Instincts on final

[skidoo]

As the OP, I wanted to understand others thinking on this. I have My PP certificate earned in 1974. But, I stopped flying in 1975. In 1978, I took up hang gliding until 1980. Certainly flying takes some training, but after a while, one develops reactions that tend to occur instinctively. After this long time of no flying, I have started again with instruction.

With enough height AGL (I estimate about 50 feet or more), and aiming for a point beyond the threshold (almost 5000 ft runway), I noticed a higher sink rate develop more towards the threshold while at a lower than desired AS. So, my instinctive reaction was to lower the nose for higher AS and then recover attitude as the ground became closer for a normal flare. I felt fine with what was going on and it worked out no problem. But, I wanted to understand others perspectives.

 

[Dudley Henriques]

Yup, but we can't let the opportunity to lecture get by!

One caution I'd put out there for the "don't worry about lowering the nose" crowd. While that's a good technique for someone that understands the power curve and the way a plane handles during landing I'm guessing the CFI is trying to avoid instilling a bad behavior.

I'd bet a fair number of prop strikes get caused by students trying to force a landing by pushing the nose down and pointing the plane where they want it to land.

So where I am in flying now I would push the nose a bit and add a bit of power. When I was a student I would have just used some power to correct it and also been ready for a go-around.

It's instructor 101 with any good CFI NOT to split technique into separate categories of execution making things "easier" for a student.
For example, a landing is a landing. The airplane could care less about the experience level of the pilot making the landing. The aircraft only has one priority; that whatever control pressures and inputs are being made are the correct pressures and inputs.
Instructors are well advised to teach students from the very beginning that to the airplane, the pilot is either right or wrong, be that pilot a student or an ATP.
In reality, there is no "lowering the nose crowd". There is only correct technique, and correct technique for controlling an excessive rate of sink on final approach is to BLEND any and all control pressures needed ALONG with any power application needed, to correct, stabilize the aircraft, and reposition the aircraft for a landing or a go around as the situation dictates.

Dudley Henriques

 

[Everskyward]

It's instructor 101 with any good CFI NOT to split technique into separate categories of execution making things "easier" for a student.

I agree. When I was a student I learned "Pitch + Power = Performance". I taught it that way too. If one of the two variables is constant you obviously need to rely on the other one, but they they are interrelated.