Originally Posted by
KF5OVP
I need a 2nd opionon on the strategy my cfi has taught me on how to land the 152.
My CFI tells me that once I turn final, I pitch for 60 knots, and once 60 knots is reached, to idle the power(assuming I can glide from cut off point to Rwy) and glide the airplane in. Is this commonly accepted practice? Also, with respect to crosswind landings, I use the crab to slip method. When turning final, say I have a x wind from the right. Do i align the nose of the arcft with the centerline first, notice drift, then crab, or do I just "guess" and turn the plane to the right(crab) a little bit and see, then make adjustments?
CFI,CFII, MEI with darn near 1,000 dual given in the the 152...
Sounds ok. I do (and teach) 60 on final with full flaps, approx 1600rpm w/carb heat ON of course, to maintain the vasi/papi (heavy headwinds of course will need more power), smoothly go to idle with runway made and aim for the numbers/threshold at 60-55. 55 being short final. Helps with reducing float. Just not much slower and it could get hairy though. Stall speed with full flaps is less than 40, so thats not the issue initially. however the sink rate will be surprising, if you do go significantly less than 55. This causes an inexperienced pilot to want to "pull up, and save the sink" so to speak, which is what causes the stall in this situation. but the right way to manage an unintentional(or intentional) low speed/high sink rate is With power and pitch. GO AROUND!
As for crabbing, yes. Guess. Its an educated guess that comes with practice. Also, you will be able to make faster judgements/observations of drift, with practice. The book actually says that turning to final, then crabbing again (left traffic, right crosswind) is incorrect. (This is why we do rectangular courses BTW) Only turn as much as you think you need. For example, normal base to final is 90degrees. So assuming left traffic, and a right 5 knot direct crosswind. Id turn 85 degrees of the 90, and then see how it goes. Either turn more, or back to the right if so needed.
If you wan to get technical, use your E6b and just find out what a 60knot KIAS, 5-10-15 knot crosswind will need for crab. (Pre-flight of course, not while in the pattern) And just keep those as an approx angle. Interpret the knots inbetween