CFI Student-Trouble making smooth landings?
02-07-2008 | 07:28 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 380
Likes: 0
From: East coast
CFI Student-Trouble making smooth landings?
Was wondering why new CFI students like myself have trouble landing with a slight crab (Even with zero crosswind component) Seems like from what I've heard, we always come in and need to put in left rudder in order to land with zero side load on the landing gear. Is it just because the viewpoint is different from the right seat and not used to it? I don't remember having to step on the left rudder when landing from the left seat...Kind of bugs me because my landings used to be so smooth and now they are back to student-pilot quality. I need to figure it out now so I don't have people screaming in the back on my first commercial landing 
02-07-2008 | 07:48 PM
#2
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 301
Likes: 0
From: C172, PA28, PA44...Right
I'd like to get some pointers too on that. Granted I haven't even started my CFI training yet. I signed up, just waiting for a loan. I would assume that it's just transitioning to the right seat that takes some getting used to.
02-07-2008 | 08:22 PM
#3
Line Holder
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,262
Likes: 0
From: Trying not to crash
You need left rudder because you subconsciously line the aircraft up with the right side of the cowling (like you did from the left seat). This means you are squeezing a little bit of right rudder in and you don't even notice it. I'm speaking from experience here, because I had a major problem in that regard. Took quite a while to get used to landing the right seat smoothly...
02-08-2008 | 02:47 AM
#4
Moderator
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 6,056
Likes: 0
From: ATP, CFI etc.
When I started flying right seat I did low passes down the runway for the first several rounds, just to see how the airplane looks going straight over a runway from the right seat position. You may not have any experience of this as a new right seater, because at altitude we do not line up with anything that close. After 5 or ten tries go ahead and see if you can land with the centerline aligned the same way, and you will have better orientation.
02-08-2008 | 04:54 AM
#5
Flying Farmer
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,160
Likes: 0
From: Turbo-props' and John Deere's
Pretty much hit the nail on the head. It's all perception based. Each different airplane you fly, either left or right seat, can do this to you. Just wait til the multi-engine with a sharp angle nose that gives you almost zero-reference to pitch during the flare!! It's something you get used to as I mentioned, but I bet this won't be the last time it happens
02-08-2008 | 05:57 AM
#6
Underboob King
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 4,412
Likes: 0
From: Guppy Commander
Was wondering why new CFI students like myself have trouble landing with a slight crab (Even with zero crosswind component) Seems like from what I've heard, we always come in and need to put in left rudder in order to land with zero side load on the landing gear. Is it just because the viewpoint is different from the right seat and not used to it? I don't remember having to step on the left rudder when landing from the left seat...Kind of bugs me because my landings used to be so smooth and now they are back to student-pilot quality. I need to figure it out now so I don't have people screaming in the back on my first commercial landing
Also, Maybe i am missing something here but why would you land with a crab if you have Zero crosswind?
I guess its just the new experience, I'm sure I'll figure it out soon.
02-08-2008 | 07:19 AM
#8
Line Holder
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 82
Likes: 0
From: CFI
As a few others have said, you are instinctively using visual cues that you used in the left seat. Place a line of blue colored duct tape on the cowling alligned parallel to your vision from the right seat, if you have a cessna put it down the line of rivets that are parallel to you. Do some landings this way it will help ALOT.
02-08-2008 | 10:33 AM
#9
I'm here to help...
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 95
Likes: 0
I had the same problem landing sideways in my initial CFI training. All I did was have the instructor do a normal landing with me in the right seat so I could get the visual cues and see what a proper landing looked like from the right seat... after I had seen a proper landing from the different viewpoint everything cleaned up pretty easily after that.
