A serious incident or accident is frequently preceded by a series of minor events or mistakes that line up to cause the accident. The trick is to break the chain. You bounced on landing and without hesitation went around which broke a potential chain and was absolutely the right thing to do. Good airmanship as far as I am concerned. Thank you for sharing, examples like this are educational and just might help to save an accident some day.
All we want is perfect landings. I'm always hard on myself when I do a non-perfect landing. I always try to figure out what i did wrong. I think i don't "flare" enough, and that I am a little bit fast. How many hours does it take to always achieve those perfect landings?
Hi Jon. Greetings from an American cousin who also spells it Jon and who also own a PA-28-181. Small world isn't it! I've bounced in quite a few landings over the years myself and know the feeling. I too have had to go around a few times. Fortunately we learn from our mistakes and keep going, hopefully to continue to improve. Thanks for the great video and also the visit to the little grass strip with the new visitor quarters installed. Looks like a great place to visit. Cheers!
Jon showing mistakes and how you learnt from them helps us all to be better pilots - I've never encountered birds before on the runway for example and so this will greatly help me should I encounter them in the future - all very useful. Just don't let it beat you up.
Well John, in my humble opinion that was not so bad so do not be too hard on yourself as we have all been there at least once. The nain thing is your judgement & decision making was actually spot on on final. You had spotted one problem and nentally prepared for the go around already anyway as you articulated. Yes the better option would have been an overhead join with potentially an overflight of the runway, Other than that you did alright buddy.
I think you are being hard on yourself , although flat the landing looked soft and you went around making a good job of it If that’s the worse thing that happened on such a long trip then you did very well Keep it up
More of a skip than a bounce, wasn’t it? I went back and watched it again, you barely compressed the oleo struts. If you were unhappy with that landing, you’re going to hate taildraggers 🤣
@@TheFlyingReporter Very few things in life provide as much tactile pleasure as a perfectly executed greased-on one-wheel-at-a-time crosswind wheel landing in a taildragger. You touch down, roll out, taxi off and think, "Good god, I think I need a tissue."
Great video, thanks! BTW, flying in France, I was taught to ALWAYS join overhead when the terrain is not controlled (I think this actually is a regulatory obligation here). As mentioned by others, that always gives a good and safe overview of the terrain, potential risks, and helps safely preparing the approach and the landing. However, you had a very adapted and efficient reaction after bouncing... Thanks for making the mistake, that's a great reminder for those watching the video! :) And thanks for the tour of this nice airfield / hut!
There seems to be 2 parts to this for me. The actions and the emotion. The actions and decisions are fine, stuff happens and you handled it well. It was the anger ("I F**d up"), that seemed to me to be the biggest issue. It robs you of your confidence and consequently causes doubt and then the rot creeps in. I know its easy to sit here afterwards and be pointey fingered but the problem is not the problem. Love your work.
What a great comment. It really is the focusing on the mistake and not letting it go that can cause the real issue. Really appreciate, Jon, that you put yourself out there like this. I actually learned something today.
Actually going around from a poor landing is something worth practicing. I don't mean touch and goes either as these are preconceived and include a (hopefully) good landing. The danger with bad landings are that the Pilot often presses on in the hope that it will eventually stop bouncing and land. But this also results in many accidents. The biggest problem is making the decision to go around at the first sign of things going wrong, and then, you will be getting airborne again at a relatively low speed, and this is where careful management is needed. Before climbing away, airspeed must be built up by holding the aircraft down at low level until it's safe to ease back on the controls and start climbing. Well done Jon, you did it perfectly!
Its so refreshing to see somebody who is honest about their experiences. I have recently started to get back into flying and watching your videos has helped me to get the feel for it again. Superb camera work, crystal clear audio and great production make it a pleasure to watch!
Having followed you for a long while I know you have High Standards when it comes to flying. As I have said before, you showing your mistakes will help so many other pilots still learning to fly, grasp the importance of Planning in this instance. I respect your honesty and you rescued the situation very well. Respect 👍
I too have made these same errors in judgement when flying. It’s easy to forget to treat every flight as important as the next. Yes, you should have joined overhead. However, a reckless pilot does what you did and thinks it was right. A good/safe pilot does what you did and learns from the error in judgement. Well done for acknowledging the error and being brave enough to share it. Also, excellent decision making on the go around. Again, it would have been easy to ‘force’ a landing... but you made the right call. Great job and thank you for sharing.
Pilots with thousands of hours who fly jets of millions of pounds worth also sometimes do bumpy landings. It’s not an embarrassment for the pilot. Such incidences may occur due to variety of reasons such as weather, mental fatigue etc.
I appreciate people who post their mistakes online with a debrief. It takes a lot of guts to put yourself out there. I'm a student pilot about ready for my checkride. I know videos like this will make me a safer and better pilot. Thank you.
That wasn't a bounce Jon, it was just a grass field skip and easily managed with a touch more back pressure. Didn't even need a blip of power, just don't push forward !! The 2nd landing was at almost the same pitch as the first so maybe something to think about? That said, If in doubt go around, is ALWAYS the right decision ! I was having problems landing after the lockdown lay-off and it took me longer than it should have to realise that I was not looking to the end of the runway. Such a basic "muscle memory" thing to forget, but I did!
Nothing wrong with the right base join as you were clear with your blind calls from 6+ miles out. However, the overhead join, although not suggested in Pooley's plates is in the AFE plate. An unhelpful confliction which should be addressed by the airfield owner. A low pass could have been a good idea if you had any doubts that the runway area had potential hazards. This would have given everyone a heads up. Birds will always try and avoid aircraft , they want to go home for tea and medals too so, hold your attitude and track. The go around was a good call and carried out without hesitation all in all, 9/10 You are right, prior planning would have avoided some of your "errors". An ex naval test pilot recently said to me, '...aim to work at 60/70% capacity, leaving the rest for emergencies and decisions on the hoof'. A few years ago i went to Sywell. i briefed myself the runway was going to be 21R and only 21, after all it always is...isn't it? When i arrived it had changed to the 600m grass Rwy23....yikes! As i approached i couldn't work out the overhead join for that runway, so i climbed to 3000', told the tower i had an issue and departed 5 miles to the north and set myself up in an orbit. I gathered my thoughts and after 5 mins headed back to execute a perfect short field landing. When you've saturated your mental capacity, play safe; forget about any embarrassment you may be feeling and live to fly another day!
