Chair flying / Soft-Field Approach and Landing
Soft-Field Approach and Landing
Land on a soft or rough surface: a normal approach followed by a gentle, minimum-rate touchdown, holding the nosewheel off with full aft elevator to keep it out of the soft ground.
Setup
- Fly the pattern and configure — landing flaps 40°
- Stabilize on final at 70 kt“Stable, on speed”
Execution
- Round out and hold the airplane just off the surface
- Keep a little power in for a soft touchdown at minimum sink rateCarrying a touch of power softens the touchdown and cushions the mains onto the surface.
- Touch down on the mains as softly as possible
Recovery
- After the mains settle, smoothly apply full aft elevatorWait a beat after the mains are down; do not force it. Full back elevator holds the nosewheel off as the airplane slows.
- Hold the nosewheel off with back pressure until clear of the soft surface
ACS tolerances
- Approach speed: published, or ≤1.3 Vso, +5/−0 kt (gust factor applied)
- Touch down softly, no drift, aligned with the runway center
Common errors
- Dropping the nosewheel onto the soft surface after touchdown
- Firm touchdown from too high a sink rate
- Forcing the elevator back before the mains are settled