What are best? Landings or take-offs? A new NYT article

[Garfly]

A nice philosophy of flying essay by a retired airline pilot.   The readers' comments at the end are worth looking at, too.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/13/opinion/sunday/are-you-a-takeoffs-or-landings-person.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

 

 

 

[Yenn]

A bit hard for a pilot to work out which he prefers. I look forward to the take off as I line up and then I look forward to the landing at the end of the flight.

 

As I am getting a bit long in the tooth I suppose the last landing will be happening in the not too far distant future, so take offs are the way to go. They won't have the finality of that last landing.

 

I think most of us tend to treat landings as more important, but really every take off is a lot more dangerous than the landings. I have been lucky with only a couple of "interesting " take offs and have made several landings interesting  especially the one where the brakes locked on.

 

 

[rgmwa]

I usually don't make many landings. That only happens when my arrivals went better than expected.

 

 

[facthunter]

 With multi engine planes the take off is by far the most critical part. Most place a great deal of importance on a "good" landing as it's what most makes an impression. It also marks the end of the flight which to many as the first time they relax as many are scared of flying. In many non western countries the Passengers CLAP after they" survive" the landing.. Nev

 

 

[Okihara]

If I may weigh in on this, I usually record my flights on camera and while takeoffs are entertaining to watch, I find that the whole approach part leading to the landing is a far, far more interesting part of the flight to experience and watch again later on. Landings clearly win the day for me.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

This question always intrigued me.

 

Because I enjoy landing much more than take offs, does that mean I don't really like flying?

 

Leaving the ground is easy: just open the throttle and point the aeroplane.

 

Getting the damned thing down again (in one piece) is a whole lot harder and results in a feeling of considerable satisfaction, even relief.

 

 

[facthunter]

There's a little more to doing a take off properly than "open the throttle and point the  aeroplane.". You are supposed to brief yourself on what you will do if the engine falters /fails at any stage and it's  a potentially critical phase of flight, every time. AND you might have to land on something which isn't the aerodrome at short notice.. Of course if you just want entertainment watching landings on challenging days is more fun.  but you are "setting up" THAT landing from way out  so have less excuse if it goes pear shaped and you have the whole strip to land on.. If the landing has a great element of luck involved, then time with an instructor on "rougher days" is warranted. SAFE landings with maximum control in evidence constantly is better than a series of squeekers on fine days.. Nev

 

 

[Garfly]

"Takeoffs are wonderful maneuvers and I never failed to think of it as pure magic when the weight of the airplane shifted from the ground to the wings. It’s still the same airplane but when it flies it comes alive. That’s the happy part of taking off. What comes next is a period of flight with few options and where any problem can quickly become a serious problem."

 

Richard L. Collins

 

https://airfactsjournal.com/2016/05/takeoff-riskiest-three-minutes/

 

 

[w3stie]

Nice article, thanks for posting. As pilot Ive only landed at the same airstrip I took off from, so from that perspective I don't have that feeling of arriving at some exotic destination. Take off is a magical moment, and it escapes me why more people don't learn to fly. Generations past longed to have this privilege that we take for granted. Landings are more technical and challenging, but fun in a different way. Trying to balance the plane against the winds and wobbles of the air as you paint the piano keys or the end of the airstrip on your windscreen. A good landing is deeply satisfying. 

 

There are other aspects to flight though. For a glider pilot, getting a thermal or lift and gaining 2000' or 3000' and another fifteen or twenty minutes of flight is a wonderful feeling. On good days, you can stay aloft all day and descend only when you're too tired or hungry or sated to continue. Some of Balleka's videos are inspirational.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Garfly]

Meanwhile, for landing lovers, the latest from Backcountry 182:

 

 

 

 

[kaz3g]

A bit hard for a pilot to work out which he prefers. I look forward to the take off as I line up and then I look forward to the landing at the end of the flight.

