Two landings that for me were great was the first time I landed the 172 during my flight training that it was so soft I didn't even know we were on the ground... That was in KHND and I have been chasing that feeling ever since... and then when I landed the 747 probably for the 3rd time with 500 troops on board coming back from the Middle East into KPSM... that was a great feeling!! 👍
Best landing I ever had was was on a Medical Flight Test, for no useful vision in one eye, before I ever even soloed. Had my instructor in the front seat and a 245 pound inspector shoe horned into the back of a 172. He wanted 2 or 3 landings at a remote airfield...to say I was nervous was an understatement. Greased in the first landing and had to notify the inspector that we were, in fact, on the ground. He said "That's good enough for me, let's head back." Wonder if I'll ever have a better or more rewarding landing.
74 Gear hardest landing 737 into Chicago midway low viz almost to minimums hard slam and hard on the breaks best landing md80 into ether Orlando or Huston super smooth didn’t even use thrusters to slow down just costed right to the taxi way great video keep them up
My brother-in-law was a 747 Captain for Pan Am and finished his career as a training Captain for Airbus; the only criticisms they had about him was his soft landings and southern accent. For some reason they wanted him to drop it a foot or two above the runway and he preferred 1/2 inch.
I'm a 350 hour Cessna-182 pilot and my instructors first comment to me when I started flying was: "The goal here is to have an equal number of takeoffs and landings!"
John Hi John, I have a friend who has a squeaky clean 2009 182T with all the bells n whistles. He consistently lands on hot and does not like using much flap, in fact I can’t recall him ever using full flap. I asked once to which he replied she will balloon. I haven’t flown it yet myself and when I do I plan to fly the numbers with the usual mix of feel. I’m comfortable with short field landings as I lived on an airport with a short grass strip that had its vices and it didn’t faze me at all. So I’m a bit confused as to why he is flying this beautiful lady this way. Extra notes. His takeoffs, climb outs, cruising level choices, decents, approach’s and radio calls are perfect yet the landings are shitfull. Another note.... When he hired E.g. Cirrus GT22 his Landings were perfect every time. I’d love to hear your thought given your hours on type.
@@neriksen Great questions btw... so let me start by saying I'm a private pilot not a CFI but I do have over 1,000 takeoffs and landings and most were in Colorado high altitude mountain flying. I've practiced crosswind, IFR, night, short field, sea level, no flap to name a few. So here's my opinion: Normal landing approach speed for Skylane 182 is 70-80 knots. If the wind is gusting 20 knots and you land indicated 70 knots while the gusts randomly subside then you are landing at 50 knots where stall speed at 20 degrees flaps is 49 knots... stall-spin super high risk! So come in hot... it's about delta V. That said Grand Junction, CO has a 10,000' runway so you can land no flaps and coast to a stop without touching your brakes... location..location...location. It's all about good piloting practices. I'm fortunate that I learned to fly hang gliders first... with hang gliders this issue is exacerbated. However we need to keep in mind that forces go up considerably with speed. Example a car crash at 25 mph head-on vs. One at 50 mph... the forces absorbed by your body increase by a factor of four, not twice but four times more energy. No flap landing equals faster landing at considerably shallower approach angle. In my opinion this pilot should practice slow flight virtual approach to land gradually increasing up to full flaps flaps and pick exactly 5,000' (pretend landing altitude) approaching from 6,000' with the stall warning blaring at exactly 5,000' AGL and get comfortable flying slow at touchdown. My instructor drilled me on this and it paid off. This guy floats with flaps because he's carrying too much energy... bleed it off using pitch and power management. I hope this helps.
When I was in college I was flying home to visit family, and our 737 had a very hard landing. Right after the firm touchdown the flight attendant grabbed the intercom and said "Take that, earth!"
Once I was in a flight into Manchester NH on Southwest. It was really turbulent and windy and after one go around, the plane floated a good part down the runway before we touched down....then the pilot hit the brakes and reverse thrust HARD. The flight attendant comes on and says “whoaaaaa big fella....”. It was much needed comic relief after a white knuckle landing!
Years ago I was a passenger on a British Airways 767 overnight flight from London to Toronto. The weather on approach that morning was perfect; blue sky, 68F and very light wind. But then the plane slammed into the tarmac so hard that half the overhead lockers flew open, stuff flying about the cabin, people screaming.. As we slowed and turned off the runway, a calm and impeccably manicured English accent on the speakers: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain. As you may have gathered, we've landed."
Similar situation to me, I've been on alot of flights out of and back into Toronto, and for some reason Toronto landings just tend to be rough, one time it was perfectly clear, low winds and everything seemed fine until the wind suddenly shifted and we were in a crosswind just before landing, because of that we hit a bit harder than intended, other times its felt like hitting turbulence right above the runway, also when taking off occasionally. I wonder if the runways just have some kind of re-occurring wind patterns caused by nearby buildings and the generally constant wind off the lake, even landings in bad weather elsewhere have been easier.
I dunno why but when I picture that, the guy on the PA was not the pilot flying and so what he said was a dig at the guy sitting next to him! Also maybe a way to try and lighten the mood (and lessen complaints) from the passengers! Did make me chuckle tho. Thanks for the laugh! Hope you're good.
By any chance, was that hard landing on Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ)? I know that transatlantic flights (at least nowadays) are not usually scheduled to the City Airport, but did your flight maybe get diverted for some reason? As explained in the video, the shortness of the runway there would explain the hard landing. All Pearson (YYZ) runways are 9000ft+, whereas the main City runway is just short of 4000ft. As @carewser said: i have also flown into and out of Pearson a number of times, and it's a top-notch international airport, so i wonder why anybody would do a hard landing there, especially in nice weather. On the other hand, i deliberately chose to never fly into or out of the City airport to help with reducing noise for people living close by: the City airport is literally only a few hundred meters away from downtown Toronto, and the Toronto Islands recreational areas are also just a few hundred metres away on the other side.
“If you can walk away from a landing, it's a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it's an outstanding landing.” - Chuck Yeager (born February 13, 1923)
Basically my airplane that was grounded for two days that we deplaned in Brazil. They landed, computer broke, we waited four hours and then deplaned, and then the next day the same airplane was used again... FOR THE SAME ROUTE. And it broke again.
ya I used to joke sometimes with passengers as they got on the plane, I was standing up front talking with the FA and a guy walked on the plane and said, "this is only my 2nd time on a plane " and without a pause I said, "no way... me too" he had a moment of terror before he realized it was a joke. did you make it to the end to see the bloopers beebeer?
@@74gear I'd love to see a movie on your job, possibly with Simon Pegg portraying you. That would be a great joke to fit in. Also, thanks for your great videos; keep the blue side up!
When I landed in Newark back in 2000, the pilot announced that he had good news and bad news for us. He said the good news was "we landed safely" and the band news involved us sitting on the tarmarc while other planes cleared our gate. We sat there over an hour and I missed my connection. I talked to a few people who told me that they sat on their plane on the tarmac for 3 hours, yikes.
I also had a pilot recently on my way to NY say over the intercom, “we’ll be in the air shortly, they’re just refilling the Chem Trail tanks”. I laughed and couldn’t believe they said that. I looked around to see if anyone else happened to catch that and it looked like maybe a couple people did.
After a hard landing the flight attendant announced “ladies and gentlemen, please remain seated while the captain taxis what’s left of our airplane to the gate”
No matter how "Bad" your landings are just remember this A GOOD landing is one that you can walk away from. A GREAT landing is one where you can use the airplane again!
Vincent Rose But, in reality of the world of professional pilots, your saying is noting but BS. They were requested far more than your so called “GREAT landing” as minimum requirement for kept their job.
That's not true at all. There are landings where the plane bounced like 15 times and some where the wings were almost strike. All the passengers walked away but doesn't mean they were good landing.
I was in flight training (C172) at KMIC. Winds favored the other runway, but i told my instructor that i wanted a challenge. Perfect crosswind landing - stayed on one wheel until she settled, dead centerline. He gave me a glance with the proud flight instructor grin - no words exchanged. On my way out of the FBO i overheard my instructor talking to the Chief flight instructor saying that it was the best crosswind landing he had ever seen. My head barely made it out the door! Best feeling ever.
Your story reminded me of a flight I once took into Malaga, Spain. The pilot was excellent for the whole flight, explaining where we were and what was going on. He was clearly an older gentleman with a ton of experience and charisma. I don't know if you know Malaga at all but it is a challenging approach through mountains. He aced that then produced the smoothest landing I ever had. As we taxied to the terminal he came on the radio and said ' without sounding too immodest I think we have landed'! The plane burst into laughter.
My favorite landing was coming into Orlando. We had a medical emergency on the plane. We came in hot and fast, used power to slow down, and then powered back up to speed to the gate! An ambulance was waiting. Not a single person got out of their seats until the medical emergency was handled and stretchered off the plane.
This reminds me of one of my Dad's jokes. He is a retired Air Force guy and every time we experienced a hard landing, he would lean over and say, "Must be a Navy pilot." A tongue in cheek jab at how Navy Pilots have to hit the deck to snag the arresting wire on the Air Craft Carrier.
Passenger here, we came into Chicago ORD from Honolulu in a driving snow storm. The wind was screaming and the snow was buffeting the sides of the aircraft. The landing was hard, but we were so grateful we gave the crew a round of applause. Best bump I ever felt.
We got struck by lightning coming back from Orlando to YYZ - My dad showed me what was going to happen (navigator for a decade and a half on LOT PLL) and the power went out for a second, then, nothing. There was a black spot on it too, he said there would be one wherever the lightning exited the plane too. The landing was eerily quiet for some reason.
(Passenger, too) I flew into ORD once during a rainstorm and a lot of gusty wind. I flew nearly weekly for work pre-covid, and I can't recall ever coming in so fast on an approach. As we finally slowed and descended, you could feel the pilot fighting the gusts to keep us straight and even, but what looked like just feet above the runway from my window seat, it was still too squirrelly from the gusts so they powered up for a go-around. I (mid-30s woman en route home from a business trip) was surrounded by a now-panicked high-school aged cheerleading team returning from a competition. Many had never flown before and at some point the girl next to me grabbed my hand and we held hands until we landed. The landing then was actually a pretty smooth one and one of the few times it felt appropriate that the whole cabin cheered the landing. My stomach had been in knots for sure, but concern for the girls around me kept me from feeling too much fear myself. Looking back, the acceleration and climb for the go-around was a super cool feeling and I kinda hope I get to experience that again one day now that I understand much more about aviation from bingeing Kelsey's videos.
I was a paratrooper with 173rd in December 2014. I'll never forget we were supposed to do a "Toy Jump" over Ramstein AFB, and it got scratched midflight due to heavy fog (AWACS) conditons. We had to go back and land, but that landing was what I'd imagine pushing a grand piano down a flight of stairs felt like.
