III" wrote in message
om...

I'm sold on the benefits of a stabilized approach.


Good idea. Then if you have a heart attack on final, you're
pretty much guaranteed to touch down in one piece.


I've taken to turning final with two notches of flaps out, leaving the
power at about 1700 RPM, and then adding more flaps as needed to
follow a path to the threshold and finally adding the remaining flaps
on very-short final. That's not a stabilized approach. It works, but I
know I could be doing better.

It's safer to remove power rather than add flaps to follow the
glidepath. That way, if you loose power through an engine failure,
you'll be in better shape. Also, if you need to go around, flaps
are already set and you don't need to mess with them.


I could stabilize the approach using two notches of flaps, but I'd
rather use them all. I could use all the flaps on the entire trip down
final, but I'd rather not drag the plane along.

You can put in full flaps without power (so you're not dragging it).
I find that it startles many passengers because the approach angle
is very steep and the descent rate is alarming, so I tend not to do it.


So, what do other Skylane pilots do?



On downwind, flaps 10, trim for 80knts, prop high rpm
On base, flaps 20, trim for 70, 1700rpm.
On final with crosswind and/or nervous passenger and/or
long runway
....keep flaps 20, trim for 65, power idle.
On final, no x-wind, more than 2000' runway
....flaps 40 over fence, trim 65, power idle.
On final, less than 2000' runway
.... flaps 40, trim 60, power to control glideslope & descent rate.



--
Dr. Tony Cox
Citrus Controls Inc.
e-mail:
http://CitrusControls.com/
"