Key principle: Decide wheel or three-point before the approach and commit to it. Don't waver.
Pattern & Approach
- All landings are full flap unless dealing with a heavy crosswind
- Pattern: ~17" MP, ~80 MPH, stay level
- Abeam the numbers:
- Reduce to ~13" MP
- Verify white arc — deploy all flaps at once
- Begin descent, slow toward 65 MPH (see final speeds below)
Final Approach Speeds
| Configuration | Speed | Notes |
|---|
| Normal three-point | 60–65 MPH | Standard approach |
| Wheel landing | 60–65 MPH | Try same speed; maybe 65–70, but probably not |
| Low-energy three-point | 55 MPH | Short final only |
55 MPH sink rate: You sink a lot at 55 — power is necessary to stay up, longer than you think.
The Stick Ratchet Rule
- Once the stick starts coming back, it cannot move forward until wheels are on the ground
- This applies to arresting a descent in a wheel landing and getting all the way back in a three-point
- The stick is a one-way ratchet backward until touchdown
- If you're too high: add power to cushion the descent, or go around
- In a go-around, the stick can come forward to keep the nose down — that's OK
- Experiment: does the stick need to come forward for a small cushion of power to land? Maybe, maybe not