I've experienced (as a passenger) both soft touchdowns and landings so hard I thought my spine was going to buckle. The most amazing landing ever was after a late night flight in December in Sweden some years ago. The last hour of the flight had really heavy turbulence, people screaming, the plane shaking all over the place, like sitting in a blender. The pilot says over the speaker something along the lines of "We are now approaching Sturup airport and will hopefully be landing shortly. The weather is pretty bad with heavy winds, and the last two planes that tried to land before us didn't make it, so we'll see how it goes." We were like "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY DIDN'T MAKE IT?!" I'm guessing they just flew off and landed somewhere else, maybe Kastrup since it's nearby, but he phrased it really weirdly and made it sound like we're all going to die now or something. The plane kept shaking like crazy right up until the last 15-20 seconds or so. Then the shaking just quickly calmed down and the touchdown a few seconds later was probably the softest I've ever seen. I don't think I even noticed it other than by the sound and vibrations changing. It was pretty amazing.
Retired airline pilot with 44 years of flying. My most memorial landings are first, my very first landing in a 737-200, landing at ORD. I had flown a BAE-146 for several years at a regional prior to getting hired by a major and was assigned to fly the 737. In the 146, to get a smooth landing, during the flair, all you had to do was close the thrust levers a 50 feet and pitch the nose 5 degrees nose up and the airplane rolled on to the runway. Not so in the 737, where you had to fly it all the way to the ground. On my first landing real landing, outside of the SIM, I regressed to my old habit pattern and at 50 ft pulled the power and pitch 5 degrees nose up. We hit soooooo hard that I was afraid that the O2 masks had been shaken loose from storage. The training captain's only comment was " Well I am glad we got that out of the way". Second was my last landing prior to retirement. Flying as Captain in a A320 landing at ORD with a gusty 25kt 90 degree crosswind in rain showers. Had two deadheading Captains (one that I had known for years) filling the jumpseats just to make it interesting for the old ego. Rolled it on, in touchdown zone, on the centerline. It was a good way to end a career.
I really enjoy the experiences of mainline airline pilots, especially on now older aircraft. Thanks Jerry for sharing your experience. My first trip was from SLC to OAK with a stop in RNO. The aircraft was a classic fireplug, 737-100/200. Before cabin baggage cabinets the 737 had a shelf with bungee cords to hold everything from falling. The PIC gave up a lot of runway when we tried to land in RNO. With the late touchdown and immediate braking with the engines reversing the aircraft really shook like a blender working on a diet of ball bearing. Anything on the shelf went flying to the front of the cabin. Being a first commercial flight I was left wondering if our Shake and Bake landing was normal. Since that time I’ve flown over 300,000 miles on Western/Delta/Northwest, and maybe twice that number on America West/US Airways/ American out of Phoenix. A Western 727-200 flying from LAX to SLC with 100 or so North Dakota farmers who had been vacationing in Hawaii, along with myself and a few other business people entered a strong thunderstorm cell after our left turn outside Las Vegas. We really bounced around before we caught a strong drop followed by the aircraft rolling right about 30-35 degrees. Just like the movies a few yelled “this is it were going to crash and die”. Prayers were said by many of the older ladies from North Dakota, some people were crying. As soon as we came upon the CAT it was over and we landed in heavy rain showers. The only other incident was a very hard landing of a Delta TriStar at MCO. It must have been similar to your 737 hard landing, for some reason the bang into the concrete caused me to bite my tongue. One of the pilots stood with the upfront FA to thank the PA for flying Delta. I caught a few of the funnier comments making reference to the crash landing, the pilot was not amused. I became a private pilot during my college years and all my landings have been soft and gentle, any passengers would never have known we were on the ground.
Hi Kelsey. Former TWA pilot. My best landing ever was in a DC-9-30 flying from St. Louis to Cleveland around 8pm on a winter night so dark. Absolutely greased it on in Cleveland where your "we're on the ground" comment could have been used without shame. Cockpit door open as passengers exited and two or three actually peeked into the cockpit and asked who made the landing. The captain just pointed at me with no comments.
After a very hard landing i overheard a flight attendant telling the pilot that : " When my time comes, I hope to die peacefully in my sleep, in my nice and comfy warm bed, rather than screaming, yelling, and pissing myself like all of the passengers in back!"_ 😶
I used to be a skydiver and I can tell you that the same principles apply: flare too early, you'll pause too high and be dumped on your arse. Flare too late, you'll be dragged across the dropzone on your knees and face. Only experience can teach you where the sweet spot is. Love your vids, keep up the great work!
I once took a Continental flight from LGW to EWR, landing in strong cross winds and it was one of the hardest landings I’ve ever experienced, followed by a lot of left rudder to keep us on the centre line. I was near the back. At Gatwick the flight was delayed, because a tyre needed to be changed. After we landed, the CSD came onto the PA and said: “I bet you’re glad we changed that tyre at Gatwick.”
I'm a student pilot myself, trying to make it a career. I was flying an old 172 into KMEI on the 045 at night. I was doing my 3 night landings for my vfr license. my landing light was out AND my radios had severe static (not sure what the issue was but I couldnt hear anything). Im lucky it was a barren night for flights lol. I was on final for my 3rd solo night in the pattern and I couldnt see or hear anything. On instinct, I just approached the landing strip and gradually pulled back on the stick, my only reference was the FBO to my right and the runway lights, everything else was pitch black. I slowly pulled for my flair, and before I knew it i had landed and started taxiing. I never felt the wheels touch, and I never realized I was fully on the ground. It was the smoothest landing I had ever experienced, not only by myself but by any pilot. It was truly a terrifying experience, not knowing if I had landed or if I was about to turn my plane into a pancake, but it was perfect. Im usually a very cautious person, and with that I have a lot of doubts about my own ability to accomplish tasks, but through this experience I learned that when all else fails; trust your gut. Pilots have a lot of help, and I mean a LOT of help when it comes to flying... but, when its comes down to brass tax, all you can do is rely on your training, no matter how little of it you have. It not only showed me that my training was extraordinarily efficient, but it showed me to have confidence in my own abilities. flight has expanded not only my mind, but my soul as well. I hope that i never have to experience this level of uncertainty again, but i know that through my instructors and the like, I have grown not only as a pilot, but as a person. I encourage anyone who has an interest in flight to pursue it endlessly, because it can teach you things about yourself that you never even realized was something you needed to learn.
Hi Kelsey, best landing I ever experienced in 1000s of commercial flights was in a Turkish Airlines Boeing 727 from Ankara into the "old" Athens Airport in the early 1980s. The transition from flying to touchdown was so smooth it was only the sound of the aircraft slowing down that told me we had actually landed. Being in first class I exited from the front door and as the cockpit door was open l took the opportunity to congratulate the pilots on the smoothest landing I had ever experienced in a Boeing airliner. The captain smiled and said he was demonstrating to the first officer that it was possible, on a calm day, to grease a 727 onto the runway! Cheers Bill Buckingham
"...it's _not_ because the pilots had crabs! I don't care what the flight attendants have told you!" LMAO I died But no, I didn't realise all of the things you guys kept in mind whilst landing, that's amazing!
I wish I had known that crabbing was intentional every time I flew into eptx 😂. Last time I flew in was during a windstorm and I just knew we were gonna go cartwheeling… touch down was actually fairly smooth, just felt weird getting to that point. Your videos are making me feel so much better about flying!
The last flight I took resulted in the smoothest landing I've ever witnessed. It was so clean that we never even felt touchdown; many of us thought we were still hovering a few feet above the runway. As I was leaving, I complimented the pilots on their landing, stating it was "the smoothest I've ever felt". They thanked me for the compliment quickly, but then pointed out that landings that smooth were not actually a good thing. They said an overly smooth landing would delay the engagement of the thrust-reversers, and so it was better to have at least *some* sort of noticeable touchdown, so that they would know precisely when to engage the reversers. They closed with "It's good to be smooth, just not *that* smooth." I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.
My uncle was one the chief engineer for the a380 at Lufthansa in Frankfurt, and he once told me that this has manly got to do with the airbus system only arming the spoilers and reverses when the touch down is firm enough. This is not so much the case at the Boeing systems.
I just found you Kelsey. Though I have been grounded for a year due to Covid, I am an above average flyer who loves aviation. I really love the fact that you don't try to dumb it down too much.
We've just come back from Spain and almost immediately (I'd guess at about 15 thousand feet) we hit quite bad turbulence, there was no word from the cockpit, the stewardesses and stewards ran to their seats, RAN. At one point the stwardess (Kim) was airborne as she went to the back of the plane (it was her last flight for that airline too. The steward came over the intercom, 'The pilot has put the fasten seatbelts sign on, fasten them', somewhat abruptly. The plane dropped a good few feet (not hundreds but probably 50 or thereabouts) The passengers made almost no sounds, apart from a few moans and whimpers. APART FROM MY WIFE who thrust her arms in the air and went 'Wheeeeeeee' I had to shut her up = she loved it! She used to be in the RAF (she was Comms tho) and she went up in a Tornado whilst stationed in Gibraltar - said it was the best experience of her life, Nutter.
@@Mahdi-bb4hg It is not the only reason. In addition, we cannot still control the weather, while we can control other things like proper unit conversion. :/
The hardest landing I experienced was at KHRL. The crosswinds were so bad, the Captain came on over the PA and briefed us about how hard the landing was going to be. I'm glad he did, because we hit the runway hard enough to make many of the oxygen masks came down. His briefing really helped keep passengers calm since we knew what to expect. Great pilot.
@@74gear The weather conditions were bad that day - had an unusual snow and ice event that day in south Texas. He may have been concerned about braking.
Non-pilots don't under that the plane simply cannot float down the runway in a heavy cross wind. My turbulent commuting flight had turned a right final when I noticed the crab angle, and then noticed the wind sock blowing straight out at a 90 degree angle. But looking at the wind sock, I estimate that the wind had to be blowing st least 20 knots. I thought, the pilot is going to have to get the mains on quickly so as not to drift off the runway. The landing was about as hard as I expected, but perfect for a crosswind landing in a 737. What went through my mind was Good Crosswind Landing. Doesn't get better than that. As i thought that, the woman next to me said out loud, "That was the worse landing I've ever experienced!" I tried to explain why the landing was hard, but she was the "expert" on landings. Can't please 'em all.
@@douglasrodrigues9329 "That was the worse landing I've ever experienced!" "Well, those were probably the strongest crosswinds you've ever experienced, be happy we landed at all. Have a lovely day!"
During the time that I was a crew member on C-141 aircraft, there were many times when I would sit in the jump seat between the pilots and slightly behind them of course. Quite entertaining, watching the new co-pilots landing and challenging conditions. Alaska was my favorite for the many different situations that pilots face. Entertaining would not describe it.
I love this video. I've flown a lot and always wondered about why some landings were so smooth and others so not. It's really good to learn this stuff because it makes me feel safer when I understand what is really going on. Thank you Kelsey. I love all your videos.
once landed hard, as I left the plane, the pilot was at the cockpit door. I said "Go Navy!". The pilot said "How did you know?" He obviously went for the third wire.
@@busfahrer09 I'm by no means an expert, but I suppose he's talking about aircraft carriers. Planes landing on them have hooks that grab steel cables stretched across the runway. I'm guessing there are three of those cables, and the Navy pilot was used to landing hard to grab the third one. My educated guess.
