knots. Several ?thumbs up? signals from the C-130 crew told me that they understood my intentions, or they thought I was looking pretty good hanging out there on the wing. At any rate, we started down. At 7000 feet we descended into the undercast and the cockpit of the big C-130 disappeared from view. All I could see was the outboard engine and the big green light on the right wingtip. We descended into total darkness now and the outboard engine began to fade out of sight as well. My world was getting very small, just a green light and a few feet of C-130 wingtip. Vertigo quickly took over. I had no perception of up and down, no idea if we were turning right or left. It was cool in the cockpit and I was sweating from every pore in my body! Time stood still. I was shaken by the sudden realization that I wasn?t ready to land. Would the landing gear extend? I dropped the gear handle and felt a reassuring clunk, but the absence of three green lights brought some doubt. The flaps would not extend without electrical power and I began to wonder if 130 knots was fast enough. I couldn?t refer to the landing charts in my checklist. It took nearly 100 percent of my attention just to keep that green wingtip light in sight.

We were getting low and the control response told me that we were slowing. I wish I had clipped my flashlight to my parachute chest strap. I could have seen the airspeed indicator. Couldn?t do it now, too busy with the green light. Started to see the glow of lights below. That sure helped with the vertigo. Controls really sluggish now. Too slow! I could stay focused on the green light and risk stalling or try a missed approach with no instruments. Just two options and both had probable outcomes that in all likelihood would put me in a pine box! Just as I was struggling with a decision the unmistakable flashing of approach lights began to penetrate the clouds and I inched the throttle forward, leaving the green light behind and strained to pick up the runway lights.

The landing was not my smoothest, I?m sure. Frankly, I have no recollection of the landing. I was on the ground. That was all that mattered. I have made thousands of landings in my 45+ year flying career. I?m sure that one was the best. No contest!

[panhandler1956]

Originally Posted by ronschreck

The landing was not my smoothest, I?m sure. Frankly, I have no recollection of the landing. I was on the ground. That was all that mattered. I have made thousands of landings in my 45+ year flying career. I?m sure that one was the best. No contest!

Holy Smokes Ron! That was a really good story! You had me puckering the cushions of my chair just reading it! Good show indeed and certainly 'the perfect landing'.

[aparchment]

You've got my vote for most impressive landing. It gave me chills to read your description of doing a night, formation approach in actual conditions without any instruments. I can picture the vertigo setting in, especially as the C-130s wing started to disappear. That's real scary stuff.

I would say this would also qualify you for the Titanium Alloy Spheres award.

Originally Posted by ronschreck

It took nearly 100 percent of my attention just to keep that green wingtip light in sight.

[AZtailwind]

Originally Posted by ronschreck

Sometimes perfection is just getting it down. I?m sure that one was the best. No contest!

Again, great story telling, the vertigo description, I could feel the onset of it.
WOW, and that was no Movie?! Wow is good, but not the word, maybe- supercalafragalsitic landing!

[Bob Axsom]

I always try to not use a lot of unnecessary sky getting to the runway and I try to feel the tires roll onto the runway instead of hearing them bark in complaint but I just feel like it is a part of the flight. To belabor it seems a little like getting sensual about parallel parking a car.

Bob Axsom

[Joe Hine]

Good thread again Paul....I have had a couple of landings in my four that I am very proud off, but the one landing of all of them that sticks out was in a PA11, (J3 with a pressure cowl and wing tank). I had just started flying again after about a 10 year lay off, and was learning to fly taildraggers off a 800 foot, twelve foot wide grass strip. One evening I was practicing landings with the owner and I just hit the perfect combination of airspeed sink, and position. The open bottom of the door started to float up like an original landing aid, just as all three wheels started to roll on the grass....there wasn't a pound of lift left in the wings, and I was stopped in an incredibly short distance. I still get smiles thinking about it....The owner quietly said "you need to stop for the evening right there"....so I did. Still like those old birds and would love to have a J3 or PA11 for warm summer evening low flights.


Joe Hine
RV4 C-FYTQ

[zspivey]

Originally Posted by Bob Axsom

I always try to not use a lot of unnecessary sky getting to the runway and I try to feel the tires roll onto the runway instead of hearing them bark in complaint but I just feel like it is a part of the flight. To belabor it seems a little like getting sensual about parallel parking a car.

Bob Axsom

Now that you mention it, let me tell you about the time I parallel parked in a crowded, east coast town with a "Name Brand" university whne the guy ahead of me gave up after 3 tries. Or maybe you don't want to hear about it.