I admire you for sharing your flights which didn’t meet the the standards that you set. I have a saying which is “you’re only as good as your next flight” whats gone before doesn’t mean a thing. This is true of driving too of course. You remind us that a safe flight or drive is never guaranteed. Your honesty & willingness to share your successes & fails is admirable Jon. I think you were a bit hard on yourself overall. Well done on the go round decision. Biggest lesson I learnt in my aviation career was never try to make a landing out of a bad approach or flare & that’s exactly what you did.👍
Hi Jon, another really good education video. You’re really hard on your self but you do that to better yourself and be safe! I also have number of times not planned my arrival at airfields correctly! It haunts me for days !! Thank you for sharing :-) Hope to see you at EGLK soon. Chris
John great decision the go around Passed my PPL last Thursday my PFL was into the airfield so actually had to land it that was testing. I did manage it and rea.y enjoyed the skills test You have inspired me over the last 18 months through all my training
The safest airspace around an uncontrolled airfield is midfield at or above pattern altitude. I find it a good practice to always avoid a straight in approach, or a direct to downwind approach to an airfield. You did ask for constructive criticism and so I would simply say that it did not seem that you practiced a soft field takeoff, nor a soft field landing, at either of these unimproved airfields. That said, bravo for sharing this content. I have made and continue to make mistakes as a pilot but I do not share them with the world so kudos to you sir.
My 2 cents... regardless of how minor the bounce appears after us having the chance to review the footage, there was no hesitation in the decision to go around which is great. I'm an analyzing hesitator myself with a bad habit of salvaging every landing, which is something I need to change if I want to become an old pilot. I've had a number of diversions in the last couple weeks to airports just 3-4 minutes from my original target which created some challenging situations from being flustered or unprepared. If there's any feedback to give you.... wait until you're on the ground before you get upset with yourself, a few f bombs on the go around could contribute to the 'series of minor events', especially if flying complex aircraft.
Well we all make mistakes. I like to join over head but having flown in Scotland my method if I am early in to a field is to fly a low pass to check runway and hope to get the birds away (it works some times). The thing is not to let it get to you when you don't get it right but reflect on it when on the ground (do not add to your thoughts in the air, just re-plan, do not dwell). It is the short flights that catch most pilots and the video is a good reminder that the most critical planning parts of a flight are departure and arrival.
I admire your commitment to perfection, nothing wrong with that at all, especially in aviation. In any event, you were the pilot flying, no one else, so you made the call as you saw it i.e. the safe call :-)
Hi Jon, I made the exact same mistake of not respecting a short flight enough. Coincidentally, it was at your departure airfield in this video, Newhall Mains, returning from a short dinner trip to Dornoch Castle. I shared my mistake which although a different one, had interesting parallels. A video of that is in my UA-cam channel "Fying out for Dinner" I agree that sharing our flights on UA-cam is an immensely effective way of learning from others' feedback. Thanks for another great video.
Nothing to add!! You seem like you've debriefed perfectly. Filming and editing this gives you an even better chance to analyze your performance. I was told the day you stop learning is the day you should stop flying haha, clearly it's something you've learned from. Looks like a lovely little airfield to visit and an overnight stop there would be pretty cool! Fun little staycation for any pilot in the UK!
Great video!! I thought you did the correct thing--you initiated a go around. Recently, a pilot at our airport did not do that on a botched landing, ended up porpoising, lost control and died in the subsequent crash. YOU DID THE RIGHT THING.
[schoolboy sneer] My bounce was bigger than yours! [ /schoolboy sneer] Truly, it was! A combination of energy bleed off, a slight negative windsheer and being too high when I was "touching down" gave my instructor a mild fit as we dropped about 3-4 ft onto the runway and then launched up again (he told me I was too high...). Thankfully, I gave it a heap of throttle and returned to flying before very gingerly easing down for a smooth landing about 1000ft further than anticipated (6000ft runway). This triggered interest in the unfamiliar surroundings as he dryly said" OOh, haven't been down here for years!" I've never landed on grass, so I think your go-around was infinitely preferable to a deep groove in the runway lined with bits of undercarriage & other aero accoutrements... well done!
There was nothing wrong with the initial landing attempt, you bounced but it’s not dangerous at all to bounce and happens to the best pilots, you realised that it wasn’t worth trying to salvage it and made the correct decision to go around. I actually had a similar experience today on my qualifying cross country into Wellesbourne, I bounced hard on landing and made the decision to go around almost instinctively. I had flown in from Leicester and I heard a familiar voice on frequency - were you at Leicester on 14 Jun 2021 by any chance? Sounded exactly like you!
You did fine... Do your fields get muddy, ever? I've flown a Cherokee on grass fields many times, but usually the one I fly for that doesn't have wheel pants. I do love grass runways. I was expecting a giant bounce! Not sure what your speed was, but just seemed a bit flat to me. You were ready, rightly, to go around and did that very well. The only negative I saw was as you said, putting yourself against the downwind traffic. In the US, some people extend downwind pretty far, so that's a bit dangerous. Either overhead, as you mentioned, or just go far wide left, turn right, and enter the downwind at a 45. At least that's a reasonable procedure in the US for an uncontrolled field. Another option is a straight in approach. Legal here, generally frowned upon for VFR, but OK when there's no other traffic around.
Nobody is perfect, you handled it well enough though. Interested to find out why the birds were so keen on the threshold with fields of crops all around. I had the pleasure of a hands on flight in a Harvard with CHAA in Ontario back in 1990, 50 Dollars Canadian for an hour. Best of luck with your Harvard training.
I'm just starting to learn to fly. I really hope watching your fantastic videos such as these will make me a better pilot. Absolutely the right thing to do in going around, and kudos for sharing it with us. Keep up the fantastic work sir. :)
I fly mainly into hard runways in the south of France: although the rule book is go around if in doubt, I would have recovered from that small bounce with a quick jab of the throttle keeping the aircraft off the ground and nose up, which I was always taught to do on grass: with almost a kilometre of runway you had plenty of distance. But that said if in doubt..... and you are the pilot on the day, and made the right call.
Nothing wrong with decisive action and a go around. As my instructor said as he climbed out of the plane to let me solo, "Don't be afraid of a go around. If you have to go around, it is absolutely fine. I'd rather see you go around than anything else...but a good landing of course." Didn't need one that day, but I have since. No shame...it's good skill. Thank for sharing.
You could fill up the shock absorber in the front a bit. It looks okay but especially now, when we have a high temperature volatility it loss pressure very fast...
Did the same a month or so ago. Captain kangaroo was in command. So before he wrecked my nose gear I took control and went around. This was at my home strip. It happens. You made the right choice. 2 very nice airfields
The dangerous folks are those who don't learn from their mistakes or admit them. Looked like pretty good airmanship there. Prompt go around is the right decision every time.