7:00 YES. this is exactly how ive been driving rideshare for a year, and driving a ton before that for years, and have still never been in an accident. I'm constantly looking for ways to improve. To me, my vehicle is no different from an aircraft. We are all pilots of our own vehicles. If we all had this attitude, accidents would drop to a minimum. 😃👍
I do like the automated subtitles: "Safety is number one concern for every pie" - As a hobbyist baker, I agree. Anyway, interesting video, I learned a lot.
After doing a great landing off a tight visual approach with a 744, a pilot from a rival airline complimented us from the cockpit at the holding point. I was about to thank him when the Senior Pilot with me said something like. WE ALWAYS LAND THIS WAY. Those guys were were on lesser packages than us. I have regretted not finding out who they were and apologise to them to this day.
My most memorable super-good landing came within a few months after I became a private pilot back in the late 80's. Once checked out, I offered to take up a good friend and his wife with me in a rented T-tail Piper Arrow with retractable gear and constant-speed prop. They readily agreed to this short sight-seeing trip. Taxi and takeoff went great, but immediately upon leaving the ground my friend's wife, in the back seat, let her fear get the best of her and I was asked to get back on the ground as soon as possible. I remained in the pattern, and on base to final I realized I needed to make the landing as smooth as possible. Amazingly, it was one of my smoothest ever! I thought that with the pressure I was suddenly under it would be a miserable landing. But extreme concentration made the day!
Obviously he either answered this or or did not pin it so we can see it, or he is one those uploaders who dont respond to comments. I would like to know, but I am not going to dive further in the comments. @ Uploader, Part of the YT algorithm is engagement. Just an FYI.
Hah, I used to be a semi driver, some of those days you're just backing up... "What the hell, I must be ther..." SMACK. My line was "Did you hear me knocking?"
I smacked the dock so hard one afternoon switching in our yard, I shook the whole building. Man that walkie came to life. " What the hell are you doing out there you shook the whole building!?!" Me being a smartass: Just checking to make sure the buildings still stable...." In reality I hit the wrong pedal. I was still new to switching. As for bas days... I get days where I can't hit a dock to save my life. Other days I can stick a trailer up a flys ass, from the blindside. All depends on the day and how much I wanna take my time. All it comes down too.
Wow even 2 years ago your cadence and reading is pretty much exactly the same with only the covered content changing a little. That's a compliment. You had everything put together from like day 1
I’ve actually been on flights where the landing was so bad that one of the flight attendants started making highly critical comments over the intercom. If memory serves, she started out with “Now we know the pilot has found the runway”
I always respect the pilots no matter how bumpy or smooth the landing was as I know that the Pilots always try their best. I am Ishan, an aviation nerd from India. Love your videos!
On a flight back from Lanzarote, landing in Brussels, everything went smoothly until right before touchdown we got caught in a sudden extreme crosswind. We almost had a wing strike. Imagine the landing being quite rough. People were complaining loudly, and I got pissed. My wife and I were the last to disembark, and the captain thanked me for standing up he also mentioned he got scared for a second. Apparently 2 cabin crew members informed him about what i said to other travellers... It's sick how little respect people show.
It's sad that a good portion of human beings have no idea how things work. Likewise, they often have no appreciation for what it took for these other "technical people" to learn their skills. We should all be grateful.
@@mwbgaming28 dude, not all Indonesian carrier sre that bad, Garuda Indonesia is a 5 star airline and sriwijaya air won the throphy of a domestic airline that have the most destination in the world, think before you comment
I had a good idea of the factors involved in a landing after watching 12 seasons of Air Disasters🙂. Before that I never assumed incompetence after a rough landing; I assumed the pilot saved us from something bad🥰. My first time in an airplane, flying from Newark to Heathrow, the plane suddenly dropped seemingly straight down like an amusement park ride. A few minutes later the pilot said that a small aircraft had come into their path and they had to move quickly to get out of the way-I had just watched Airport where the airliner did not get out of the way in time😳.
Still a student pilot, but my favorite landing so far was my second night flight. Coming into KCID in my little ‘84 Piper Warrior, everything went just perfectly. Slid in behind an American RJ and absolutely greased it just passed the numbers. Second one is memorable for the opposite reason. I was out on a local solo practicing stalls and ground reference stuff. Winds were light and variable when I took off. By the time I entered the pattern again winds were 130 @ 15, a direct crosswind from 4/22, our only open runway at KOTM.Went around the first time because I couldn’t keep it on centerline. I almost started to panic and debated diverting to a nearby airport with a runway more closely aligned to the winds. Ended up getting myself calmed down and on a stabilized approach. Almost had to go around again as one of our other training aircraft got sick of holding for me and decided to take the runway with me on short final. I was so sick of fighting the plane that I drove her right into the runway. Didn’t bounce, but I was worried I had damaged something. I’ve never been so glad to get out of a plane, but I learned a lot from that experience.
Having 747's or A380's landing on short runways is the problem and frankly asinine. The best landing I remember is not knowing the 747 I was flying in actually landed, I to this day think the pilot was a skilled genius.
I think it would be wise for people who're afraid of flying to watch this channel ... with all the knowledge commercial pilots have, it's really confidence-inspiring
Hey Kelsey, just a 150 hour PPL+Night+IR here. My favourite landing was in a C152 at Bournemouth EGHH, back when RWY17 was open. I was training for my night rating and I think my instructor, Richard, was bored. He wanted to simulate landing with electrical failure (which I guess is part of the training syllabus), so on downwind he reached over and turned off my instrument lights and landing light. So like a good student I turned on my red torch (flashlight) and held it between my teeth as I scanned the instruments. We were the only ones in the circuit, so few moments later he said “let’s make this interesting”, radioed the tower and asked them to turn off the approach lights. They did, then either through misunderstanding or more likely by mischief, they turned everything off, including the runway edge lights too. All that were lit were the dim, dark blue taxiway lights. I was horrified, but I’d been challenged before and thought Richard knew what he was doing, so I just carried on. I knew the pattern well, even at night, so turned base and final where I thought I should, set flaps and descent power where I usually did, and checked my position by the taxiway lights. I could see nothing at all of the runway, and lined up by looking for the gaps in taxiway lights where they crossed the runway. I knew roughly where the threshold was by the nearest taxiway lights and continued my approach. It was difficult and I was nervous, and was waiting for Richard to instruct me to go-around. He didn’t, so I continued. As I approached the flare, he reached over, turned on the landing light and there was a big 17 right there ahead. He said it would have been on his licence if I’d bent it! When I realised he expected me to bottle out, I was shocked! But that certainly made for the most memorable approach and landing of my brief flying career! And while I know that sounds like a tall tail, I promise you every word is true.
@@user-nw1vn4fi7y .....Ced, that means he makes 3 or 4 bounces per landing. We all do from time time & he was exaggerating. He's probably a damn good pilot just to say something like that. Most pilots like to brag & those that do are mostly full of sh........
@@billcallahan9303 hahaha thanks for your help. Are you a pilot too? I'm an aviation enthusiast, hoping to someday fulfill the dream of flying an aircraft. God and hardwork being my helpers. 😇👼🙏
i haven't get any airline job yet, but my most memorable landing to date is my last flying stage of my training before the check ride preparation. it was in Budiarto airport, outside of Jakarta. i flew Piper PA-28-161, the Warrior3. the r/w is 12/30 and 22/04, wind condition is 260/16, the ATC instruct me to land using r/w22. in the final approach my instructor ask, "can u do this, buddy?" and i said, "I'll try my best, capt" with that kind of wind, i did the crabbing. i push the rudder pedal gently to make some little adjustment into the wind while keeping the speed between 65 and 70. after passing the threshold, i did float for a while and close the power slowly, but soon after that there was my smoothes landing so far.
I very much enjoyed the sarcasm of my instructor when I was training for a UK PPL in the mid '90's......comments on my landings varied from "did we land or were we shot down?" then "now you know the difference between a landing and an arrival!" and "this airframe is only stressed to +4g!" and to the ultimate "I'm sure the maintenance people have a spare wing in the hanger!".......that's the way to motivate and inspire!
My worst landing was Southern Air into Atlanta. This was close to a 1.5 G landing. It was the first officer flying and he flared way too early and the gear slammed into the runway very uncomfortably. Enough said, my best landing was an American airlines back when the md-11 was the plane to fly and this guy just greased one in on a perfect day. Flew from jfk across the canyon over the painted desert with the captain as our tour guide... What a pleasure... Not a single episode of chop... I'll never forget that wonderful trip cross country
I operate a Part 91 Sightseeing operation. I had a young man recently as passenger that is terminally ill with a cancer that has made his bones brittle. He was actually afraid to fly because he was concerned that the landing would break his spine. This is not a joke. That was his concern. I assured him we would be fine. We took off and had a great night flight to see local Christmas lights. Once back at the airport, I kicked my skills into high gear. I literally had one of those landings where I wasn't even sure we were on the ground yet. I kept waiting on the bump and before I knew it, we were at slow taxi. Needless to say, this young man enjoyed himself.
We landed so hard that we got thrown forward and down in our seats. I looked at the guy next to me and said "Navy...." he replied "Navy...." the Japanese businessman across the aisle from us says "Asian..."
I'm still doing my training for my Private Pilot but so far my favorite landing was in a Diamond DA-20 low wing 2 seater. It was my 6th air lesson and my 11th landing total. I didn't realize until after we were on the ground that the instructor had not touched the controls during the landing. It was an amazing feeling doing my first unassisted landing and was a fairly smooth landing. I am glad she didn't tell me ahead of time that I was landing on my own because nerves probably would have gotten the better of me if I had realized it earlier.
Since I used to almost always fly in the "bush", almost all my landings were super short "bush" landings into tiny little spots in the boonies. So I got into the habit of always landing super-slow no matter where I was landing ... as practice, essentially. One day to help another pilot out with some logistics, I was flying a Cessna 172 airplane to the FBO at the medium size regional airport in Monterey, California on a day when the headwind was quite high ... about 40~45mph. But the wind was blowing at constant velocity and almost straight down the runway. As every pilot knows, conditions like this make landings insanely easy, especially on such a long runway for a small general aviation airplane. But the "regular folks" in the three other seats in the airplane were not pilots and did not understand what was happening when I literally came to a complete stop about 100 feet above the runway for 10 or 15 seconds, then very slowly came literally straight down until the airplane imperceptibly touched the runway. The whole way down from 100 feet to the runway the passengers were screaming their heads off ... as I was laughing my butt off. I had told them on final approach that we would be landing very slow due to the strong headwind. When they started to freak out when I stopped 100 feet above the ground I tried to explain there was no problem, but they were screaming at each other and at nobody in particular so loudly they couldn't hear me. So I couldn't stop myself from laughing at the absurdity of people terrified because ... they were not moving! I still laugh when I remember this. Obviously they were freaked out simply because the situation was not what they were expecting ... not because anything dangerous or scary was happening. After all, we literally weren't moving. They pressed their heads against the windows looking straight down in total confusion and disbelief. Hahaha. I guess it pays to understand the difference (and significance) between "airspeed" and "ground speed". Absolutely hilarious that was. And definitely my favorite conventional landing. As it turns out, nobody else was in the pattern or inbound at the time, so I was tempted to stop there for a couple minutes, just for fun... and just to see whether my passengers would eventually settle down. But that just didn't seem right and I worried that ATC might eventually get annoyed, so I gradually let the airplane very slowly descend straight down to the runway. But ever since I've always wished I stayed 100 feet above the runway for a couple minutes longer, just to see whether my passengers would eventually realize all was fine and settle down. I won't mention my favorite landing in totally wild, crazy, insane places on mountain ridges, mountaintops and other wacky spots in "the bush". :-)
Yeah, as a solo student pilot flying a three leg x-country i came in to land with a strong head wind flying a cessna 150. 20% flaps, 1500rpm, looking good, runway was perpendicular to a fairly wide river abt .5 miles away. At about forty feet that wind stopped, i dropped like a rock, added full power in a split second, didnt hit hard but got a good bounce, eased the throttle back and landed nicely. Im guessing it must have been 30knt headwind. So..strong head wind, come in fast, fly down to 5 ft, if the wind stops, you stay on the ground first time. Had a 28knt crosswind in the same plane on different day at a latter date, no flaps, slipped it in, plenty of air speed, greased her down on one wheel, leveled wings, smooth as butter. I will say the runway was big enough for a small jet, which gave me forever to do it right, but a go around wasnt something a wanted to do. This was before i was old enough to get a learners permit to drive, you had to be 16. 1/2 for that, only 16 to solo a plane which i did on my 16th birthday. But.. The best flying i ever did was a paraglider, around 43yrs. That is everything, but no room for the slightest error in misjudging the wind. Those days are long gone. Be safe out there, and live to tell the story.
