Too Close for Comfort
As a flight instructor you know that challenges and responsibilities come with the rating. Teaching a maneuver to one student works quickly and for another it takes a whole lot of patience. With experience you have learned techniques that can help lead to success. Still, a recent experience proved to me that even with 4,000 hours of flight instruction given, there's always more to learn.
The situation
My student was Val, a private pilot who had less than 90 hours of pilot time. Val wanted to earn complex and high performance endorsements in her family turbocharged Mooney. What I would soon learn was that training would be complicated by aircraft modifications including a slightly heavier engine and three-bladed propeller. Anyone who has experienced the difference between two and three-blade propellers knows that three blades create more drag during approach and adds weight way up front. Mooney pilots also know that full flaps normally used for landing puts the nose down. The story now unfolds as my petite 5 ft. 6 lady student was going to have difficulty with that elevator.
Training begins
My initial training session with Val started with typical review of the POH, systems, normal operations, airspeeds, power settings and engine management. Val commented that preflight for the Mooney was more complex than for the Diamond trainer she'd previously flown. Still, I was pleased to see that Val was very organized as well as checklist and number oriented. Her experience riding right seat in the Mooney with her husband also helped as she was obviously comfortable with the sounds, acceleration and attitudes for climb and cruise. During our first flight, Val quickly learned that managing the elevator and trim was going to be very different than in the Diamond. After completing air work with a clearance on top of the clouds, our first flight concluded with an actual instrument approach and my assisting her with a landing.
Problems become apparent
At subsequent training sessions, Val's skill maneuvering the Mooney developed quickly. I emphasized the need for airspeed control, which was accompanied by trimming to the right attitude. Given Val's 5'6" frame, we needed to make sure she could reach the rudder pedals and sit high enough to see over the nose. With the seat adjusted up and in the most forward position, she could see all right and reach those pedals. With a little coaxing about the need to use the rudder in this high horsepower airplane, her takeoffs were quite good. However, landings were a challenge — despite the fact that preparation for her private license included logging nearly 250 landings in the Diamond.
Val's confidence improved with additional flight time, but landings continued to be a challenge. It became obvious that more of the same wasn't going to work. Even good airspeed right down to transition to touchdown continually resulted in over controlling and an ultimate nose down uncomfortable landing or bounce to a go-around. If this pattern was going to improve, I had to find a different approach.
Solutions require creativity
Maybe there was a way to isolate the problem by splitting the landing into pieces. I suggested that she control only the elevator and trim and I would adjust the throttle as needed for the next approach. Focusing only on that one control seemed to help, but the end result remained nearly the same with over controlling and nose down landings. After several more attempts, I recognized that Val was struggling with the force required to pull the elevator far enough aft during those final critical moments just before touchdown. I noted the elevator position at touchdown and held it there as we started our taxi. I showed Val that we had an additional 3 to 4 inches of important elevator travel she needed to use, but she said she just didn't have the strength to pull it any farther. At that moment I realized that the problem wasn't with Val. We had to find a way to reduce the elevator control pressure.
Though we knew center of gravity was well within limits, we both suspected it was forward. A meticulous computation confirmed that we could easily add the maximum weight to the baggage compartment. We borrowed a 50-pound bottle of drinking water and secured it in the baggage area. Both Val and I could see that she had better control during the next few landings and we were on the right track. However, this minor change wasn't the final solution.
The next day, Val arrived with thicker soled shoes and we decided that she could still reach those rudder pedals with her seat one position farther aft. This gave her a bit more leverage on the elevator, but being just too close to that control wheel for comfort remained a problem. We replaced the water bottle with weights that put the maximum 100 pounds in the baggage area. More landings resulted in hope but full elevator travel was still an issue.
There was one more thing we could do. Full flaps are recommended for normal landings in the Mooney, but since we hadn't yet experienced a normal landing I felt using less than full flap would be worth a try. I discussed with Val the effects of using partial flap and the change in elevator pressure she would experience. The slight difference in flap position would have little effect on the landing airspeed. We positioned the flaps for landing only slightly less than full down. Her approach and airspeed were right on and when she finally made a good full elevator landing I was relieved to see the smile on her face. When she did it a second time, I believe her word of exclamation was, “Yeah!”
Confidence soars
As Val's training continued, her confidence and enjoyment increased right along with the precision of each landing. We also worked through abnormal and emergency flight situations, which she handled well. Val's great attitude and perseverance paid off as she earned high performance and complex endorsements. Though full flap landings may never be Val's choice, I am confident that the ultimate positive experience will enable her to truly manage the airplane in any configuration.
The bottom line
When you're faced with a stubborn flight obstacle, keep your eyes, ears and options open. There is a way.
Bruce Jaeger
Master CFII