Good decision so far as I’m concerned, especially at a field you didn’t know. I have kept a ‘little black book’ since I started flying 30 years ago. In it I record the sorts of mistakes, poor decisions or poor airmanship which we all do from time to time. It makes me reflect after the event, takes the emotion away and converts it into fact, and makes fascinating reading down the years. That I am still on the book that I started and have a few pages left to fill indicates that it’s probably had the desired effect!
If I was to be picky about anything on this video it would be that your landing was on all three wheels at once and not just on the mains with the nose wheel held off. Mind you, not all my landings are perfect either.
To be honest a bit daft to be so hard on yourself for that. Everyone wants perfection on every flight, but even Sully himself can't achieve that on every occasion. Looked like an easy mistake that anyone could make and then a correct decision to go around.
After Seeing the birds and your decision to go around rather than porpoise down the runway was wise. You did a great job and shouldn't be too hard on yourself. Stay safe and healthy.
Before watching, let me share my opinion that all pilots should be as open as you about their mistakes. If we all learn from each other, we'll all be safer.
Thank you for sharing your story with such honesty. We’ve all make mistake the important thing is that you recognised it and went around. As others have commented it was a number of little things adding up but you broke the cycle by making the quick call to go around.
Your flying and communications are fantastic. Its great to see that you are human every now and again. You are teaching more than you can imagine. I am about midway through my ppl and I have picked up so much from your videos. Thank you so much for all your hard work!
Hi Jon - I bounced into halfpenny yesterday, just a small bounce and a bit of a float as 22 slopes away. Kicked myself about it but after that first little bounce knew I would be going around if she didn’t settle on the next.... which she did. All to be seen in the next video. I like how you said on short final “prepare to go around”. I like that and I will start doing that myself because it focus’ the mind that landing will be a bonus but you are planning to go around. Don’t be hard on yourself.
It looked like, with all the on-the-hoof route planning and the added distraction of the way you entered the circuit, you were at your mental limit and then the birds tipped you over. The measure is how you dealt with it, with a prompt and unequivocal go-around and you didn't let them faze you on the second approach.
@@TheFlyingReporter It's a pleasure, I always learn something new from your videos and it's both refreshing and educational when you debrief your errors like this. It helps me think about my own flying and how I would handle those situations.
Aviation is all about ongoing learning from experiences and it is testament to the quality of your content that you have posted this video. Thanks for being so honest and willing to share your experiences with us. Ultimately your prompt reaction and action then taken is a mark of your airmanship.
I once ‘bounced ‘ a 172 at Gold Coast International Airport (used to be Coolangatta) on Australia’s east coast. ATC had asked me to do a quick, low level circuit as an A320 was on downwind and they wanted me out of the way ASAP. Anyway, I bounced not once, but twice before announcing I was ‘going around’. “Wise decision” said the man in the tower. Ah, Aussies!
Jon, these things happen. Preparations, okay, always do. The actual 1st landing attempt was influenced by two external factors, so a go-around was maybe a good idea even sooner. For the bounce, was it maybe a result of an unintended pitch change, with a increase of speed then..? Not sure because it's hard to see in the video. Anyway, your reaction was the only right one...a third bounce could have a bad ending. Thanks for sharing!
You are punishing yourself to much this was a genuine reason to be taken away from other influences and going around was best option I have just started to learn to fly and your videos and bens have been a great help to me
Good de-brief.....over head joins are best bet it gives you an opportunity to do a reconnaissance of the rwy state/windsock/other items of note....but hey thats flying for you....the go around was the only option under those circumstances...well flown i'd have no proble flying with you....cheers!!!
I think it's way more important that you're good at going around whenever necessary (as you did) than it is to land perfectly every time. Great video Jon, seems there's lots of great overnight spots up in Scotland!
Don't beat yourself up too much. No two landings are the same. No pilot is perfect - few admit their mistakes. Any doubts, going around is always the right decision. Keep up the good work.
Yeah Jon I think u were waay too hard on yourself-distraction with the birds, no PAPI/VASI and hardly a bounce. Personally my quest for the “perfect” ie error-free flight has yet to be realised in 23 years since certification...
Thanks Douglas. I think we'd had such a perfect trip up to Scotland, that I was a bit complacent on this flight. Nevertheless, makes for interesting learning content.
You are being very hard on yourself... For me.. nothing wrong with the join. I would’ve done the same thing. You knew you were the first aircraft of the day, no one else on the radio. Why waste time? No problem with the go-around either. So what... you are only human! Good decision. Bringing emotion into it in my opinion is a recipe for actual poor decisions and mistakes. Good job!
Ultimately you took the right course of action and landed safely. As a student, your videos have been invaluable. I had my first solo last weekend and much of my 'ground school' has come from watching your highs and lows, good parts and mistakes. You're an inspiration!
Well done, fantastic example of real world ADM. I appreciate you for sharing your mishaps and mistakes. This particular one reminds me why I’ve trained to join the upwind leg or cross above to join downwind on such occasions in order to get a good view of the field. Knowing in advance about the birds and other distractions and potential hazards keeps us as unsurprised as possible when things don’t go as planned. Thank you 🙏🏼
Right call on the go around for sure. Agree with your observation that joining the pattern in opposite direction to likely traffic flow (even though there wasn’t any traffic) maybe not the smartest decision and would have benefitted from a bit more prior planning. The standard UK overhead join isn’t always the best solution, but in this case it would have resolved that problem. At quiet rural airstrips it is worth considering a prior planned and announced low pass down the runway to move the birds, deer, walkers and people on quad bikes before making a circuit to land. Nothing to beat yourself up about though - overall good ADM!
Well done ! Again you are honest and genuine enough to show us your shortcomings - often the trait of a person who seeks to improve themselves - you are to be commended. The landing is nothing out of the ordinary - you went around. Never a bad call. The situational awareness (or loss thereof) on approach is rather more troubling - but happily no harm, no foul. You realise all of the above. I'm so pleased you have never seen some of my landings !!! I often think its a good thing when I land long (& badly) ....... less people to hold their heads in their hands (hopefully). Much appreciated as always.
Well done Jon! You self de briefed it perfectly and demonstrated great decision making in going around (Or executing a baulked landing as I would term it.). Once the wheels have touched the ground it's very easy just to accept it and try and sort it out. I'm going to point my club members to this video, not as an example of what not to do but as a great example of what TO do!