Funny. I distinctly remember learning in grade school that a plane can fly backward if the headwind is strong enough. But even knowing that, it would still be pretty freaky to hover 100' above the runway.
@@mllrgrnt Yes; I've watched J-3s go backwards over the runway before; rather impressive. (and maybe not the best judgement of the pilot to be flying that day)
I think I can beat that sort of. I have flown gliders in the past (i'm too much of a fat git now) and on my 3rd training flight we were coming in to the grass strip and as the landing conditions were so easy and I was showing aptitude (I had done a lot of time on simulators so knew what all the instruments were) the instructor said I could bring the aircraft to 50 feet then he would take over. Our ground speed must have been less than 10mph because of the head wind then the wind picked up - a lot and from gently going down we ended up climbing - backwards. Needless to say I did not have a clue what to do. The instructor was laughing his head off after we landed but it was difficult to get below the fast moving air even for him. It was funny being in an aircraft going backwards and climbing though. Next time we did not go in a glider optimised for high altitude.
"It wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the co-pilot's fault... it was the asphalt!" Actual announcement by a flight crew member after a hard landing at PBI.
Great channel Kelsey 👍😎 I remember being told (ex CAA LAME here) that a firm arrival was preferred in order to get the squat switches made to allow good stuff like the ground spoilers, brakes and reverse thrust operating ASAP.
I'm not a pilot, and I woudn't have really said I was an "aviation enthusiast," but you're kind of turning me into one with your videos. ;-) They're fun, personable, clear, and always interesting. Keep up the good work, and here's wishing you success both in the air and on the 'Tube.
Flew into Portland Oregon (KPDX) from Houston. Exceptional landing, very smooth. Exiting, the FA was standing at the door with the Captain. I thanked him for a great flight with the best landing I had experienced, and he smiled. Then I said, "by the way, your left turn signal has been on since we left Houston." The pilot lost his smile and the FA burst out laughing.
My first landing with my instructor, and having 10 hrs in my log, the biggest smile for me was when I landed, un-assisted, I heard on the headset… “greased”… I got so excited I missed my first taxi exit point!! Lol we both laughed! Great channel!!
Pax here, landing in vegas on Allegiant during a sideways sandstorm at night, the plane crabbed in, I could see the runway out my window til just before we touched, and when we touched, a super glassy smooth pull to the right as I felt us slow and watched the sand go from front to back, to side to side! I asked which pilot landed as they were standing at the exit, and the f/o, a gal about 5ft tall said she had. I told her that was an amazing bit of flying there, to crab it in so smoothly. I think I made her day.
😂 I know some FAs I used to fly with that loved the turbulence... everyone is different I guess... at least if you are sleeping and you have a hard landing you know its time to wake up.
Same here. When I went on holiday to Japan the landing at Narita Airport was kind of cool to be honest. The runway was really wet so when the wheels touched the ground the plane started to shift a little from side to side. Seeing all the heads in the cabin moving with the plane was priceless XD.
@@RedFighterNL honnestly, I only went on 4 flights my entire life, but I loved every take off and landing, it kind of feels like the start and stop of a rollercoaster.... only wished they had done a high g manouvre like a looping...
Lmbo, that teleporting hoodie LUL 2:16 hit and rolled forward? Sounds like someones familiar with free running :P Loved the bloopers at the end too, definitely include more of those in the future LUL
Flying private small helicopter, the "float" (ground effect) could make it hard to settle onto the ground smoothly, especially in gusting winds. Coming in on a smooth glide to a hover and felt like you had to push the collective clear to the floor.
Ed G Power yup that is true. I work at a place that trains military pilots to fly AirTran. The carrier guys always slam down on the runway when they first come to school.
Best landing I was on was in a 747 into LAX. I didn't even feel us touch down, I was like "Damn, nice landing" Then I saw the Captain, a petite woman. I was very impressed.
Joe M I’m not sure what you are getting at with your comment? I have flown with a number of male and female pilots and I can honestly say that I have witnessed more professionalism and less ego with female pilots. Being able to fly competently has nothing to do with gender. Ego plays a larger part in the equation.
Favorite landing was a Cessna 172 landing on the big boy runway, 30R, at SJC (San Jose CA). We normally land on 29 which is a small parallel rw to 30L and 30R used by the passenger jets. One this day they cleared me into 30R for whatever reason. Extra exciting was taxiing between two Southwest jets, kind of surreal.
My favorite landing was on 737 coming into Cape Town, lots of crosswind and the pilot was really struggling, engines was spooling up and down several times. My favorite flights was on DC3 (modified) military transport, we knew some of the pilots and we were able to fly through turbulence on our way back home instead of avoiding them. (Of course also a favorite thing to do when bringing brand new recruits through for the first time).
Two landings that for me were great was the first time I landed the 172 during my flight training that it was so soft I didn't even know we were on the ground... That was in KHND and I have been chasing that feeling ever since... and then when I landed the 747 probably for the 3rd time with 500 troops on board coming back from the Middle East into KPSM... that was a great feeling!! 👍
Best landing I ever had was was on a Medical Flight Test, for no useful vision in one eye, before I ever even soloed. Had my instructor in the front seat and a 245 pound inspector shoe horned into the back of a 172. He wanted 2 or 3 landings at a remote airfield...to say I was nervous was an understatement. Greased in the first landing and had to notify the inspector that we were, in fact, on the ground. He said "That's good enough for me, let's head back." Wonder if I'll ever have a better or more rewarding landing.
I can attest on thier behalf trust me it's their best landing too
74 Gear hardest landing 737 into Chicago midway low viz almost to minimums hard slam and hard on the breaks best landing md80 into ether Orlando or Huston super smooth didn’t even use thrusters to slow down just costed right to the taxi way great video keep them up
Andrew Hines 🇺🇸
My brother-in-law was a 747 Captain for Pan Am and finished his career as a training Captain for Airbus; the only criticisms they had about him was his soft landings and southern accent. For some reason they wanted him to drop it a foot or two above the runway and he preferred 1/2 inch.
I'm a 350 hour Cessna-182 pilot and my instructors first comment to me when I started flying was:
"The goal here is to have an equal number of takeoffs and landings!"
That's hysterical, I love it !
John Hi John, I have a friend who has a squeaky clean 2009 182T with all the bells n whistles. He consistently lands on hot and does not like using much flap, in fact I can’t recall him ever using full flap. I asked once to which he replied she will balloon. I haven’t flown it yet myself and when I do I plan to fly the numbers with the usual mix of feel. I’m comfortable with short field landings as I lived on an airport with a short grass strip that had its vices and it didn’t faze me at all. So I’m a bit confused as to why he is flying this beautiful lady this way. Extra notes. His takeoffs, climb outs, cruising level choices, decents, approach’s and radio calls are perfect yet the landings are shitfull. Another note.... When he hired E.g. Cirrus GT22 his Landings were perfect every time. I’d love to hear your thought given your hours on type.
@@neriksen
Great questions btw... so let me start by saying I'm a private pilot not a CFI but I do have over 1,000 takeoffs and landings and most were in Colorado high altitude mountain flying. I've practiced crosswind, IFR, night, short field, sea level, no flap to name a few. So here's my opinion: Normal landing approach speed for Skylane 182 is 70-80 knots. If the wind is gusting 20 knots and you land indicated 70 knots while the gusts randomly subside then you are landing at 50 knots where stall speed at 20 degrees flaps is 49 knots... stall-spin super high risk! So come in hot... it's about delta V. That said Grand Junction, CO has a 10,000' runway so you can land no flaps and coast to a stop without touching your brakes... location..location...location. It's all about good piloting practices. I'm fortunate that I learned to fly hang gliders first... with hang gliders this issue is exacerbated. However we need to keep in mind that forces go up considerably with speed. Example a car crash at 25 mph head-on vs. One at 50 mph... the forces absorbed by your body increase by a factor of four, not twice but four times more energy. No flap landing equals faster landing at considerably shallower approach angle.
In my opinion this pilot should practice slow flight virtual approach to land gradually increasing up to full flaps flaps and pick exactly 5,000' (pretend landing altitude) approaching from 6,000' with the stall warning blaring at exactly 5,000' AGL and get comfortable flying slow at touchdown. My instructor drilled me on this and it paid off. This guy floats with flaps because he's carrying too much energy... bleed it off using pitch and power management.
I hope this helps.
@@invent5540 , do you have a flying channel? I'm from Denver,
A crash landing is still a landing sooooo this doesn’t quite pan out but funny none the less
When I was in college I was flying home to visit family, and our 737 had a very hard landing. Right after the firm touchdown the flight attendant grabbed the intercom and said "Take that, earth!"
😂😂😂😂
😂😂😂😂😂
hahahaha funny
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Once I was in a flight into Manchester NH on Southwest. It was really turbulent and windy and after one go around, the plane floated a good part down the runway before we touched down....then the pilot hit the brakes and reverse thrust HARD. The flight attendant comes on and says “whoaaaaa big fella....”. It was much needed comic relief after a white knuckle landing!
Years ago I was a passenger on a British Airways 767 overnight flight from London to Toronto. The weather on approach that morning was perfect; blue sky, 68F and very light wind. But then the plane slammed into the tarmac so hard that half the overhead lockers flew open, stuff flying about the cabin, people screaming.. As we slowed and turned off the runway, a calm and impeccably manicured English accent on the speakers: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain. As you may have gathered, we've landed."
Similar situation to me, I've been on alot of flights out of and back into Toronto, and for some reason Toronto landings just tend to be rough, one time it was perfectly clear, low winds and everything seemed fine until the wind suddenly shifted and we were in a crosswind just before landing, because of that we hit a bit harder than intended, other times its felt like hitting turbulence right above the runway, also when taking off occasionally.
