Go Around criteria?

Keep in mind it's possible to go around too much. You need to go around when in doubt - but if you find yourself going around all the time you need to enhance your skills.

I've seen people have to do several go arounds because they go around if the airplane is not in a specific predefined position and profile. The problem is that they have no idea how to get the airplane into that position and profile and mostly get there by a combination of luck and repetition (go arounds).

If you doubt the landing - go around - if you find yourself doubting a lot of your landings find an instructor to fix it.
 
Everskyward said:
True, so for transport category aircraft the standard is to be stabilized by 500' AGL in VMC and 1,000' AGL in IMC. However, it's much easier to maneuver a lighter airplane which is traveling much slower so maybe it could be modified to 500' AGL IMC and 200' AGL VMC, or something like that. But then I think it depends on many factors.
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Exactly. You adapt the details to the specific aircraft type/size/performance, but the underlying concept is the same, and enhanced safety is the end result.
 
If a safe landing is ever in doubt, I go-around. That said, I draw a distinction between "safe" and "pretty." I'm not going to go-around if I bounce on the first thousand feet of a ten thousand foot runway in a C172. I'm also not going to go-around if I'm a little off from where I'd like to be on final (usually 400' AGL, 1/2 mile from the runway). Going around simply because you want a perfectly flown approach finished up with a greaser can get 'spensive. :)
 
steingar said:
I lost 7000 feet on downwind once in a slip. Documented it right here. Did the same exact thing on our aborted trip to 6Y9. It was so dang hot, I didn't loose any altitude until the last second.
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When landing on the 30's at STL and arriving from the west, we used to get cleared for the visual abeam the numbers at 9,000. Props forward, throttles "oscar fox fox" and away we went. ;)
 
I really haven't had time to go back through and think about all the comments. I did see a few questions and suggestions.

I typically rent 172M (150 HP has 40 Deg Flaps) 172 S (180 HP with 30 Deg Flaps) a 150, a 152, and Decathlon (no Flaps, with CFI).

Home field VASI still not repaired after flood. Shortest RWY I sometimes pop into maybe 2700ft (6M8 short AG field) was just extended, and sometimes grass H75.

The 500ft milestone was arbitrary. I'm used to salvaging poor landings, and slipping it in.

I'm going for early detection of a marginal landing.

I want to know that the safety margin for the landing is going to be thin, as early as possible in the landing, and not wait until I've flared and have floated 1500 ft down the RWY or am on my second bounce.

I have reviewed the stabilized approach material in the FAA handbooks a dozen times and have not mastered it.

I don't use an aim point, things look right or they don't.

The best tip, Ive seen for landing anywhere came from a book on conventional gear. You can tell if your aligned with the RWY CL if the CL is perpendicular to the horizon; which seems to works even when you are crabbing.


I'll look forward to going back through all this some time this weekend. It's now 4:50 AM, time to hit the gym before work.

Thanks all. I appreciate being able to network with so much experience with questions like these.
 
steingar said:
Every landing is a go-around until I turn off. Every one. I am always ready to call it off. Every take-off is rejected until I rotate. I am always ready to pull the plug. Always. Last time I had to go around I didn't even have to think about it.
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:yes:
+1
 
kontiki said:
Like other novice pilots, I've been working to resolve landing issues.

I decided, that:

1 - On Final at 500 ft AGL, I must be at landing speed (slow enough), else Go Around

2 - When I start flare I need to have 200% nominal landing distance ahead of me (maybe 1500 ft at home field, normal conditions), else Go Around.

I want to know and verify those points, like speed check, distance check, flare.

I must never ride a landing in like a passenger. Every landing, at any moment, in an instant I am ready to execute 5cs. (and I mean I want to be on carb heat and throttle in a half second or less).

5Cs:
Cram
Climb
Clean
Cool
Call

Anybody see anything I'm missing. Honestly, I usually don't even get this 100% right.
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Don't forge the last "C" - Comply. On just about every checkride I have had either on one of the landings, or like on my commercial after we had finished the ride and my examiner told me to take him back to Concord, good job, about 300 feet he told me an aircraft had just taxied onto the active runway with us on short final. He wanted to see how well I could execute a go-around since it is one of the skills not practiced by pilots.
 
When I get da bad juju from da errplane. Makes me skin crawl, push da powahh and go 'round.

I haven't done a go around in my Skyhawk in awhile, but everytime I fly the cub I do atleast 1 go around. Not that I'm intentionally trying, I just mess something up and decide to go around. I can salvage a lousy approach/landing sequence in a skyhawk, I'm not experienced enough to do it in the cub yet.
 
Everskyward said:
True, so for transport category aircraft the standard is to be stabilized by 500' AGL in VMC and 1,000' AGL in IMC. However, it's much easier to maneuver a lighter airplane which is traveling much slower so maybe it could be modified to 500' AGL IMC and 200' AGL VMC, or something like that. But then I think it depends on many factors.
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Precisely. The larger the airplane, the greater the inertia, the more space required to maneuver.

In a very light, draggy airplane (such as a Pre-War Chief -- 880 lbs empty, 1250 MGW, no flaps, lots of rudder), I can scrub 10 knots and 100' in a very short space.

The Cessna 205 I fly and the Bonanzas (A36 and -35) I used to fly and the C150 C172s I fly from time to time don't have as much rudder authority, so slips are not as effective.

So I change the expectations based on the airplane.

One additional consideration: You may be in a situation where a go around is not an option. Make sure you can place the airplane in the space you have available and don't consistently bail out during practice just because you "always" have power.
 
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dmccormack said:
One additional consideration: You may be in a situation where a go around is not an option. Make sure you can place the airplane in the space you have available and don't consistently bail out during practice just because you "always" have power.
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I was recently given a go around while landing runway 27 in MEM.

A Bonanza was given a luau on 27, then told clear for take off, then told to hold position. All the while, we're steaming towards the numbers on 27. Runways 18R and 18L both had traffic on short final.

I had never been told prior to that to "go around and STAY LOW" so we just did a high speed pass down 27, with landing traffic on 18R and 18L.. It was exciting.. :)

KMEM-Diagram-1007a.jpg
 
A luau? I don't think I've heard that one before. Is that something like "line up and uait"?
 
azure said:
A luau? I don't think I've heard that one before. Is that something like "line up and uait"?
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LOL, yeh, it's line up and wait. :) A friend of mine started calling them luau's and I guess it stuck.
 
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