The go-around was the right instinct and the right decision. As you said, it's important to give every flight the kind of planning and respect it deserves. It's good to have confidence as a pilot, but not complacency. Over prepare, never rush yourself and you will do well.
I think "I fucked up basically, I fucked up. I got distracted by the fucking birds" needs to go on a t-shirt :) but, don't be too hard on yourself. You can go around as many times as you like, you only get to crash once.
In the chat when inbound you thought it would be a good idea to have an overflight to check the runway and windsock? Why did you shelve this idea? The windsock at the threshold of 24 indicated that 06 was a downwind landing? I don't know whether this will have contributed to the bounce on landing and it's fifty years since I trained on the JP4 so I doubt if I'm qualified to comment. Well done on taking it round!!
Hi Don. I hadn't really thought carefully enough about this flight, and hence made it up as I went along. The view of the windsock in the video is an illusion. I've re-checked the footage from a different angle as we pass the windsock, and it is favouring 06. Thanks for watching.
Been a while since I flew Single engine stuff as I fly commercially now. Only critique I can draw from this is that given the short nature of the flight a little more prior work on the arrival aerodrome would've done wonders, usually a scrap of paper with a few notes or drawings would help you to assess the arrival you wanted to fly in. Otherwise you made the correct decision to go around promptly and flew it well. Birds always pose a startle or distraction risk so don't beat yourself up about the flat bounce, it happens and you made the correct decision. When flying with birds around me now I try to make sure I look through the birds to keep on path to the runway and watch engine instruments as they pass. If you're going to hit them, you'll know about it. The biggest risk they'll typically pose in approach is the loss of the flight path/situational awareness, and in the event you hit them going around may become a tricky decision to make if you've got damage, whereas if you're able to still make the runway safely that risk is reduced and the landing becomes easier. Otherwise a great video as always, nicely flown and good prompt corrective decision making.. allow yourself to make mistakes, accept it as an experience and don't get frustrated by it. Best advice I can give
Good call on the go around. Also that wasn't even a bad landing compared to some I see in the GA communi. You clearly have very high standards as this whole flight looked fantastic. Well done.
I guess the only thing to say has already been said. Take things in your stride in the air, focussing for some part on giving yourself a telling off while trying to plan and configure your second approach can only detract from your performance. To be fair you hadn't done anything that deserved that level of self critcism. Look foward to seeing you flying the Harvard. Hope your well otherwise John.
wrong way in the circuit was a big mistake. The bounce and subsequent go-around is pretty standard (at least it is for me). As always you are super critical and brave enough to share your mistakes. Good on you for doing that.
Don’t be over critical, we all make mistakes, you are very honest about all of yours and share them for others to learn. The go around was a good choice from my perspective, you showed great decision making by having it ready and available to you so that was clear motor function and responsive. Nice to overfly before landing but not always available as not every approach allows overhead joins, birds will be birds they love playing chicken. Best of all you are human and vent your frustrations with them and yourself 😂
Wouldn't be bothered about the landing at all, but you are right to critique your approach to the airfield more - not having a plan on where to enter the pattern, and whether (and how) you are going to do a wind check, etc. probably ultimately led to the slightly off-focus landing anyway, rather than any poor technique in the landing itself (which honestly wasn't that bad anyway).
You're terribly hard on yourself - that might cause you more problems - by stressing yourself - than the mini error. My instructor told me no swearing in the plane ever (we both swear plenty outside) - a question of not sounding good /professional if transmitting inadvertently
Great video and very honest. The learning never stops and after a flight it is always good to ask your self what you can take away from it. Birds are unpredictable as you noticed. A bounce can happen and can have many different causes. What I did notice was that you decided to go straight in but still broke left to follow a lefthand base leg. You self announced correctly and no other traffic was heard. Based on your decision to go straight in maybe breaking left and than flying left base was a decision that made things more complicated. 10 out of 10 for honesty and self analysis which is great airmanship!
Jan. It's a pleasure to have someone with your experience helping me feedback this flight. It didn't match my usual preparedness, hence why it all fell apart a bit. Hope to see you soon at Redhill..
Hi, yup definitely being way too hard on yourself, call that a bounce? There have been times when I'd have called that a greaser! The only honest and polite point I would make is that once you do something you're not proud of, for whatever reason, stick it in a box and close the lid, don't open it up until you're back on the ground, parked and with the engine shut down!
Jon, I feel you should be applauded for videos like this. I would say you made no mistakes just explored a series of learning opportunities. If you spent 3 months planning this short flight you would never have factored in birds at one end of the runway and a moving vehicle at the other! When the moment came to make a split second decision on a go around your airmanship kicked in and the right decision made.
What you demonstrated Jon was fantastic airmanship, the landing was screwed up as a result of external issues and you threw the landing away and went around as you should have done, just remember how many professionals do that each year at London Gatwick alone, so you should be proud of yourself mate not upset!!!
You definitely did the right procedure of going around! A bounced landing Could become Pilot induced oscillations that can be hazardous to Plane and health. The only thing I can judge from this video is that you were possibly going a little too fast on final and when touching down bounced back into the air. If you were at the exact touch down speed your stall warning should just start beeping as your wheels touch the grass, then no bounce just rolling onto the grass would have occurred.
Thanks Daniel. Yes, too fast, because I didn't round out properly and bleed any speed off, just landed flat.. Speed over the threshold was by the book.
A serious incident or accident is frequently preceded by a series of minor events or mistakes that line up to cause the accident. The trick is to break the chain. You bounced on landing and without hesitation went around which broke a potential chain and was absolutely the right thing to do. Good airmanship as far as I am concerned. Thank you for sharing, examples like this are educational and just might help to save an accident some day.
Thank you.
I fully agree with RJPick1...
All we want is perfect landings. I'm always hard on myself when I do a non-perfect landing. I always try to figure out what i did wrong. I think i don't "flare" enough, and that I am a little bit fast. How many hours does it take to always achieve those perfect landings?
Hi Jon. Greetings from an American cousin who also spells it Jon and who also own a PA-28-181. Small world isn't it! I've bounced in quite a few landings over the years myself and know the feeling. I too have had to go around a few times. Fortunately we learn from our mistakes and keep going, hopefully to continue to improve. Thanks for the great video and also the visit to the little grass strip with the new visitor quarters installed. Looks like a great place to visit. Cheers!
Thanks for watching Jon.
Jon showing mistakes and how you learnt from them helps us all to be better pilots - I've never encountered birds before on the runway for example and so this will greatly help me should I encounter them in the future - all very useful. Just don't let it beat you up.