I wonder if the runways just have some kind of re-occurring wind patterns caused by nearby buildings and the generally constant wind off the lake, even landings in bad weather elsewhere have been easier.
I dunno why but when I picture that, the guy on the PA was not the pilot flying and so what he said was a dig at the guy sitting next to him! Also maybe a way to try and lighten the mood (and lessen complaints) from the passengers! Did make me chuckle tho. Thanks for the laugh!
Hope you're good.
hahahaha, that captain was funny
@@Free_Krazy Weird, I've flown in and out of Pearson more times than any other airport and not one of them has been memorable at all
By any chance, was that hard landing on Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ)? I know that transatlantic flights (at least nowadays) are not usually scheduled to the City Airport, but did your flight maybe get diverted for some reason? As explained in the video, the shortness of the runway there would explain the hard landing. All Pearson (YYZ) runways are 9000ft+, whereas the main City runway is just short of 4000ft.
As @carewser said: i have also flown into and out of Pearson a number of times, and it's a top-notch international airport, so i wonder why anybody would do a hard landing there, especially in nice weather. On the other hand, i deliberately chose to never fly into or out of the City airport to help with reducing noise for people living close by: the City airport is literally only a few hundred meters away from downtown Toronto, and the Toronto Islands recreational areas are also just a few hundred metres away on the other side.
“If you can walk away from a landing, it's a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it's an outstanding landing.” - Chuck Yeager (born February 13, 1923)
Yeh, but he was a test pilot (THE test pilot). Attrition was maybe more acceptable from him?
You sure that’s not the motto for Ryanair
Basically my airplane that was grounded for two days that we deplaned in Brazil. They landed, computer broke, we waited four hours and then deplaned, and then the next day the same airplane was used again... FOR THE SAME ROUTE. And it broke again.
LOL!
@@cinderleaves3949 what?
"Please remain seated while Cpt. Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."
one of my favorite Southwest Airlines announcements.
"lets thank Batman and Robin for that landing"lol
Lol I bet Qantas found this they would tell the pilots to say that all the time I will when I fly for Qantas xD
Haha nice joke
I doubt that airliners have kangaroo feet
The best announcement I heard by the pilot was "Welcome to my first flight ......(long pause)........of the day"
In some cases it could very well be a fo's first time flying with people aboard
ya I used to joke sometimes with passengers as they got on the plane, I was standing up front talking with the FA and a guy walked on the plane and said, "this is only my 2nd time on a plane " and without a pause I said, "no way... me too" he had a moment of terror before he realized it was a joke. did you make it to the end to see the bloopers beebeer?
@@74gear I'd love to see a movie on your job, possibly with Simon Pegg portraying you. That would be a great joke to fit in. Also, thanks for your great videos; keep the blue side up!
When I landed in Newark back in 2000, the pilot announced that he had good news and bad news for us. He said the good news was "we landed safely" and the band news involved us sitting on the tarmarc while other planes cleared our gate. We sat there over an hour and I missed my connection. I talked to a few people who told me that they sat on their plane on the tarmac for 3 hours, yikes.
@Darren the pop culture nut Doull Wtf is a tarmac?
I also had a pilot recently on my way to NY say over the intercom, “we’ll be in the air shortly, they’re just refilling the Chem Trail tanks”. I laughed and couldn’t believe they said that. I looked around to see if anyone else happened to catch that and it looked like maybe a couple people did.
That's hilarious
LOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!
After a hard landing the flight attendant announced “ladies and gentlemen, please remain seated while the captain taxis what’s left of our airplane to the gate”
LOL
Things that never happened for $800 Alex.
No matter how "Bad" your landings are just remember this
A GOOD landing is one that you can walk away from.
A GREAT landing is one where you can use the airplane again!
Vincent Rose
But, in reality of the world of professional pilots, your saying is noting but BS.
They were requested far more than your so called “GREAT landing” as minimum requirement for kept their job.
Hey, as long as me and atleast most of my travelling friends are alive after a landing, I’m not complaining
That's not true at all. There are landings where the plane bounced like 15 times and some where the wings were almost strike. All the passengers walked away but doesn't mean they were good landing.
Stop being too serious. Just relax and try to enjoy the joke. He is not your pilot
@@innocento.1552 it isn't a joke though...
You know what pilot never gets complaints about their landing?
Pilots flying skydivers.
@Gert Jan Harmsen wow, glad nothing happened. Where was this?
bu-dum-tiss
Unless you have a customer who chickens out and stays on the plane!🤣
And they don't wan't to land (and descent) with you all the time... 😂
Cargo pilots too
I was in flight training (C172) at KMIC. Winds favored the other runway, but i told my instructor that i wanted a challenge. Perfect crosswind landing - stayed on one wheel until she settled, dead centerline. He gave me a glance with the proud flight instructor grin - no words exchanged. On my way out of the FBO i overheard my instructor talking to the Chief flight instructor saying that it was the best crosswind landing he had ever seen. My head barely made it out the door! Best feeling ever.
Your story reminded me of a flight I once took into Malaga, Spain. The pilot was excellent for the whole flight, explaining where we were and what was going on. He was clearly an older gentleman with a ton of experience and charisma. I don't know if you know Malaga at all but it is a challenging approach through mountains. He aced that then produced the smoothest landing I ever had. As we taxied to the terminal he came on the radio and said ' without sounding too immodest I think we have landed'! The plane burst into laughter.
My favorite landing was coming into Orlando. We had a medical emergency on the plane. We came in hot and fast, used power to slow down, and then powered back up to speed to the gate! An ambulance was waiting. Not a single person got out of their seats until the medical emergency was handled and stretchered off the plane.
This reminds me of one of my Dad's jokes. He is a retired Air Force guy and every time we experienced a hard landing, he would lean over and say, "Must be a Navy pilot." A tongue in cheek jab at how Navy Pilots have to hit the deck to snag the arresting wire on the Air Craft Carrier.
Passenger here, we came into Chicago ORD from Honolulu in a driving snow storm. The wind was screaming and the snow was buffeting the sides of the aircraft. The landing was hard, but we were so grateful we gave the crew a round of applause. Best bump I ever felt.
We got struck by lightning coming back from Orlando to YYZ - My dad showed me what was going to happen (navigator for a decade and a half on LOT PLL) and the power went out for a second, then, nothing. There was a black spot on it too, he said there would be one wherever the lightning exited the plane too. The landing was eerily quiet for some reason.
(Passenger, too) I flew into ORD once during a rainstorm and a lot of gusty wind. I flew nearly weekly for work pre-covid, and I can't recall ever coming in so fast on an approach. As we finally slowed and descended, you could feel the pilot fighting the gusts to keep us straight and even, but what looked like just feet above the runway from my window seat, it was still too squirrelly from the gusts so they powered up for a go-around. I (mid-30s woman en route home from a business trip) was surrounded by a now-panicked high-school aged cheerleading team returning from a competition. Many had never flown before and at some point the girl next to me grabbed my hand and we held hands until we landed. The landing then was actually a pretty smooth one and one of the few times it felt appropriate that the whole cabin cheered the landing. My stomach had been in knots for sure, but concern for the girls around me kept me from feeling too much fear myself. Looking back, the acceleration and climb for the go-around was a super cool feeling and I kinda hope I get to experience that again one day now that I understand much more about aviation from bingeing Kelsey's videos.
I was a paratrooper with 173rd in December 2014. I'll never forget we were supposed to do a "Toy Jump" over Ramstein AFB, and it got scratched midflight due to heavy fog (AWACS) conditons. We had to go back and land, but that landing was what I'd imagine pushing a grand piano down a flight of stairs felt like.
🤣🤣🤣 That's the best goddamn analogy I've ever heard
I've experienced (as a passenger) both soft touchdowns and landings so hard I thought my spine was going to buckle. The most amazing landing ever was after a late night flight in December in Sweden some years ago. The last hour of the flight had really heavy turbulence, people screaming, the plane shaking all over the place, like sitting in a blender. The pilot says over the speaker something along the lines of "We are now approaching Sturup airport and will hopefully be landing shortly. The weather is pretty bad with heavy winds, and the last two planes that tried to land before us didn't make it, so we'll see how it goes."
We were like "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY DIDN'T MAKE IT?!"
I'm guessing they just flew off and landed somewhere else, maybe Kastrup since it's nearby, but he phrased it really weirdly and made it sound like we're all going to die now or something.
The plane kept shaking like crazy right up until the last 15-20 seconds or so. Then the shaking just quickly calmed down and the touchdown a few seconds later was probably the softest I've ever seen. I don't think I even noticed it other than by the sound and vibrations changing. It was pretty amazing.
That's funny
OMG...lol pilot needs cue cards!
Retired airline pilot with 44 years of flying. My most memorial landings are first, my very first landing in a 737-200, landing at ORD. I had flown a BAE-146 for several years at a regional prior to getting hired by a major and was assigned to fly the 737. In the 146, to get a smooth landing, during the flair, all you had to do was close the thrust levers a 50 feet and pitch the nose 5 degrees nose up and the airplane rolled on to the runway. Not so in the 737, where you had to fly it all the way to the ground. On my first landing real landing, outside of the SIM, I regressed to my old habit pattern and at 50 ft pulled the power and pitch 5 degrees nose up. We hit soooooo hard that I was afraid that the O2 masks had been shaken loose from storage. The training captain's only comment was " Well I am glad we got that out of the way".
Second was my last landing prior to retirement. Flying as Captain in a A320 landing at ORD with a gusty 25kt 90 degree crosswind in rain showers. Had two deadheading Captains (one that I had known for years) filling the jumpseats just to make it interesting for the old ego. Rolled it on, in touchdown zone, on the centerline. It was a good way to end a career.
🤣 I have been there Jerry.. thanks so much for sharing your story!!
Thank you for sharing these stories. They were interesting. Congratulations on a great career!
Do you really want to use the term MEMORIAL LANDINGS?
Which one of these aircrafts do you prefer sir?
I really enjoy the experiences of mainline airline pilots, especially on now older aircraft. Thanks Jerry for sharing your experience. My first trip was from SLC to OAK with a stop in RNO. The aircraft was a classic fireplug, 737-100/200. Before cabin baggage cabinets the 737 had a shelf with bungee cords to hold everything from falling. The PIC gave up a lot of runway when we tried to land in RNO. With the late touchdown and immediate braking with the engines reversing the aircraft really shook like a blender working on a diet of ball bearing. Anything on the shelf went flying to the front of the cabin. Being a first commercial flight I was left wondering if our Shake and Bake landing was normal. Since that time I’ve flown over 300,000 miles on Western/Delta/Northwest, and maybe twice that number on America West/US Airways/ American out of Phoenix. A Western 727-200 flying from LAX to SLC with 100 or so North Dakota farmers who had been vacationing in Hawaii, along with myself and a few other business people entered a strong thunderstorm cell after our left turn outside Las Vegas. We really bounced around before we caught a strong drop followed by the aircraft rolling right about 30-35 degrees. Just like the movies a few yelled “this is it were going to crash and die”. Prayers were said by many of the older ladies from North Dakota, some people were crying. As soon as we came upon the CAT it was over and we landed in heavy rain showers. The only other incident was a very hard landing of a Delta TriStar at MCO. It must have been similar to your 737 hard landing, for some reason the bang into the concrete caused me to bite my tongue. One of the pilots stood with the upfront FA to thank the PA for flying Delta. I caught a few of the funnier comments making reference to the crash landing, the pilot was not amused. I became a private pilot during my college years and all my landings have been soft and gentle, any passengers would never have known we were on the ground.
