Some days you bounce one

[Yetti]

high workload day.  dodging low clouds. Turned around on lunch plans when clouds got to 1700.   Diverted to tag another airport for the ridealong recent PPL.   Came back to the home field was high on final.  Went to full flaps.   Bounced it good.  Still had good energy.  set up again and put it down.   Have not bounced it like that in a year.  Always learning.

[cnoe]

Mine was Wednesday. Announced base turn in front of a Cirrus on 5 mile final only to find a poor Gulfstream holding short waiting on us both. To expedite I held it off to mid-field at 75 mph to land closer to my hangar turn-off (7,000' runway). I was really light and should have slowed another 10 mph before setting her down. Instead I sort of skipped down the runway a few hundred feet keeping the nose up before finally settling down. I considered a go-around but wasn't porpoising so I just swallowed my pride and rode it out. I could have just dumped the flaps but didn't want to divert attention from keeping my attitude proper.

Embarrassing, and to think just the other day I was bragging to my wife about my recent streak of nice landings.

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[Skates97]

On my third xc solo I came back to the home airport and bounced once. Came in with too much speed, but the Cherokee is fairly forgiving. Kept it level and then held it in the flare until the speed bled off and it settled down. Called my dad in AZ on my way home like I always do and told him I bounced for the first time. My dad who has more hours than I can think of in T-38's and C-130's just said "Won't be the last time."

[klystron]

Mine was Monday, 

After nearly nearly 7 hours in the aircraft that day and dodging thunderstorms all the way into New Mexico I was in the middle of the flair on RW 27 at LAM. There was a slight crosswind that was not difficult at all to set up for, but about 3' off the ground a nice big gust came a long and dropped me to the ground. Got one small bounce out of it. I was a little embarrassed with my dad sitting in the right seat. 

[bradp]

Did an instrument proficiency check and my wings credits for BFR waiver on Friday.  There were some areas on the curriculum from the commercial PTS - power off 180s.  Nailed that - greased it right on at the 1000-ft bars and was happy.  

Next turn around the pattern was a short field landing that I think I bounced all the way to the first turnoff.  

You win some and you lose some.  

[Yetti]

The skipping like a rock off the lake down the runway happens   This was the bounce into the air you get to be a pilot again. Do I count both those in the log book kind of bounce.  Hope none of the lunch crowd saw that.

[Hank]

Nobody saw my worst bounce except my wife. We were coming back from our first real trip, WV to NC for thanksgiving. ATC vectored me around the college football game, brought me over the runway lights right at midfield, allowing me to set up a nice pattern. I was so glad to be home, to have flown us in a mere 3+ hours into the wind what was normally 10-12 hours in the car, that I stopped flying in the flare.

So there we were, loaded to the gills in the plane, crow-hopping down the 3000' runway toward the trees at night . . . I went full throttle after #2, praying hard to miss the trees I couldn't see. Waited until after I got home to think about what went wrong.

[Jerry 5TJ]

I never bounce if no one is watching.

 

[kevinw]

My worst bounce was about two years ago with my wife also. Low on fuel which means well under gross. Bounced twice but was able to add power and make the landing. Wife was very unimpressed to say the least. Now I cross the numbers at 70 knots when heavy and 65 when light and haven't bounced since. I will add 5 if the winds are gusty but that's it.

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[donkaye]

I'm not sure why most flight instructors (how about ANY flight instructors) don't stress slope when teaching landings.  Descent rate is most important to preventing bounced landings.  Assuming no major obstacles, burning the 3° slope into a pilot's mind would prevent most bounced landings.  At 3° and 75 knots the descent rate will be (rule of thumb: 5 X GS) 5 X 75 = 375 ft/min.  This converts to a little over 6 ft/sec.  With some experience and a lot of landing practice using that slope, it becomes easy to see when your descent rate becomes excessive and make the appropriate adjustments.  To prevent the "slam down" in gusty conditions, it is necessary to carry extra speed into the flare. so runway length become an important consideration in that situation.