Thanks Nigel. I’ve calmed down now!
Well John, in my humble opinion that was not so bad so do not be too hard on yourself as we have all been there at least once.
The nain thing is your judgement & decision making was actually spot on on final.
You had spotted one problem and nentally prepared for the go around already anyway as you articulated.
Yes the better option would have been an overhead join with potentially an overflight of the runway,
Other than that you did alright buddy.
Thanks Sean.
I think you are being hard on yourself , although flat the landing looked soft and you went around making a good job of it
If that’s the worse thing that happened on such a long trip then you did very well
Keep it up
Thanks Matt.
Your honesty is greatly appreciated John. Edit: Permission to show you the exact same bounce I did in my aircraft when my video is released John?
More of a skip than a bounce, wasn’t it? I went back and watched it again, you barely compressed the oleo struts. If you were unhappy with that landing, you’re going to hate taildraggers 🤣
I'm just learning tailwheel now, and yes, I am beginning to accept some interesting bounces.
@@TheFlyingReporter Very few things in life provide as much tactile pleasure as a perfectly executed greased-on one-wheel-at-a-time crosswind wheel landing in a taildragger.
You touch down, roll out, taxi off and think, "Good god, I think I need a tissue."
Drama Queen
That's me.
Great video, thanks!
BTW, flying in France, I was taught to ALWAYS join overhead when the terrain is not controlled (I think this actually is a regulatory obligation here). As mentioned by others, that always gives a good and safe overview of the terrain, potential risks, and helps safely preparing the approach and the landing.
However, you had a very adapted and efficient reaction after bouncing... Thanks for making the mistake, that's a great reminder for those watching the video! :)
And thanks for the tour of this nice airfield / hut!
Thanks for watching Nitram.
Nitram Onze Yes we always do a reconnaissance vertical of the terrain, and then an eloignement that allows for a less stressful approach.
There seems to be 2 parts to this for me. The actions and the emotion. The actions and decisions are fine, stuff happens and you handled it well. It was the anger ("I F**d up"), that seemed to me to be the biggest issue. It robs you of your confidence and consequently causes doubt and then the rot creeps in. I know its easy to sit here afterwards and be pointey fingered but the problem is not the problem. Love your work.
Interesting. Thanks.
What a great comment. It really is the focusing on the mistake and not letting it go that can cause the real issue. Really appreciate, Jon, that you put yourself out there like this. I actually learned something today.
Actually going around from a poor landing is something worth practicing. I don't mean touch and goes either as these are preconceived and include a (hopefully) good landing.
The danger with bad landings are that the Pilot often presses on in the hope that it will eventually stop bouncing and land. But this also results in many accidents. The biggest problem is making the decision to go around at the first sign of things going wrong, and then, you will be getting airborne again at a relatively low speed, and this is where careful management is needed.
Before climbing away, airspeed must be built up by holding the aircraft down at low level until it's safe to ease back on the controls and start climbing.
Well done Jon, you did it perfectly!
thank you.
Its so refreshing to see somebody who is honest about their experiences. I have recently started to get back into flying and watching your videos has helped me to get the feel for it again. Superb camera work, crystal clear audio and great production make it a pleasure to watch!
Thanks Martin.
The birds have got a UA-cam channel where they post their battle of wits with you. Oh they laughed when you went around ... ;-)
Love this comment Jonathan!
Funny comment, on the more serious side though, the birds wouldn't laugh when one of them was hit, I am sure.
Having followed you for a long while I know you have High Standards when it comes to flying. As I have said before, you showing your mistakes will help so many other pilots still learning to fly, grasp the importance of Planning in this instance. I respect your honesty and you rescued the situation very well. Respect 👍
Thanks Stewart.
I too have made these same errors in judgement when flying. It’s easy to forget to treat every flight as important as the next. Yes, you should have joined overhead. However, a reckless pilot does what you did and thinks it was right. A good/safe pilot does what you did and learns from the error in judgement. Well done for acknowledging the error and being brave enough to share it. Also, excellent decision making on the go around. Again, it would have been easy to ‘force’ a landing... but you made the right call. Great job and thank you for sharing.
Pilots with thousands of hours who fly jets of millions of pounds worth also sometimes do bumpy landings. It’s not an embarrassment for the pilot. Such incidences may occur due to variety of reasons such as weather, mental fatigue etc.
Correct decision, correct analysis, what being a good safe pilot is all about.
You really are being too hard on yourself
I appreciate people who post their mistakes online with a debrief. It takes a lot of guts to put yourself out there. I'm a student pilot about ready for my checkride. I know videos like this will make me a safer and better pilot. Thank you.
You handled the landing very well!
Thanks Mike.
Excellent video . Thank you David
Going around is never a bad idea. Gives you more time to think
That wasn't a bounce Jon, it was just a grass field skip and easily managed with a touch more back pressure. Didn't even need a blip of power, just don't push forward !! The 2nd landing was at almost the same pitch as the first so maybe something to think about? That said, If in doubt go around, is ALWAYS the right decision !
I was having problems landing after the lockdown lay-off and it took me longer than it should have to realise that I was not looking to the end of the runway. Such a basic "muscle memory" thing to forget, but I did!
Thanks for the input. Fly safe.
After the first touch down keep the nose up. First rule...
Nothing wrong with the right base join as you were clear with your blind calls from 6+ miles out. However, the overhead join, although not suggested in Pooley's plates is in the AFE plate. An unhelpful confliction which should be addressed by the airfield owner. A low pass could have been a good idea if you had any doubts that the runway area had potential hazards. This would have given everyone a heads up. Birds will always try and avoid aircraft , they want to go home for tea and medals too so, hold your attitude and track. The go around was a good call and carried out without hesitation all in all, 9/10 You are right, prior planning would have avoided some of your "errors". An ex naval test pilot recently said to me, '...aim to work at 60/70% capacity, leaving the rest for emergencies and decisions on the hoof'. A few years ago i went to Sywell. i briefed myself the runway was going to be 21R and only 21, after all it always is...isn't it? When i arrived it had changed to the 600m grass Rwy23....yikes! As i approached i couldn't work out the overhead join for that runway, so i climbed to 3000', told the tower i had an issue and departed 5 miles to the north and set myself up in an orbit. I gathered my thoughts and after 5 mins headed back to execute a perfect short field landing. When you've saturated your mental capacity, play safe; forget about any embarrassment you may be feeling and live to fly another day!
All wise words Andy. Thanks.