"I used to have a flight attendant always bid to fly with me because she said I had the best landings." ROTFLMAO sweet clueless Kelsey!
He’s not dumb 😉
I bet Kelsey landed in her the best he can multiple times 😂
@@vladimirgvozdenovic904 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣 Holy f****** shit. I’ll bet
@@vladimirgvozdenovic904 🤭
Hi Kelsey. Former TWA pilot. My best landing ever was in a DC-9-30 flying from St. Louis to Cleveland around 8pm on a winter night so dark. Absolutely greased it on in Cleveland where your "we're on the ground" comment could have been used without shame. Cockpit door open as passengers exited and two or three actually peeked into the cockpit and asked who made the landing. The captain just pointed at me with no comments.
After a very hard landing i overheard a flight attendant telling the pilot that : " When my time comes, I hope to die peacefully in my sleep, in my nice and comfy warm bed, rather than screaming, yelling, and pissing myself like all of the passengers in back!"_
😶
Aww man yesss when you get a lead flight attendant old enough to be your grandma say "oh shit" on a landing you know it was rough.
Lolololol that is funny
I used to be a skydiver and I can tell you that the same principles apply: flare too early, you'll pause too high and be dumped on your arse. Flare too late, you'll be dragged across the dropzone on your knees and face. Only experience can teach you where the sweet spot is. Love your vids, keep up the great work!
I got this from a comment from swiss001 but..
"Welcome to Ryanair, Where we remove the e out of boeing"
welcome to ryanair, where the s stands for smooth landing
@@aarondynamics1311 BuT tHErEs nO S!!!1!!!
I once took a Continental flight from LGW to EWR, landing in strong cross winds and it was one of the hardest landings I’ve ever experienced, followed by a lot of left rudder to keep us on the centre line. I was near the back. At Gatwick the flight was delayed, because a tyre needed to be changed. After we landed, the CSD came onto the PA and said: “I bet you’re glad we changed that tyre at Gatwick.”
I'm a student pilot myself, trying to make it a career. I was flying an old 172 into KMEI on the 045 at night. I was doing my 3 night landings for my vfr license. my landing light was out AND my radios had severe static (not sure what the issue was but I couldnt hear anything). Im lucky it was a barren night for flights lol. I was on final for my 3rd solo night in the pattern and I couldnt see or hear anything. On instinct, I just approached the landing strip and gradually pulled back on the stick, my only reference was the FBO to my right and the runway lights, everything else was pitch black. I slowly pulled for my flair, and before I knew it i had landed and started taxiing. I never felt the wheels touch, and I never realized I was fully on the ground. It was the smoothest landing I had ever experienced, not only by myself but by any pilot. It was truly a terrifying experience, not knowing if I had landed or if I was about to turn my plane into a pancake, but it was perfect. Im usually a very cautious person, and with that I have a lot of doubts about my own ability to accomplish tasks, but through this experience I learned that when all else fails; trust your gut. Pilots have a lot of help, and I mean a LOT of help when it comes to flying... but, when its comes down to brass tax, all you can do is rely on your training, no matter how little of it you have. It not only showed me that my training was extraordinarily efficient, but it showed me to have confidence in my own abilities. flight has expanded not only my mind, but my soul as well. I hope that i never have to experience this level of uncertainty again, but i know that through my instructors and the like, I have grown not only as a pilot, but as a person. I encourage anyone who has an interest in flight to pursue it endlessly, because it can teach you things about yourself that you never even realized was something you needed to learn.
Well as a cargo guy I usually don't get much lip from my "passengers" ....
Weird. My last package wouldn't shut up about how bad the landing was.
Until upset horses kick down the cockpit door.
Hee hee! Respect!
@@XandraHart Shipping those cabinets from wayfair eh?
@@XandraHart that is hilarious!!
Hi Kelsey, best landing I ever experienced in 1000s of commercial flights was in a Turkish Airlines Boeing 727 from Ankara into the "old" Athens Airport in the early 1980s. The transition from flying to touchdown was so smooth it was only the sound of the aircraft slowing down that told me we had actually landed. Being in first class I exited from the front door and as the cockpit door was open l took the opportunity to congratulate the pilots on the smoothest landing I had ever experienced in a Boeing airliner. The captain smiled and said he was demonstrating to the first officer that it was possible, on a calm day, to grease a 727 onto the runway! Cheers Bill Buckingham
"Ask me how I know..." I appreciate your honesty))).
Good stress reducer ... honesty.
Ask me how I know; Again: ask me how I know. Never mind - I know the answer already. Been there, done that...
I only judge the pilot on one aspect of the entire flight....NOT CRASHING. Other than that, I am happy.
"...it's _not_ because the pilots had crabs! I don't care what the flight attendants have told you!" LMAO I died
But no, I didn't realise all of the things you guys kept in mind whilst landing, that's amazing!
I wish I had known that crabbing was intentional every time I flew into eptx 😂. Last time I flew in was during a windstorm and I just knew we were gonna go cartwheeling… touch down was actually fairly smooth, just felt weird getting to that point. Your videos are making me feel so much better about flying!
Is that El Paso? OMG I was about to say the same thing. Strong side winds there and scary approaches
When a passenger remarks you should learn how to fly, just remind them you know who does the searches in customs.
TheHoipoloi then Remind the pilot the customers pay the airline for the hard landing which pays his/hers wages 🤷🏻♂️
@@carsandstuff365 You must not have heard anything he said in the video, firm landings are most of the time intentional to bleed off more speed.
@@adammilan6434 yup AND necessary. IF a pilot is a "pro" - the pilot is doing it for a reason
Just thank them for their expert consult.
@@carsandstuff365 be grateful you didn't crash... that is always a successful landing when you don't crash!!!!!!
The last flight I took resulted in the smoothest landing I've ever witnessed. It was so clean that we never even felt touchdown; many of us thought we were still hovering a few feet above the runway. As I was leaving, I complimented the pilots on their landing, stating it was "the smoothest I've ever felt". They thanked me for the compliment quickly, but then pointed out that landings that smooth were not actually a good thing. They said an overly smooth landing would delay the engagement of the thrust-reversers, and so it was better to have at least *some* sort of noticeable touchdown, so that they would know precisely when to engage the reversers. They closed with "It's good to be smooth, just not *that* smooth."
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.
I like the rough landings, especially the ones in strong, gusty crosswinds. Anything out of the ordinary is FUN.
My uncle was one the chief engineer for the a380 at Lufthansa in Frankfurt, and he once told me that this has manly got to do with the airbus system only arming the spoilers and reverses when the touch down is firm enough. This is not so much the case at the Boeing systems.
A technically good Landing doesn't include much floating over the runway.
Omg I was not expecting that. Never seen Kelsey wearing anything but the uniform. That was priceless
He wears the hoodie in a few vids he flies in it actually
I just found you Kelsey. Though I have been grounded for a year due to Covid, I am an above average flyer who loves aviation. I really love the fact that you don't try to dumb it down too much.
Above average, huh?
We've just come back from Spain and almost immediately (I'd guess at about 15 thousand feet) we hit quite bad turbulence, there was no word from the cockpit, the stewardesses and stewards ran to their seats, RAN.
At one point the stwardess (Kim) was airborne as she went to the back of the plane (it was her last flight for that airline too.
The steward came over the intercom, 'The pilot has put the fasten seatbelts sign on, fasten them', somewhat abruptly.
The plane dropped a good few feet (not hundreds but probably 50 or thereabouts) The passengers made almost no sounds, apart from a few moans and whimpers.
APART FROM MY WIFE who thrust her arms in the air and went 'Wheeeeeeee'
I had to shut her up = she loved it!
She used to be in the RAF (she was Comms tho) and she went up in a Tornado whilst stationed in Gibraltar - said it was the best experience of her life,
Nutter.
"went up in a tornado" you say? You have a very interesting spouse.
IndiaRubber Man i think she’s aware that turbulence hasnt been the cause of a plane crash in several decades
@@anthonylong9067 But it can cause severe or fatal injuries
Mahdi yeah but… “Wheeeee!”
@@Mahdi-bb4hg It is not the only reason. In addition, we cannot still control the weather, while we can control other things like proper unit conversion. :/
The hardest landing I experienced was at KHRL. The crosswinds were so bad, the Captain came on over the PA and briefed us about how hard the landing was going to be. I'm glad he did, because we hit the runway hard enough to make many of the oxygen masks came down. His briefing really helped keep passengers calm since we knew what to expect. Great pilot.
wow, I wonder what was going on that he expected to do that.
@@74gear The weather conditions were bad that day - had an unusual snow and ice event that day in south Texas. He may have been concerned about braking.
Non-pilots don't under that the plane simply cannot float down the runway in a heavy cross wind. My turbulent commuting flight had turned a right final when I noticed the crab angle, and then noticed the wind sock blowing straight out at a 90 degree angle. But looking at the wind sock, I estimate that the wind had to be blowing st least 20 knots. I thought, the pilot is going to have to get the mains on quickly so as not to drift off the runway. The landing was about as hard as I expected, but perfect for a crosswind landing in a 737. What went through my mind was Good Crosswind Landing. Doesn't get better than that. As i thought that, the woman next to me said out loud, "That was the worse landing I've ever experienced!" I tried to explain why the landing was hard, but she was the "expert" on landings. Can't please 'em all.
@@douglasrodrigues9329 "That was the worse landing I've ever experienced!"
"Well, those were probably the strongest crosswinds you've ever experienced, be happy we landed at all. Have a lovely day!"
@@douglasrodrigues9329 Wonder how she would have done if forced to take the controls? I'd wager a landing in many pieces no doubt.
During the time that I was a crew member on C-141 aircraft, there were many times when I would sit in the jump seat between the pilots and slightly behind them of course. Quite entertaining, watching the new co-pilots landing and challenging conditions. Alaska was my favorite for the many different situations that pilots face. Entertaining would not describe it.
I love this video. I've flown a lot and always wondered about why some landings were so smooth and others so not. It's really good to learn this stuff because it makes me feel safer when I understand what is really going on. Thank you Kelsey. I love all your videos.
4:13
"Ask me how I know"
Me, "how do you know?"
Because he flies the 747
once landed hard, as I left the plane, the pilot was at the cockpit door. I said "Go Navy!". The pilot said "How did you know?" He obviously went for the third wire.
That's pretty cool! 😁
what you mean with third wire mate?
@@busfahrer09 I'm by no means an expert, but I suppose he's talking about aircraft carriers. Planes landing on them have hooks that grab steel cables stretched across the runway. I'm guessing there are three of those cables, and the Navy pilot was used to landing hard to grab the third one. My educated guess.
@@Ball1501 you are correct
@@ronjohnson9507 thanks!
"Ask me how I know."
