Glide ratio with full brakes and side slip

This I will agree with.

I consider needing, "full dive brakes and a full slip" to get down means:
- I waited too long to pick a good field
- I did NOT manage energy correctly during the pattern (regardless of pattern length).

Sorta edit, in the past, I was requested by CFIG's that were better than I to demonstrate a "max, hang it all out" decent.
Yes, we should ALL push the envelope at the home field now and then to prepare for when when poor judgement/planning requires superior skills in the real world.
What's easy for me may be beyond what you can do..............

On Wednesday, May 4, 2016 at 7:15:48 PM UTC-4, Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot) wrote:
This I will agree with.

I consider needing, "full dive brakes and a full slip" to get down means:
- I waited too long to pick a good field
- I did NOT manage energy correctly during the pattern (regardless of pattern length).

Sorta edit, in the past, I was requested by CFIG's that were better than I to demonstrate a "max, hang it all out" decent.
Yes, we should ALL push the envelope at the home field now and then to prepare for when when poor judgement/planning requires superior skills in the real world.
What's easy for me may be beyond what you can do..............


I'm a low time pilot, but seems to me that landing out and for some reason with a tail wind would be the number one situation of using full spoiler and slip. Pushing the envelope or practicing various landing skills at the home field seems to be advantages in ones preparation for non ideal landing fields or approaches,but wonder how many people practice.

On Friday, June 10, 2016 at 2:30:16 PM UTC-4, Casey wrote:
On Wednesday, May 4, 2016 at 7:15:48 PM UTC-4, Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot) wrote:
This I will agree with.

I consider needing, "full dive brakes and a full slip" to get down means:
- I waited too long to pick a good field
- I did NOT manage energy correctly during the pattern (regardless of pattern length).

Sorta edit, in the past, I was requested by CFIG's that were better than I to demonstrate a "max, hang it all out" decent.
Yes, we should ALL push the envelope at the home field now and then to prepare for when when poor judgement/planning requires superior skills in the real world.
What's easy for me may be beyond what you can do..............


I'm a low time pilot, but seems to me that landing out and for some reason with a tail wind would be the number one situation of using full spoiler and slip. Pushing the envelope or practicing various landing skills at the home field seems to be advantages in ones preparation for non ideal landing fields or approaches,but wonder how many people practice.

It is a challenge to practice non-home-field situations at the home field, but CFIGs should think of ways to do that. Of course can practice steeper than normal approaches. Can also practice landing on a different part of the home field than normal, e.g., further down the runway (within reason). Can land downwind on purpose (within reason). Beyond that? Fortunately the weather varies (around here anyway, New England is famous for that) enough to produce a lot of different flavors of pattern and landing.

Do any of you practice landings at other nearby airfields, complete with an aero-retrieve?

Great idea, done by sites in the NE US, look up the "Snowbird" out of HHSC every Thanksgiving weekend.

While it's a "last get together" for some of us, it's also a, "energy management endeavor" that translates to an off airport landing.
Consistency matters, not breaking the ship is best.

The rules of the "contest" tend to promote energy management. Being good at this helps prevent broken ships, thus, broken pilots.
Take this from one that has done well at the Snowbird, and has thus far not broken a ship (or myself).

Charlie: could you explain what the "Snowbird" involves? (And say "hi" to my old friends at HHSC, if they're still there - it's been a long while!)

Energy management mostly.
Each flight covers 4 items together:
-precision duration (usually multiples of 15 minutes timed to the second)
-touchdown in marked zones, touching before 1st zone is a big point hit, touching further is lessor hits
-stopping at a cone, scored to the inch
-cumulative altitude gain

So, duration 5 seconds off, touchdown in prime zone (no deduction), stopping within 5" of cone and no altitude gain would yield a score of 990 points.
You're allowed 2 flights Friday and 2 flights Saturday, a good year will require averaging high 900's!

HHSC's website should have more info on it, but that's the basics. It really measures energy management and pattern planning, good skills for off airport landings.