I can't stress enough how practice makes perfect.  Most pilots get their license and except for their flight review don't actually go out and practice a lot.  I'm really lucky to be teaching because I get a lot of continuous practice.

[ArtVandelay]

3 hours ago, Jerry 5TJ said:

I never bounce if no one is watching.

 

Not me...and I do when my friend took of video of me, I swear this is the only time  

 

 

[DonMuncy]

3 hours ago, Jerry 5TJ said:

I never bounce if no one is watching.

 

But when I do bounce, it seems the entire population at the airport wandered out 30 seconds earlier.

[cnoe]

Don, would it be correct to assume that the skipping-like-a-stone landing that I did on Wednesday is 95% attributable to excess airspeed? I had flared at the approach end then kept it level a few feet off the runway for 2,000' or so before reducing power and settling down on the mains. Even though it settled smoothly there was still too much energy to keep me firmly attached to the runway. Normally I'd follow the PAPI (~3°) and just set it down.

And yes, I figured that everybody got a nice chuckle out of my fancy landing so when calling "clear of runway 17" I added "... after my bouncing exhibition".

 

[donkaye]

6 minutes ago, cnoe said:

Don, would it be correct to assume that the skipping-like-a-stone landing that I did on Wednesday is 95% attributable to excess airspeed? I had flared at the approach end then kept it level a few feet off the runway for 2,000' or so before reducing power and settling down on the mains. Even though it settled smoothly there was still too much energy to keep me firmly attached to the runway. Normally I'd follow the PAPI (~3°) and just set it down.

And yes, I figured that everybody got a nice chuckle out of my fancy landing so when calling "clear of runway 17" I added "... after my bouncing exhibition".

 

Yes, and I bet your landing attitude was level as you touched down.  If you're not at about 8° nose up you're not at the landing attitude and you still have too much speed.  When you get good, you should be at the landing attitude with just enough energy to be able to "feel" for the ground and "roll" the wheels on rather than "chirp" them on.

 

[Hank]

6 minutes ago, donkaye said:

Yes, and I bet your landing attitude was level as you touched down.  If you're not at about 8° nose up you're not at the landing attitude and you still have too much speed.  When you get good, you should be at the landing attitude with just enough energy to be able to "feel" for the ground and "roll" the wheels on rather than "chirp" them on.

 

Yeah, that usually happens when I'm doing night currency landings in the fall, alone at the airport . . .

[cnoe]

You're right, I wasn't in the typical ~8° landing attitude. I'd say I "flew" it on making it a point to keep the nosewheel off the ground; in fact I'm pretty sure the nosewheel never touched until I was firmly down and slowing. It felt more like the ~3° attitude one might hold in "approach level" configuration. With full-flaps that attitude will keep you nicely flying at ~75 mph.

Live and learn. Thanks!

 

[MyNameIsNobody]

Reminds me of the old Peter Paul commercials:  Sometimes you bounce it on in...Sometimes you don't.  Some Mooney Drivers bounce 'em on in...Sometimes they don't...  "Yeah, Yeah Yeah"...Add some power after you bounce it on in...Prop strike if you don't..."Whew".

Edited August 29, 2016 by MyNameIsNobody

[bradp]

Everybody bounces every one in a while.  I bet even Don flubs the occasional landing :-). 

 

[Yetti]

Don was correct on this one I was high and short, so it was a steep approach.   It was a definite "hey lets see if we can make this, pretending their were trees or powerlines at the end of the runway."   I may have turned too early on downwind or left too much power in on base, because I usually end up right on glideslope. Still made the 3000 foot turn off.  Head hung between landing gear though.  Furthers my "full flaps are not really the way to go" 

[Bravoman]

I have said this before, but the Mooney pretty much always makes me look like a pro when landing. Not so much in the Saratoga!