Well... Tell us in a Video! I love Flying-Stories out of personal experience! :D
7:00 YES. this is exactly how ive been driving rideshare for a year, and driving a ton before that for years, and have still never been in an accident. I'm constantly looking for ways to improve. To me, my vehicle is no different from an aircraft. We are all pilots of our own vehicles. If we all had this attitude, accidents would drop to a minimum. 😃👍
I've heard "Captain Kangaroo" from a flight attendant after a bouncy landing.
I do like the automated subtitles: "Safety is number one concern for every pie" - As a hobbyist baker, I agree. Anyway, interesting video, I learned a lot.
😁
After doing a great landing off a tight visual approach with a 744, a pilot from a rival airline complimented us from the cockpit at the holding point. I was about to thank him when the Senior Pilot with me said something like. WE ALWAYS LAND THIS WAY. Those guys were were on lesser packages than us. I have regretted not finding out who they were and apologise to them to this day.
My most memorable super-good landing came within a few months after I became a private pilot back in the late 80's. Once checked out, I offered to take up a good friend and his wife with me in a rented T-tail Piper Arrow with retractable gear and constant-speed prop. They readily agreed to this short sight-seeing trip. Taxi and takeoff went great, but immediately upon leaving the ground my friend's wife, in the back seat, let her fear get the best of her and I was asked to get back on the ground as soon as possible. I remained in the pattern, and on base to final I realized I needed to make the landing as smooth as possible. Amazingly, it was one of my smoothest ever! I thought that with the pressure I was suddenly under it would be a miserable landing. But extreme concentration made the day!
"Thank you for flying with us. Please remain in your seats while Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal"
4:13 and 5:20 "ask me how I know" 🤣
Ok Kelsey, please make a video about some of your oopsy moments 😄😉.
^+1.
+1
Obviously he either answered this or or did not pin it so we can see it, or he is one those uploaders who dont respond to comments. I would like to know, but I am not going to dive further in the comments.
@ Uploader, Part of the YT algorithm is engagement. Just an FYI.
My last flight on Qantas was so hard, I could feel the impact right into my breast implants. I thought China shot us down.
i love the energy of this comment
@J Hemphill I'm sure a toupee would have flown off. Or at least slid a little. I dunno I'm not bald.
Omg 😂😂
LOL
Pictures or it didn't happen... :)
In your best Star Trek Scotty voice: “Aye Captain, was that a landing or did we just get shot out of the sky?”
My instructor on my landings, "There like mid-air collisions with a planet.".
John W--Actually, they ARE mid-air collisions with planet Earth--only with the wheels instead of the nose of the plane.
I suppose a landing is a special case of controlled flight into terrain.
My first landings sucked too... don't worry about it. Everyone has to start somewhere!!
You got me good LOL.
Yeah, I've heard that landings are just controlled crashes. Lol 😆.
Haha I'm a semi truck driver and sometimes you hit the dock hard, when I do I usually walk inside and say, I'm here and the building is still standing
Hah, I used to be a semi driver, some of those days you're just backing up... "What the hell, I must be ther..." SMACK. My line was "Did you hear me knocking?"
I too drive big trucks. Whenever I have a rough day of backing, my response is always "sorry guys, it's my second day."
@@kennethhurne591 or you were trained at swift
I smacked the dock so hard one afternoon switching in our yard, I shook the whole building. Man that walkie came to life. " What the hell are you doing out there you shook the whole building!?!" Me being a smartass: Just checking to make sure the buildings still stable...."
In reality I hit the wrong pedal. I was still new to switching.
As for bas days... I get days where I can't hit a dock to save my life. Other days I can stick a trailer up a flys ass, from the blindside. All depends on the day and how much I wanna take my time. All it comes down too.
@@ronjohnson9507 I'll take a swift driver over these Amazon Prime hauler. Those boys can't stop laying em over.
3:15 is the funniest god damn thing ever 🤣 😂
Wow even 2 years ago your cadence and reading is pretty much exactly the same with only the covered content changing a little. That's a compliment. You had everything put together from like day 1
When you said “well you found it” I almost die from laughing 😂
Amen lol
Lol Someone from outside the cockpit overhearing the flight instructor say that to the pilot
I’ve actually been on flights where the landing was so bad that one of the flight attendants started making highly critical comments over the intercom. If memory serves, she started out with “Now we know the pilot has found the runway”
Hard landings is just one reason I jumped out of perfectly good airplanes as a US Paratrooper.
I always respect the pilots no matter how bumpy or smooth the landing was as I know that the Pilots always try their best. I am Ishan, an aviation nerd from India. Love your videos!
On a flight back from Lanzarote, landing in Brussels, everything went smoothly until right before touchdown we got caught in a sudden extreme crosswind. We almost had a wing strike. Imagine the landing being quite rough. People were complaining loudly, and I got pissed. My wife and I were the last to disembark, and the captain thanked me for standing up he also mentioned he got scared for a second. Apparently 2 cabin crew members informed him about what i said to other travellers... It's sick how little respect people show.
Mike Holtackers as if pilots have control over the wind. The pilot shoulda said “but did you die?”
It's sad that a good portion of human beings have no idea how things work. Likewise, they often have no appreciation for what it took for these other "technical people" to learn their skills. We should all be grateful.
Normal landing: 50 40 30 20 10 butter
Ryanair: WHOOP WHOOP PULL UP
Ryanair: 200 100 20 ------ end of black box data -----
@@tvflight7858 nah that's lionair (or any other Indonesian carrier for that matter)
TERAIN TERAIN hahaha
@@mwbgaming28 dude, not all Indonesian carrier sre that bad, Garuda Indonesia is a 5 star airline and sriwijaya air won the throphy of a domestic airline that have the most destination in the world, think before you comment
@@zakyabdurrahman8491 pretty sure they were banned from flying through most UN airspace due to having such a bad safety record
I had a good idea of the factors involved in a landing after watching 12 seasons of Air Disasters🙂. Before that I never assumed incompetence after a rough landing; I assumed the pilot saved us from something bad🥰.
My first time in an airplane, flying from Newark to Heathrow, the plane suddenly dropped seemingly straight down like an amusement park ride. A few minutes later the pilot said that a small aircraft had come into their path and they had to move quickly to get out of the way-I had just watched Airport where the airliner did not get out of the way in time😳.
Loved the blue hoodie suddenly appearing on the bed behind you. Thanks for keepin' it authentic!
Still a student pilot, but my favorite landing so far was my second night flight. Coming into KCID in my little ‘84 Piper Warrior, everything went just perfectly. Slid in behind an American RJ and absolutely greased it just passed the numbers.
Second one is memorable for the opposite reason. I was out on a local solo practicing stalls and ground reference stuff. Winds were light and variable when I took off. By the time I entered the pattern again winds were 130 @ 15, a direct crosswind from 4/22, our only open runway at KOTM.Went around the first time because I couldn’t keep it on centerline. I almost started to panic and debated diverting to a nearby airport with a runway more closely aligned to the winds. Ended up getting myself calmed down and on a stabilized approach. Almost had to go around again as one of our other training aircraft got sick of holding for me and decided to take the runway with me on short final. I was so sick of fighting the plane that I drove her right into the runway. Didn’t bounce, but I was worried I had damaged something. I’ve never been so glad to get out of a plane, but I learned a lot from that experience.
Having 747's or A380's landing on short runways is the problem and frankly asinine. The best landing I remember is not knowing the 747 I was flying in actually landed, I to this day think the pilot was a skilled genius.
I think it would be wise for people who're afraid of flying to watch this channel ... with all the knowledge commercial pilots have, it's really confidence-inspiring
Hey Kelsey, just a 150 hour PPL+Night+IR here. My favourite landing was in a C152 at Bournemouth EGHH, back when RWY17 was open. I was training for my night rating and I think my instructor, Richard, was bored. He wanted to simulate landing with electrical failure (which I guess is part of the training syllabus), so on downwind he reached over and turned off my instrument lights and landing light. So like a good student I turned on my red torch (flashlight) and held it between my teeth as I scanned the instruments. We were the only ones in the circuit, so few moments later he said “let’s make this interesting”, radioed the tower and asked them to turn off the approach lights. They did, then either through misunderstanding or more likely by mischief, they turned everything off, including the runway edge lights too. All that were lit were the dim, dark blue taxiway lights. I was horrified, but I’d been challenged before and thought Richard knew what he was doing, so I just carried on. I knew the pattern well, even at night, so turned base and final where I thought I should, set flaps and descent power where I usually did, and checked my position by the taxiway lights. I could see nothing at all of the runway, and lined up by looking for the gaps in taxiway lights where they crossed the runway. I knew roughly where the threshold was by the nearest taxiway lights and continued my approach. It was difficult and I was nervous, and was waiting for Richard to instruct me to go-around. He didn’t, so I continued. As I approached the flare, he reached over, turned on the landing light and there was a big 17 right there ahead. He said it would have been on his licence if I’d bent it! When I realised he expected me to bottle out, I was shocked! But that certainly made for the most memorable approach and landing of my brief flying career! And while I know that sounds like a tall tail, I promise you every word is true.
I like to log 3 or 4 landings per approach from time to time...🐬
I think we have all been there 🤣 Glad you liked it Kevin.
That's being brutally honest Kevin! :)
I don't understand what you mean Kevin. I'm not a pilot, so can you or 74gear explain your comment?
@@user-nw1vn4fi7y .....Ced, that means he makes 3 or 4 bounces per landing. We all do from time time & he was exaggerating. He's probably a damn good pilot just to say something like that. Most pilots like to brag & those that do are mostly full of sh........
@@billcallahan9303 hahaha thanks for your help. Are you a pilot too?
I'm an aviation enthusiast, hoping to someday fulfill the dream of flying an aircraft. God and hardwork being my helpers. 😇👼🙏
i haven't get any airline job yet, but my most memorable landing to date is my last flying stage of my training before the check ride preparation.
it was in Budiarto airport, outside of Jakarta.
i flew Piper PA-28-161, the Warrior3.
the r/w is 12/30 and 22/04, wind condition is 260/16, the ATC instruct me to land using r/w22.
in the final approach my instructor ask,
"can u do this, buddy?"
and i said, "I'll try my best, capt"
with that kind of wind, i did the crabbing.
i push the rudder pedal gently to make some little adjustment into the wind while keeping the speed between 65 and 70.
after passing the threshold, i did float for a while and close the power slowly, but soon after that there was my smoothes landing so far.
I love how you call harder landings “a more firm landing”
BANG!
I very much enjoyed the sarcasm of my instructor when I was training for a UK PPL in the mid '90's......comments on my landings varied from "did we land or were we shot down?" then "now you know the difference between a landing and an arrival!" and "this airframe is only stressed to +4g!" and to the ultimate "I'm sure the maintenance people have a spare wing in the hanger!".......that's the way to motivate and inspire!
Someone: Its an eagle going straight down!
Others: No! It's a space capsule re-entering!
Me: Idoits! Its Ryanair!
not gonna be surprised if ryanair went MAX
@@hussam9044 HHAHAHAHA :D
flaring slows you down, they don't have time for that...
Everyone: Flare
Ryanair: Am I a joke to you?
