Commercial precision landings

I'm taking my 2nd stab at my commercial checkride in a couple days.
Last week, I got through the Oral exam fine. We first flew my
instructor's Bonanza for the complex pattern work. Didn't do too bad on
the soft-field stuff, but I sailed right past my short-field mark by
about 300 feet. We then tried a short approach. Not even the 180 deg
accuracy landing. Just make the runway. Well, after several laps of
dropping the gear abeam the numbers, I did it again & came up well
short of the runway.
Pink slip.
I've gone up with my instructor to work on both accuracy landings, but
can't seem to hit them consistently. Any advice? Any examiners care to
tell how much "fudge" factor they may allow if I'm a little short or
long? If I am, can I request another try at it?
I haven't even had the chance to demonstrate the airwork in my Cherokee
yet (which I think will go much better). I'm hoping the DE will let me
do that stuff first & save the complex for last. But, since the complex
is what I failed the first time, I don't know if we have to complete
that first.
My CFI says I fly just fine, and I'm starting to feel more comfortable
in the Bo (only 7 hours so far). I've got 160+ in the Cherokee & 450
total. I'm just psyching myself out over 2 little landings.
Ugh.

wrote:
I'm taking my 2nd stab at my commercial checkride in a couple days.
Last week, I got through the Oral exam fine. We first flew my
instructor's Bonanza for the complex pattern work. Didn't do too bad on
the soft-field stuff, but I sailed right past my short-field mark by
about 300 feet. We then tried a short approach. Not even the 180 deg
accuracy landing. Just make the runway. Well, after several laps of
dropping the gear abeam the numbers, I did it again & came up well
short of the runway.


With the Bo and a short approach put the gear down no later than
midfield. Full flaps, power off. Turn base at the approach end, speed
no more than 90 mph, assuming you and the FAA man on board. One
sweeping turn to final. You can't land short if you don't go past the
end of the runway. Much better to roll off the end at a slow speed than
stall it in short. You'll still only need 1000 feet of runway if you
keep the speed to 85 mph on the downwind to base.

wrote

My CFI says I fly just fine, and I'm starting to feel more comfortable
in the Bo (only 7 hours so far). I've got 160+ in the Cherokee & 450
total. I'm just psyching myself out over 2 little landings.
Ugh.

I don't know what everyone else thinks, but that does not seem like very
much time to transition into a Bo, to me.

Perhaps your instructor rushed you to the test, a little bit.

Nothing like practice. Good practice, that is. g
--
Jim in NC

Morgans wrote:

I don't know what everyone else thinks, but that does not seem like very
much time to transition into a Bo, to me.

I had about 550 hours in a C172 before I moved up to a Bonanza and it took
me about 12 hours with an instructor to get (more or less) comfortable with
the added workload and speed of the aircraft.

--
Peter

"Peter R." wrote

I had about 550 hours in a C172 before I moved up to a Bonanza and it took
me about 12 hours with an instructor to get (more or less) comfortable
with
the added workload and speed of the aircraft.


Yeah, I would think. Did you also have to pass a commercial checkride at
the end of the 12 hours? I would think you would want to be more than (in
your words) "more or less comfortable with the added workload and speed"
before you had to pass a checkride, with all of the added pressures and
nervousness that "automatically" comes with a checkride.
--
Jim in NC

Morgans wrote:

Did you also have to pass a commercial checkride at
the end of the 12 hours?

Not at all. This was just to move up to the aircraft, not to obtain my
commercial. About half those hours were flying in real IMC to get used to
handling the aircraft in an IFR setting, which I don't believe is part of
the commercial training, is it?

In any regard, I doubt I would have passed the commercial checkride after
those 12 hours/

I would think you would want to be more than (in
your words) "more or less comfortable with the added workload and speed"
before you had to pass a checkride, with all of the added pressures and
nervousness that "automatically" comes with a checkride.

Agreed.

--
Peter

Lands are all about controlling speed, the right speed. 1.3
Vs(x) for the weight you're actually flying. You didn't say
what model Bonanza, but an A36 can be 800 pounds under
certificated GW, or 25% under. You must reduce your
approach speed by the proper amount or you will float
forever. Beech does publish excellent TO and Landing graphs
with speed adjustments.
You can fly a few knots, not more than 5, faster which will
give you a steeper descent and then you can use the extra
speed to slow down to get a better glide. If you are using
best glide speed there is nothing you can do to improve your
approach without adding power.

You are likely flying too fast and too wide on downwind.
You are also probably watching your gauges and airspeed as
you configure the Bonanza for the approach, do it by sound
and feel and watch the runway for relative motion (drift and
glide path) and you should do fine.

Remember, you will get a landing gear failure and it may
come in the pattern with a simulated engine failure. Make
sure you know the procedure and have checked during the
pre-flight that the gear handle can be un-stowed [sometimes
the spar cover is installed over the handle]. But also
remember that it take 50 turns to get the gear down and you
only have so much time. If he gives you a simulated engine
failure and then the gear fails, exercise your judgment,
tell him that in a real case you'd land gear up rather than
risk a crash while trying to crank the gear. Then add power
and go-around, crank the gear on downwind to show him you
know how. Sometimes an examiner will give you a task to see
if you have fixated on the checkride and not the safety of
the flight.


--
James H. Macklin
ATP,CFI,A&P


wrote in message
oups.com...
| I'm taking my 2nd stab at my commercial checkride in a
couple days.
| Last week, I got through the Oral exam fine. We first flew
my
| instructor's Bonanza for the complex pattern work. Didn't
do too bad on
| the soft-field stuff, but I sailed right past my
short-field mark by
| about 300 feet. We then tried a short approach. Not even
the 180 deg
| accuracy landing. Just make the runway. Well, after
several laps of
| dropping the gear abeam the numbers, I did it again & came
up well
| short of the runway.
| Pink slip.
| I've gone up with my instructor to work on both accuracy
landings, but
| can't seem to hit them consistently. Any advice? Any
examiners care to
| tell how much "fudge" factor they may allow if I'm a
little short or
| long? If I am, can I request another try at it?
| I haven't even had the chance to demonstrate the airwork
in my Cherokee
| yet (which I think will go much better). I'm hoping the DE
will let me
| do that stuff first & save the complex for last. But,
since the complex
| is what I failed the first time, I don't know if we have
to complete
| that first.
| My CFI says I fly just fine, and I'm starting to feel more
comfortable
| in the Bo (only 7 hours so far). I've got 160+ in the
Cherokee & 450
| total. I'm just psyching myself out over 2 little
landings.
| Ugh.
|

Jim Macklin wrote:
If he gives you a simulated engine failure and then the gear fails,
exercise your judgment, tell him that in a real case you'd land gear
up rather than risk a crash while trying to crank the gear.

I don't know about you, Jim, but if I was working a real engine
failure, I'm not sure I'd have the presense of mind to even notice if
the gear down light came on or not :-)

Been there, you notice. You may ignore it, but you should
notice.



"Roy Smith" wrote in message
...
| Jim Macklin wrote:
| If he gives you a simulated engine failure and then the
gear fails,
| exercise your judgment, tell him that in a real case
you'd land gear
| up rather than risk a crash while trying to crank the
gear.
|
| I don't know about you, Jim, but if I was working a real
engine
| failure, I'm not sure I'd have the presense of mind to
even notice if
| the gear down light came on or not :-)

Roy Smith wrote:
I don't know about you, Jim, but if I was working a real engine
failure, I'm not sure I'd have the presense of mind to even notice if
the gear down light came on or not :-)


Oh, you'll see it. You just won't care. G



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com