I admire you for sharing your flights which didn’t meet the the standards that you set. I have a saying which is “you’re only as good as your next flight” whats gone before doesn’t mean a thing. This is true of driving too of course. You remind us that a safe flight or drive is never guaranteed. Your honesty & willingness to share your successes & fails is admirable Jon. I think you were a bit hard on yourself overall. Well done on the go round decision. Biggest lesson I learnt in my aviation career was never try to make a landing out of a bad approach or flare & that’s exactly what you did.👍
Appreciate the comment and support Michael.
Hi Jon, another really good education video. You’re really hard on your self but you do that to better yourself and be safe! I also have number of times not planned my arrival at airfields correctly! It haunts me for days !! Thank you for sharing :-) Hope to see you at EGLK soon. Chris
Thank you Chris.
John great decision the go around
Passed my PPL last Thursday my PFL was into the airfield so actually had to land it that was testing. I did manage it and rea.y enjoyed the skills test
You have inspired me over the last 18 months through all my training
All Things Pit Bike Well done on your PPL!
Congratulations!
The safest airspace around an uncontrolled airfield is midfield at or above pattern altitude. I find it a good practice to always avoid a straight in approach, or a direct to downwind approach to an airfield. You did ask for constructive criticism and so I would simply say that it did not seem that you practiced a soft field takeoff, nor a soft field landing, at either of these unimproved airfields. That said, bravo for sharing this content. I have made and continue to make mistakes as a pilot but I do not share them with the world so kudos to you sir.
Thank you.
My 2 cents... regardless of how minor the bounce appears after us having the chance to review the footage, there was no hesitation in the decision to go around which is great. I'm an analyzing hesitator myself with a bad habit of salvaging every landing, which is something I need to change if I want to become an old pilot. I've had a number of diversions in the last couple weeks to airports just 3-4 minutes from my original target which created some challenging situations from being flustered or unprepared. If there's any feedback to give you.... wait until you're on the ground before you get upset with yourself, a few f bombs on the go around could contribute to the 'series of minor events', especially if flying complex aircraft.
Thank you.
Well we all make mistakes. I like to join over head but having flown in Scotland my method if I am early in to a field is to fly a low pass to check runway and hope to get the birds away (it works some times). The thing is not to let it get to you when you don't get it right but reflect on it when on the ground (do not add to your thoughts in the air, just re-plan, do not dwell). It is the short flights that catch most pilots and the video is a good reminder that the most critical planning parts of a flight are departure and arrival.
I think a low approach would have been a good idea.
I admire your commitment to perfection, nothing wrong with that at all, especially in aviation. In any event, you were the pilot flying, no one else, so you made the call as you saw it i.e. the safe call :-)
Thanks Paul.
Great video 👍✈️
Hi Jon, I made the exact same mistake of not respecting a short flight enough. Coincidentally, it was at your departure airfield in this video, Newhall Mains, returning from a short dinner trip to Dornoch Castle. I shared my mistake which although a different one, had interesting parallels. A video of that is in my UA-cam channel "Fying out for Dinner" I agree that sharing our flights on UA-cam is an immensely effective way of learning from others' feedback. Thanks for another great video.
Nothing to add!! You seem like you've debriefed perfectly. Filming and editing this gives you an even better chance to analyze your performance. I was told the day you stop learning is the day you should stop flying haha, clearly it's something you've learned from. Looks like a lovely little airfield to visit and an overnight stop there would be pretty cool! Fun little staycation for any pilot in the UK!
Thanks Tom. Appreciate the comment.
@@TheFlyingReporter As soon as I'm allowed I'll get you up!
Strange airfield. Couple of distractions. Dodgy landing. Go around. You made the right decision!
Thanks for sharing. Remember, there are no mistakes, only learning experiences.
Great video!! I thought you did the correct thing--you initiated a go around. Recently, a pilot at our airport did not do that on a botched landing, ended up porpoising, lost control and died in the subsequent crash. YOU DID THE RIGHT THING.
[schoolboy sneer] My bounce was bigger than yours! [ /schoolboy sneer] Truly, it was! A combination of energy bleed off, a slight negative windsheer and being too high when I was "touching down" gave my instructor a mild fit as we dropped about 3-4 ft onto the runway and then launched up again (he told me I was too high...). Thankfully, I gave it a heap of throttle and returned to flying before very gingerly easing down for a smooth landing about 1000ft further than anticipated (6000ft runway). This triggered interest in the unfamiliar surroundings as he dryly said" OOh, haven't been down here for years!"
I've never landed on grass, so I think your go-around was infinitely preferable to a deep groove in the runway lined with bits of undercarriage & other aero accoutrements... well done!
Thanks Steve. I think we've all been there. I love instructors like that!
There was nothing wrong with the initial landing attempt, you bounced but it’s not dangerous at all to bounce and happens to the best pilots, you realised that it wasn’t worth trying to salvage it and made the correct decision to go around.
I actually had a similar experience today on my qualifying cross country into Wellesbourne, I bounced hard on landing and made the decision to go around almost instinctively.
I had flown in from Leicester and I heard a familiar voice on frequency - were you at Leicester on 14 Jun 2021 by any chance? Sounded exactly like you!
You did fine... Do your fields get muddy, ever? I've flown a Cherokee on grass fields many times, but usually the one I fly for that doesn't have wheel pants. I do love grass runways.
I was expecting a giant bounce! Not sure what your speed was, but just seemed a bit flat to me. You were ready, rightly, to go around and did that very well.
The only negative I saw was as you said, putting yourself against the downwind traffic. In the US, some people extend downwind pretty far, so that's a bit dangerous. Either overhead, as you mentioned, or just go far wide left, turn right, and enter the downwind at a 45. At least that's a reasonable procedure in the US for an uncontrolled field. Another option is a straight in approach. Legal here, generally frowned upon for VFR, but OK when there's no other traffic around.
Nobody is perfect, you handled it well enough though. Interested to find out why the birds were so keen on the threshold with fields of crops all around.
I had the pleasure of a hands on flight in a Harvard with CHAA in Ontario back in 1990, 50 Dollars Canadian for an hour. Best of luck with your Harvard training.
I genuinely think there’s no excuse for joining a circuit the wrong way. If in doubt join overhead, it really is quite simple.
I'm just starting to learn to fly. I really hope watching your fantastic videos such as these will make me a better pilot. Absolutely the right thing to do in going around, and kudos for sharing it with us. Keep up the fantastic work sir. :)
I fly mainly into hard runways in the south of France: although the rule book is go around if in doubt, I would have recovered from that small bounce with a quick jab of the throttle keeping the aircraft off the ground and nose up, which I was always taught to do on grass: with almost a kilometre of runway you had plenty of distance. But that said if in doubt..... and you are the pilot on the day, and made the right call.