🤣 I haven't flown on Ryan air in years so I can't really defend them 🤷♂️
🤣 I haven't flown on Ryan air in years so I can't really defend them 🤷♂️
🤣 I haven't flown on Ryan air in years so I can't really defend them 🤷♂️
🤣 I haven't flown on Ryan air in years so I can't really defend them 🤷♂️
U got any more of those... replies
My worst landing was Southern Air into Atlanta. This was close to a 1.5 G landing. It was the first officer flying and he flared way too early and the gear slammed into the runway very uncomfortably. Enough said, my best landing was an American airlines back when the md-11 was the plane to fly and this guy just greased one in on a perfect day. Flew from jfk across the canyon over the painted desert with the captain as our tour guide... What a pleasure... Not a single episode of chop... I'll never forget that wonderful trip cross country
I operate a Part 91 Sightseeing operation. I had a young man recently as passenger that is terminally ill with a cancer that has made his bones brittle. He was actually afraid to fly because he was concerned that the landing would break his spine. This is not a joke. That was his concern. I assured him we would be fine.
We took off and had a great night flight to see local Christmas lights. Once back at the airport, I kicked my skills into high gear. I literally had one of those landings where I wasn't even sure we were on the ground yet. I kept waiting on the bump and before I knew it, we were at slow taxi. Needless to say, this young man enjoyed himself.
We landed so hard that we got thrown forward and down in our seats. I looked at the guy next to me and said "Navy...." he replied "Navy...." the Japanese businessman across the aisle from us says "Asian..."
LOL. Sounds like he knows my ex.
Heard a good one today. " Any bad landing you've got a good excuse for - is a good one"
As a passenger I have never thought how much pilot have to take into account for one landing. That’s makes have a lot more respect for them, honestly!
I'm still doing my training for my Private Pilot but so far my favorite landing was in a Diamond DA-20 low wing 2 seater. It was my 6th air lesson and my 11th landing total. I didn't realize until after we were on the ground that the instructor had not touched the controls during the landing. It was an amazing feeling doing my first unassisted landing and was a fairly smooth landing. I am glad she didn't tell me ahead of time that I was landing on my own because nerves probably would have gotten the better of me if I had realized it earlier.
Since I used to almost always fly in the "bush", almost all my landings were super short "bush" landings into tiny little spots in the boonies. So I got into the habit of always landing super-slow no matter where I was landing ... as practice, essentially. One day to help another pilot out with some logistics, I was flying a Cessna 172 airplane to the FBO at the medium size regional airport in Monterey, California on a day when the headwind was quite high ... about 40~45mph. But the wind was blowing at constant velocity and almost straight down the runway. As every pilot knows, conditions like this make landings insanely easy, especially on such a long runway for a small general aviation airplane.
But the "regular folks" in the three other seats in the airplane were not pilots and did not understand what was happening when I literally came to a complete stop about 100 feet above the runway for 10 or 15 seconds, then very slowly came literally straight down until the airplane imperceptibly touched the runway. The whole way down from 100 feet to the runway the passengers were screaming their heads off ... as I was laughing my butt off. I had told them on final approach that we would be landing very slow due to the strong headwind. When they started to freak out when I stopped 100 feet above the ground I tried to explain there was no problem, but they were screaming at each other and at nobody in particular so loudly they couldn't hear me. So I couldn't stop myself from laughing at the absurdity of people terrified because ... they were not moving!
I still laugh when I remember this. Obviously they were freaked out simply because the situation was not what they were expecting ... not because anything dangerous or scary was happening. After all, we literally weren't moving. They pressed their heads against the windows looking straight down in total confusion and disbelief. Hahaha. I guess it pays to understand the difference (and significance) between "airspeed" and "ground speed". Absolutely hilarious that was. And definitely my favorite conventional landing. As it turns out, nobody else was in the pattern or inbound at the time, so I was tempted to stop there for a couple minutes, just for fun... and just to see whether my passengers would eventually settle down. But that just didn't seem right and I worried that ATC might eventually get annoyed, so I gradually let the airplane very slowly descend straight down to the runway. But ever since I've always wished I stayed 100 feet above the runway for a couple minutes longer, just to see whether my passengers would eventually realize all was fine and settle down.
I won't mention my favorite landing in totally wild, crazy, insane places on mountain ridges, mountaintops and other wacky spots in "the bush". :-)
Yeah, as a solo student pilot flying a three leg x-country i came in to land with a strong head wind flying a cessna 150. 20% flaps, 1500rpm, looking good, runway was perpendicular to a fairly wide river abt .5 miles away. At about forty feet that wind stopped, i dropped like a rock, added full power in a split second, didnt hit hard but got a good bounce, eased the throttle back and landed nicely. Im guessing it must have been 30knt headwind. So..strong head wind, come in fast, fly down to 5 ft, if the wind stops, you stay on the ground first time. Had a 28knt crosswind in the same plane on different day at a latter date, no flaps, slipped it in, plenty of air speed, greased her down on one wheel, leveled wings, smooth as butter. I will say the runway was big enough for a small jet, which gave me forever to do it right, but a go around wasnt something a wanted to do. This was before i was old enough to get a learners permit to drive, you had to be 16. 1/2 for that, only 16 to solo a plane which i did on my 16th birthday. But.. The best flying i ever did was a paraglider, around 43yrs. That is everything, but no room for the slightest error in misjudging the wind. Those days are long gone. Be safe out there, and live to tell the story.
Funny. I distinctly remember learning in grade school that a plane can fly backward if the headwind is strong enough. But even knowing that, it would still be pretty freaky to hover 100' above the runway.
@@mllrgrnt Yes; I've watched J-3s go backwards over the runway before; rather impressive. (and maybe not the best judgement of the pilot to be flying that day)
I think I can beat that sort of. I have flown gliders in the past (i'm too much of a fat git now) and on my 3rd training flight we were coming in to the grass strip and as the landing conditions were so easy and I was showing aptitude (I had done a lot of time on simulators so knew what all the instruments were) the instructor said I could bring the aircraft to 50 feet then he would take over. Our ground speed must have been less than 10mph because of the head wind then the wind picked up - a lot and from gently going down we ended up climbing - backwards. Needless to say I did not have a clue what to do. The instructor was laughing his head off after we landed but it was difficult to get below the fast moving air even for him. It was funny being in an aircraft going backwards and climbing though. Next time we did not go in a glider optimised for high altitude.
Not a pilot and have never been on a plane but I think that would be awesome to experience just from a physics standpoint.
"It wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the co-pilot's fault... it was the asphalt!" Actual announcement by a flight crew member after a hard landing at PBI.
omg😂
I’ve heard that one at Fort Lauderdale and Fort Worth 😂
PBI is the smallest international airport in the Miami metropolitan area. Yet i see Air Force One there so much
I’m an aviation enthusiast but am afraid of heights and don’t think I could ever learn to be a pilot. I love great machines.
Great channel Kelsey 👍😎
I remember being told (ex CAA LAME here) that a firm arrival was preferred in order to get the squat switches made to allow good stuff like the ground spoilers, brakes and reverse thrust operating ASAP.
I'm not a pilot, and I woudn't have really said I was an "aviation enthusiast," but you're kind of turning me into one with your videos. ;-) They're fun, personable, clear, and always interesting. Keep up the good work, and here's wishing you success both in the air and on the 'Tube.
Perfect description.
Thanks Bill, glad you are enjoying them and hopefully you have been making it to the end on some of these to see the bloopers...
"Well, you found it". Height of sarcasm bordering on dark humor.
Flew into Portland Oregon (KPDX) from Houston. Exceptional landing, very smooth. Exiting, the FA was standing at the door with the Captain. I thanked him for a great flight with the best landing I had experienced, and he smiled. Then I said, "by the way, your left turn signal has been on since we left Houston." The pilot lost his smile and the FA burst out laughing.
My first landing with my instructor, and having 10 hrs in my log, the biggest smile for me was when I landed, un-assisted, I heard on the headset… “greased”… I got so excited I missed my first taxi exit point!! Lol we both laughed! Great channel!!
"Young man", asked the elderly lady when passing the captain while getting off the plane, "have we landed, or were we shot down?".
I love his humour...4:12
"Ask me how I know." *intently stares into camera*
I think a fun addition to your videos would be to read aviation memes, and then you explaining them; for every profession I think they work great
Pax here, landing in vegas on Allegiant during a sideways sandstorm at night, the plane crabbed in, I could see the runway out my window til just before we touched, and when we touched, a super glassy smooth pull to the right as I felt us slow and watched the sand go from front to back, to side to side! I asked which pilot landed as they were standing at the exit, and the f/o, a gal about 5ft tall said she had. I told her that was an amazing bit of flying there, to crab it in so smoothly. I think I made her day.
I like rough landings. It is like a free roller coaster ride at the end of your flight!
Good video bud.
😂 I know some FAs I used to fly with that loved the turbulence... everyone is different I guess... at least if you are sleeping and you have a hard landing you know its time to wake up.
Same
Yeah, that's why I like some turbulence during flight.
Same here. When I went on holiday to Japan the landing at Narita Airport was kind of cool to be honest. The runway was really wet so when the wheels touched the ground the plane started to shift a little from side to side. Seeing all the heads in the cabin moving with the plane was priceless XD.
@@RedFighterNL honnestly, I only went on 4 flights my entire life, but I loved every take off and landing, it kind of feels like the start and stop of a rollercoaster.... only wished they had done a high g manouvre like a looping...
1:48: Landing Firm on Purpose
Ryanair: This .. does put a smile to my face
Lmbo, that teleporting hoodie LUL
2:16 hit and rolled forward? Sounds like someones familiar with free running :P
Loved the bloopers at the end too, definitely include more of those in the future LUL
Flying private small helicopter, the "float" (ground effect) could make it hard to settle onto the ground smoothly, especially in gusting winds. Coming in on a smooth glide to a hover and felt like you had to push the collective clear to the floor.
Harder landing, Navy pilot; long, slow landing, Air Force. 😂
Ed G Power yup that is true. I work at a place that trains military pilots to fly AirTran. The carrier guys always slam down on the runway when they first come to school.
Best landing I was on was in a 747 into LAX. I didn't even feel us touch down, I was like "Damn, nice landing" Then I saw the Captain, a petite woman. I was very impressed.
Joe M I’m not sure what you are getting at with your comment? I have flown with a number of male and female pilots and I can honestly say that I have witnessed more professionalism and less ego with female pilots. Being able to fly competently has nothing to do with gender. Ego plays a larger part in the equation.
and how do you know she made the landing? there's 2 in the cockpit you know.
Favorite landing was a Cessna 172 landing on the big boy runway, 30R, at SJC (San Jose CA). We normally land on 29 which is a small parallel rw to 30L and 30R used by the passenger jets. One this day they cleared me into 30R for whatever reason. Extra exciting was taxiing between two Southwest jets, kind of surreal.
My favorite landing was on 737 coming into Cape Town, lots of crosswind and the pilot was really struggling, engines was spooling up and down several times.
My favorite flights was on DC3 (modified) military transport, we knew some of the pilots and we were able to fly through turbulence on our way back home instead of avoiding them. (Of course also a favorite thing to do when bringing brand new recruits through for the first time).