Aim to centerline by landing
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London UK
Posts: 517
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Just a guess, based on the original post. It sounds like the difficulty is on final approach rather than the flare, and the poster can't see that he is off centre-line.
If the FI is recommending right rudder, you may be flying with crossed controls, and your wings may not be level? Are you and the FI the same weight?
When you are lined up with the runway, the runway makes a 90 degree angle with the horizon. This is true even if you are banked.
Having the runway at 90 degrees to the coaming means nothing, unless your wings are level. Perhaps you are confusing the two?
I didn't think about this until recently when I was doing some night flying, without much of a horizon, and I never seemed to line up properly until I got close to the threshold. So I went and stared at some kitchen tiles for a bit, tilting my head as required.
Once you get close to the threshold, the runway becomes more of a shape, and it is much more obvious what is happening. Technically, even at the threshold you still need the centre-line at 90 degrees to the horizon, but the threshold itself is parallel to the horizon, so you just need the centre-line at 90 degrees to the threshold. Which is what everybody does instinctively, without thinking about angles at all!
If the FI is recommending right rudder, you may be flying with crossed controls, and your wings may not be level? Are you and the FI the same weight?
When you are lined up with the runway, the runway makes a 90 degree angle with the horizon. This is true even if you are banked.
Having the runway at 90 degrees to the coaming means nothing, unless your wings are level. Perhaps you are confusing the two?
I didn't think about this until recently when I was doing some night flying, without much of a horizon, and I never seemed to line up properly until I got close to the threshold. So I went and stared at some kitchen tiles for a bit, tilting my head as required.
Once you get close to the threshold, the runway becomes more of a shape, and it is much more obvious what is happening. Technically, even at the threshold you still need the centre-line at 90 degrees to the horizon, but the threshold itself is parallel to the horizon, so you just need the centre-line at 90 degrees to the threshold. Which is what everybody does instinctively, without thinking about angles at all!
