Aiming Points

Something to Aim For

Whether shooting a bow and arrow, or landing a plane, it’s always important to have something to aim for (aim small miss small).

When aiming to land on a runway, if you aim to simply land somewhere on the big piece of pavement, you will probably accomplish just that, but not necessarily in the exact spot you or your instructor would like.  In this TOPIC, we’ll talk about how to choose and use an “aiming point” to make smooth steady approaches that end with you landing (precisely) where you intend to.

What to know:

When it comes to choosing an aiming point pick one that is:

• In the center of the runway
• Easily identified (use the white markings or runway numbers or something like that)
• An appropriate length down the runway (don’t choose where the grass meets the pavement, landing just a few feet short could be interesting)

How to use it:

• When you see your aiming point move lower in the windscreen, or get covered up by the nose of the airplane altogether, then you are probably too high
• When you see your aiming point move higher up in the windscreen, then the airplane is descending too quickly, and will probably touch down before your intended point of landing unless you slow your descent.