Nothing wrong with decisive action and a go around. As my instructor said as he climbed out of the plane to let me solo, "Don't be afraid of a go around. If you have to go around, it is absolutely fine. I'd rather see you go around than anything else...but a good landing of course." Didn't need one that day, but I have since. No shame...it's good skill. Thank for sharing.
You could fill up the shock absorber in the front a bit. It looks okay but especially now, when we have a high temperature volatility it loss pressure very fast...
Really helpful video for all aspiring pilots.Thank you.
Did the same a month or so ago. Captain kangaroo was in command. So before he wrecked my nose gear I took control and went around. This was at my home strip. It happens. You made the right choice. 2 very nice airfields
Always better to bounce on landing, than on take off...
John, You are a very good pilot! Better standard than most! Really enjoy your videos they are very informative. I really do enjoy watching.
Thanks James.
The dangerous folks are those who don't learn from their mistakes or admit them. Looked like pretty good airmanship there. Prompt go around is the right decision every time.
Good decision so far as I’m concerned, especially at a field you didn’t know. I have kept a ‘little black book’ since I started flying 30 years ago. In it I record the sorts of mistakes, poor decisions or poor airmanship which we all do from time to time. It makes me reflect after the event, takes the emotion away and converts it into fact, and makes fascinating reading down the years. That I am still on the book that I started and have a few pages left to fill indicates that it’s probably had the desired effect!
That's a great idea.
If I was to be picky about anything on this video it would be that your landing was on all three wheels at once and not just on the mains with the nose wheel held off.
Mind you, not all my landings are perfect either.
To be honest a bit daft to be so hard on yourself for that. Everyone wants perfection on every flight, but even Sully himself can't achieve that on every occasion. Looked like an easy mistake that anyone could make and then a correct decision to go around.
After Seeing the birds and your decision to go around rather than porpoise down the runway was wise. You did a great job and shouldn't be too hard on yourself. Stay safe and healthy.
You are way too hard on yourself. We all f... up the landing from time to time.
Before watching, let me share my opinion that all pilots should be as open as you about their mistakes. If we all learn from each other, we'll all be safer.
Thank you for sharing your story with such honesty. We’ve all make mistake the important thing is that you recognised it and went around. As others have commented it was a number of little things adding up but you broke the cycle by making the quick call to go around.
Inverness is where I trained!! Great too see the firth on your channel!!
oops
not to worry your Quite The Pilot Youll land better next time
OK, overhead join would have been preferable, but go-around was exactly the right decision at that point. Thanks for your openness.
Thanks Jon.
Your flying and communications are fantastic. Its great to see that you are human every now and again. You are teaching more than you can imagine. I am about midway through my ppl and I have picked up so much from your videos. Thank you so much for all your hard work!
Good luck with the rest of the training.
My first touch and go alone was a bump landing I think it’s a roll of honour.
Don’t think I’ve heard you swear that much before! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
Perfect decision though
I usually edit out the worst if my language.
Hi Jon - I bounced into halfpenny yesterday, just a small bounce and a bit of a float as 22 slopes away. Kicked myself about it but after that first little bounce knew I would be going around if she didn’t settle on the next.... which she did.
All to be seen in the next video.
I like how you said on short final “prepare to go around”. I like that and I will start doing that myself because it focus’ the mind that landing will be a bonus but you are planning to go around.
Don’t be hard on yourself.
Thank you. This was definitely a heavier touchdown than I was prepared to tolerate.
It looked like, with all the on-the-hoof route planning and the added distraction of the way you entered the circuit, you were at your mental limit and then the birds tipped you over. The measure is how you dealt with it, with a prompt and unequivocal go-around and you didn't let them faze you on the second approach.
Thanks for watching Ian.
@@TheFlyingReporter It's a pleasure, I always learn something new from your videos and it's both refreshing and educational when you debrief your errors like this. It helps me think about my own flying and how I would handle those situations.
Hi Jon another lovely video I am learning to fly
Aviation is all about ongoing learning from experiences and it is testament to the quality of your content that you have posted this video. Thanks for being so honest and willing to share your experiences with us.
Ultimately your prompt reaction and action then taken is a mark of your airmanship.
Thank you !
Have you run into Craig Ferguson yet?
I once ‘bounced ‘ a 172 at Gold Coast International Airport (used to be Coolangatta) on Australia’s east coast. ATC had asked me to do a quick, low level circuit as an A320 was on downwind and they wanted me out of the way ASAP. Anyway, I bounced not once, but twice before announcing I was ‘going around’. “Wise decision” said the man in the tower.
Ah, Aussies!
Cheeky ATC.
Jon, these things happen. Preparations, okay, always do. The actual 1st landing attempt was influenced by two external factors, so a go-around was maybe a good idea even sooner. For the bounce, was it maybe a result of an unintended pitch change, with a increase of speed then..? Not sure because it's hard to see in the video. Anyway, your reaction was the only right one...a third bounce could have a bad ending. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Bob.
You are punishing yourself to much this was a genuine reason to be taken away from other influences and going around was best option I have just started to learn to fly and your videos and bens have been a great help to me
Thanks for watching.
The immediate go around was a very well decision...
Good de-brief.....over head joins are best bet it gives you an opportunity to do a reconnaissance of the rwy state/windsock/other items of note....but hey thats flying for you....the go around was the only option under those circumstances...well flown i'd have no proble flying with you....cheers!!!
Thanks Richard.
I don't think that anybody could be critical of your action... A decisive decision to go around was the perfect option.. Another great video btw...
Thank you John.
I think it's way more important that you're good at going around whenever necessary (as you did) than it is to land perfectly every time. Great video Jon, seems there's lots of great overnight spots up in Scotland!
Thanks Joe.
Don't beat yourself up too much. No two landings are the same. No pilot is perfect - few admit their mistakes. Any doubts, going around is always the right decision. Keep up the good work.
Thank you Scott.
Yeah Jon I think u were waay too hard on yourself-distraction with the birds, no PAPI/VASI and hardly a bounce. Personally my quest for the “perfect” ie error-free flight has yet to be realised in 23 years since certification...
Thanks Douglas. I think we'd had such a perfect trip up to Scotland, that I was a bit complacent on this flight. Nevertheless, makes for interesting learning content.
You are being very hard on yourself...
For me.. nothing wrong with the join. I would’ve done the same thing. You knew you were the first aircraft of the day, no one else on the radio. Why waste time?