 

As I am getting a bit long in the tooth I suppose the last landing will be happening in the not too far distant future, so take offs are the way to go. They won't have the finality of that last landing.

 

I think most of us tend to treat landings as more important, but really every take off is a lot more dangerous than the landings. I have been lucky with only a couple of "interesting " take offs and have made several landings interesting  especially the one where the brakes locked on.

 

It’s that final landing that I’m not too keen to try!

 

kaz

 

 

[facthunter]

You can avoid that by not doing a final take off.. Take offs are  not compulsory. Unless the tide is coming in. Nev

 

 

[Garfly]

"Too late!" she cried, as she waved her wooden leg.

 

 

 

 

[facthunter]

 The original article was pretty much" musings " of an older pilot.. Certainly the" landing" is  often considered the Gauge of how good the flight was. Whether this is the correct issue to be the basis of judgement is arguable.. A pilot may have to dump the plane on the runway and get the brakes on as a priority if the runway is short. The super landing may have been something of a fluke and not due to exceptional skill too..You can pull off some good landing s by doing it by numbers but not be flexible with coping well under varying conditions. Having maximum control of the arrival is the best  concept. to aim for.  Nev

 

 

[Garfly]

A new Take-off tips video, emphasising the oft neglected Full-Power check.

 

 

 

 

[Admin]

Desperately in need of an instructor:

 

 

 

[facthunter]

Or a windsock.   Nev

 

 

[Garfly]

Who hasn't been deceived, at times, by the sloping runway phenomenon?!

 

 

[facthunter]

Those who are yet to land downhill.  I still reckon ground speed was the problem there. I've watched birds learning to fly and taking off and landing into wind is # 1 lesson. Nev

 

 

[Yenn]

Downhill landings I hate. Not only are they likely to end up in a float, but I cannot see the ground ahead and the edges of the strip disappear. I find it too easy to stray off centreline.

 

As for the crashing on take off are we not all taught to check rpm at the start of the TO run and also to do a static test of rpm as part of the preflight check list. If you were not taught that, you could ask what else you were not taught?

 

 

[Garfly]

#fly8ma #flighttraining #aviation

 

 

Don't crash on Takeoff

 

 

 

Comments

 

 

HighFlight2k2

 

 

I wasn't taught this by any of my 4 instructors. Oddly, I learned it watching YouTube. Thanks for the great information!

 

 

 

Brett West

 

 

VERY good advice, very few CFI’s teach this. It should be as common as “air speed alive.”

 

 

[facthunter]

 Never take a problem into the air you don't have to or lift the gear too soon. Be ready to abort every take off. When you fly airlines you aren't committed to fly till after V1, by which time there's not much runway left (usually) and you are going pretty quick requiring critical braking. An earlier decision makes it less critical.. I've only witnessed a couple of U/L's aborting a take off or  non critical go around  (touch and go) and I've always spoken to the pilot and passed my ideas on the wisdom of having done it  to them..Nev

 

 

[Yenn]

If this is not taught as standard practice, what does it say about the standard of flight training?

 

 

[Garfly]

Poor old "flight training" comes in for a lot of stick; much of it undeserved.  Not everything can be crammed into 40 flight hours. Not all students are alike.

 

And they only ever claimed it was a licence to learn.  ?

 

 

[facthunter]

It's not the only issue Yenn.  Many pilots I've flow with said" I didn't know you could do THAT ",when I suggested something which I thought was general knowledge. . Be lucky if one in eight could do a good well controlled and judged sideslip.

 

  Garfly.. Regarding the" licence to learn" yes that's true and it's also true of the PPL and especially of the lower flight Instructors ratings who are supposed to only operate under the CFI  Are the NEW certificated Pilots fully aware of the fact they are NOT able to fly a plane near It's limits at that stage of their "career".?  In my view there's no other time in a pilots career that one learns faster than when you are in the first 100 hours of instructing others. At that stage you CAN fly a plane as you have a commercial PL but you are not fully prepared for what some students may do to/in a plane. .Nev