HS748 ground effect/flare

[forthbridge]

Hi all, I think this has been asked before - but a search brings no luck....

What's the correct landing config for the 748? I ask, as I've been slavishly circuiting various airfields at 30% fuel, basically practising landing.

Without fail, every landing is virtually flat (a-la 1-11) with maybe at most 0.5-1.0 degrees nose up on TD. I always make sure I'm at VAT (possibly a little *too* early) but I'd rather that than come in too fast - yet if I *conciously* initiate a flare, the A/C will hang at about 10 feet (tailstrike territory) until VAT-10 or thereabouts.

I know what to expect, but perhaps as I'm historically into Jets like the '10 it's hard to 'avoid' flaring - question is what's right or wrong?

[Garry Russell]

Hi Jim

They land pretty flat after a nose down approach

Garry

[forthbridge]

Cheers Gaz.

The only time it 'looks' decent from a replay or outside view is crossing the threshold about VAT minus 3-5kts.... but that's too many VC10 landings

[Garry Russell]

Keep to the VAT as mich as posible

I don't know about the 748 but the Viscount had microswitches on the main gear so that when the weight came on the props were thrown into ground fine for braking

If you flared and the props activated with the nosewheel well in the air it could slam down and collapse the nosegear :doho: . So It was good to land Viscount pretty flat for that reason.

Garry

[forthbridge]

I try to hold VAT .. :roll:

Seriously, the 748 is superb for speed in the approach- very easy to keep to VAT. I can't calculate it, but a sort of 'standard' landing, the nosewheel is maybe 6 inches in real-life off the deck on touchdown, and once the power's off, it takes about 3 secs for it to touch.

Having said all that I need to pay attention to the prop controls, I've already burned the engines on a long-ish taxi in :roll:

[Scorpius]

Yep. Microswitches on the main gear.

[forthbridge]

Yeah - funnily enough, a while ago on what I thought was a feather-like landing I tripped the switches, yet for some reason these days, they never go off even when I feel I've came down rather harshly!

[cowpatz]

The 748 does land with a flat attitude. Try landing with flaps 22.5 rather than 27.5.
Cheers