Jul 2017 Simplify Your Landings! – Patty Wagstaff

Greased landings, that’s my goal. Surely with enough practice, enough trips around the patch, enough touch & go’s, a greased landing every time is possible. I should be able to plant my bird exactly where I want it, with just the right amount of energy and airspeed and grease it on consistently every time.  For me, early mornings and evenings at the airport I’m based, I come closest to achieving that goal. But throw in a new airport, a crosswind, a different airplane, and a myriad of other conditions and all bets are off. Every landing truly is an adventure and the truth is, no pilot can consistently grease ’em on endlessly. Some do better, way way better than others, but we all screw up time after time.

Photo: Tampa Bay Newswire

Airshow pilot and 3-time U.S. National Aerobatic champion Patty Wagstaff wrote an excellent article for the June 27, 2017 issue of ‘Plane & Pilot Magazine‘ about how to make good landings. With only 5 hours flight time in my 1973 Decathlon, and working on finding that sweet spot, final through flair, Patty’s “Five easy steps to better landings” really hit home with me. All pilots, regardless of experience, can benefit from Patty’s 30 years of flying knowledge. It’s timely for me and when I roll the Decathlon out in just a few minutes, I’ll be thinking about this article.

“Make every landing like you would with a hundred thousand of your best friends watching you land on the green dot at Oshkosh.” Patty Wagstaff

Simplify Your Landings!

Link to article: Simplify Your Landings! – Plane & Pilot Magazine