Lesson 26: Soft field take-offs and landings

Flaps set to ten degrees. Full aft pressure on the stick during taxi and continuing through takeoff is necessary to get the plane off the soft field runway as soon as possible. Apply full power.

As soon as main wheels leave the ground, lower nose to a level attitude and fly the aircraft five feet off the ground until a 60kt airspeed is attained. Climb out at 60-70kts. This is a thrilling maneuver because the plane is just soaring over the ground and it feels like the wheels are going to touch down again at any second. The reason behind this maneuver is to get the plane off the soft field runway as soon as possible due to the damage that could occur to the landing gear as it bounces along the uneven terrain. The problem is that in forcing the plane to get airborne in ground effect is that it could easily stall back onto the ground. This is why it is important to tip the nose level and fly the plane five feet above the ground to “recover” to prevent from stalling the plane until 60 kts is achieved. When it is time to land on a soft field runway it is important to keep the nose wheel off the ground for as long as possible. It is important to allow the plane to slow down long enough for the plane to naturally lower the nose to the ground. If the nose drops to the ground at a higher speed it could damage the caster nose wheel or cause the plane to skid around in the soft terrain. Once all three wheels are on the ground the plane should keep moving until parked to prevent from getting stuck in possibly moist conditions but the terrain can also cause drag that requires the plane to work harder to start moving again. I look forward to testing out my training on a real grass runway.