Is it easy to porpoise it on landing?

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William Hughes
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Re: Is it easy to porpoise it on landing?

Post by William Hughes »

This whole discussion of speeds can get really complicated fast. In practice it is way easier than doing square roots in your head on final. You should have a few typical stall speeds memorized in typical landing load configurations. During flight planning you should think about the final approach and perhaps figure out what your loaded stall speed is in the conditions you are expecting and brief the approach and landing. Also the runway conditions you expect.

If I am landing on some tight little grass strip surrounded by trees on the side of a hill, I am very careful about the briefing and approach speed and I monitor the speed right down to the knot. If the trim isn't set just so, with a nice constant approach with power, I go around and have another go

If there is 10,000 feet of pavement in front me, well, you start thinking about where to touch down in order to avoid a humongous three mile taxi.

You always want to land as slow as you can to avoid un-necessary wear and tear and it is just good airmanship to always know what your stall speed in various configurations really is, though. Nothing like taking the airplane up in various configurations and loads and actually stalling it, however. The book can be quite wrong sometimes...

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AKar
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Re: Is it easy to porpoise it on landing?

Post by AKar »

William Hughes wrote:If there is 10,000 feet of pavement in front me, well, you start thinking about where to touch down in order to avoid a humongous three mile taxi.
I'm quite certain it is only a story, but the legend goes that once upon time a trainer airplane landed, slowed down to taxi pace..or walking speed as trained, and requested instructions to parking. The tower (also handling the ground) supposedly cleared the aircraft for an immediate takeoff, and asked the pilot to fly runway track, climb to traffic pattern altitude and then execute a visual approach to the landing runway remaining (winds calm, cleared to land) and thereafter to exit the runway via alpha, tango and hotel to the spot – bye-bye! :mrgreen:

-Esa

William Hughes
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Location: Saskatoon, SK
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Re: Is it easy to porpoise it on landing?

Post by William Hughes »

I have heard conversations hinting at this on the radio with my own ears. If the wind is brisk from the wrong direction you can have a little trainer lightly touching down and rolling to a stop in a few hundred feet with the entire airport to cross on the ground. It is now an obstacle on the maneuvering area for every other bit of commercial traffic you can imagine and for a long time too.

Per the numbers, you could easily take off, skim along the runway, and plop back down and save everyone a lot of hassle. And I am certain it has happened. I have added a bit of power and floated down a runway closer to the turnout rather than roll on the wheels. Usually nice to tell the controller you'd like to land long and where you are going though.

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bobsk8
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Re: Is it easy to porpoise it on landing?

Post by bobsk8 »

William Hughes wrote:I have heard conversations hinting at this on the radio with my own ears. If the wind is brisk from the wrong direction you can have a little trainer lightly touching down and rolling to a stop in a few hundred feet with the entire airport to cross on the ground. It is now an obstacle on the maneuvering area for every other bit of commercial traffic you can imagine and for a long time too.

Per the numbers, you could easily take off, skim along the runway, and plop back down and save everyone a lot of hassle. And I am certain it has happened. I have added a bit of power and floated down a runway closer to the turnout rather than roll on the wheels. Usually nice to tell the controller you'd like to land long and where you are going though.
I flew into Homestead AFB in Florida ,back in the early 80's for an airshow at the base, in a C 152. There were many planes landing at the time and the tower asked me if I could fly along the runway which was about 11,000 feet long, until about 2/3 of the way down to make room for other aircraft to land. I flew for quite awhile at around 20 feet agl and 80 knots. It was fun.
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ft
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Re: Is it easy to porpoise it on landing?

Post by ft »

I don't think I managed more than four touch and goes in one pass along the runway in the Cub... :p

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