No problem with the go-around either. So what... you are only human! Good decision. Bringing emotion into it in my opinion is a recipe for actual poor decisions and mistakes.
Good job!
Thank you.
Ultimately you took the right course of action and landed safely. As a student, your videos have been invaluable. I had my first solo last weekend and much of my 'ground school' has come from watching your highs and lows, good parts and mistakes. You're an inspiration!
Thank you Scott. Congrats on the solo.
Well done, fantastic example of real world ADM. I appreciate you for sharing your mishaps and mistakes. This particular one reminds me why I’ve trained to join the upwind leg or cross above to join downwind on such occasions in order to get a good view of the field. Knowing in advance about the birds and other distractions and potential hazards keeps us as unsurprised as possible when things don’t go as planned. Thank you 🙏🏼
Thanks for watching.
Right call on the go around for sure. Agree with your observation that joining the pattern in opposite direction to likely traffic flow (even though there wasn’t any traffic) maybe not the smartest decision and would have benefitted from a bit more prior planning. The standard UK overhead join isn’t always the best solution, but in this case it would have resolved that problem. At quiet rural airstrips it is worth considering a prior planned and announced low pass down the runway to move the birds, deer, walkers and people on quad bikes before making a circuit to land. Nothing to beat yourself up about though - overall good ADM!
Thanks John. I think you're right. A low pass would have been the best course of action.
Well done ! Again you are honest and genuine enough to show us your shortcomings - often the trait of a person who seeks to improve themselves - you are to be commended. The landing is nothing out of the ordinary - you went around. Never a bad call. The situational awareness (or loss thereof) on approach is rather more troubling - but happily no harm, no foul. You realise all of the above. I'm so pleased you have never seen some of my landings !!! I often think its a good thing when I land long (& badly) ....... less people to hold their heads in their hands (hopefully). Much appreciated as always.
Thanks Graeme.
Well done Jon! You self de briefed it perfectly and demonstrated great decision making in going around (Or executing a baulked landing as I would term it.). Once the wheels have touched the ground it's very easy just to accept it and try and sort it out. I'm going to point my club members to this video, not as an example of what not to do but as a great example of what TO do!
Thanks for watching John.
The go-around was the right instinct and the right decision. As you said, it's important to give every flight the kind of planning and respect it deserves. It's good to have confidence as a pilot, but not complacency. Over prepare, never rush yourself and you will do well.
Thanks Brian.
I think "I fucked up basically, I fucked up. I got distracted by the fucking birds" needs to go on a t-shirt :)
but, don't be too hard on yourself. You can go around as many times as you like, you only get to crash once.
Mark, that’s such a great idea.
In the chat when inbound you thought it would be a good idea to have an overflight to check the runway and windsock? Why did you shelve this idea? The windsock at the threshold of 24 indicated that 06 was a downwind landing? I don't know whether this will have contributed to the bounce on landing and it's fifty years since I trained on the JP4 so I doubt if I'm qualified to comment. Well done on taking it round!!
Hi Don. I hadn't really thought carefully enough about this flight, and hence made it up as I went along. The view of the windsock in the video is an illusion. I've re-checked the footage from a different angle as we pass the windsock, and it is favouring 06. Thanks for watching.
Been a while since I flew Single engine stuff as I fly commercially now. Only critique I can draw from this is that given the short nature of the flight a little more prior work on the arrival aerodrome would've done wonders, usually a scrap of paper with a few notes or drawings would help you to assess the arrival you wanted to fly in. Otherwise you made the correct decision to go around promptly and flew it well. Birds always pose a startle or distraction risk so don't beat yourself up about the flat bounce, it happens and you made the correct decision. When flying with birds around me now I try to make sure I look through the birds to keep on path to the runway and watch engine instruments as they pass. If you're going to hit them, you'll know about it. The biggest risk they'll typically pose in approach is the loss of the flight path/situational awareness, and in the event you hit them going around may become a tricky decision to make if you've got damage, whereas if you're able to still make the runway safely that risk is reduced and the landing becomes easier. Otherwise a great video as always, nicely flown and good prompt corrective decision making.. allow yourself to make mistakes, accept it as an experience and don't get frustrated by it. Best advice I can give
Great advice. Thank you.
Good call on the go around. Also that wasn't even a bad landing compared to some I see in the GA communi. You clearly have very high standards as this whole flight looked fantastic. Well done.
Thanks John.
I guess the only thing to say has already been said. Take things in your stride in the air, focussing for some part on giving yourself a telling off while trying to plan and configure your second approach can only detract from your performance. To be fair you hadn't done anything that deserved that level of self critcism. Look foward to seeing you flying the Harvard. Hope your well otherwise John.
Thanks Captain.
wrong way in the circuit was a big mistake. The bounce and subsequent go-around is pretty standard (at least it is for me). As always you are super critical and brave enough to share your mistakes. Good on you for doing that.
Thanks Dave.
Don’t be over critical, we all make mistakes, you are very honest about all of yours and share them for others to learn. The go around was a good choice from my perspective, you showed great decision making by having it ready and available to you so that was clear motor function and responsive. Nice to overfly before landing but not always available as not every approach allows overhead joins, birds will be birds they love playing chicken. Best of all you are human and vent your frustrations with them and yourself 😂
Thank you Marvin.
Wouldn't be bothered about the landing at all, but you are right to critique your approach to the airfield more - not having a plan on where to enter the pattern, and whether (and how) you are going to do a wind check, etc. probably ultimately led to the slightly off-focus landing anyway, rather than any poor technique in the landing itself (which honestly wasn't that bad anyway).
Thanks Russell.
You're terribly hard on yourself - that might cause you more problems - by stressing yourself - than the mini error. My instructor told me no swearing in the plane ever (we both swear plenty outside) - a question of not sounding good /professional if transmitting inadvertently
Gosh Anthony...I swear all the F’ing time! But I take your point.
Great video and very honest. The learning never stops and after a flight it is always good to ask your self what you can take away from it. Birds are unpredictable as you noticed. A bounce can happen and can have many different causes. What I did notice was that you decided to go straight in but still broke left to follow a lefthand base leg. You self announced correctly and no other traffic was heard. Based on your decision to go straight in maybe breaking left and than flying left base was a decision that made things more complicated. 10 out of 10 for honesty and self analysis which is great airmanship!
Jan. It's a pleasure to have someone with your experience helping me feedback this flight. It didn't match my usual preparedness, hence why it all fell apart a bit. Hope to see you soon at Redhill..
Hi, yup definitely being way too hard on yourself, call that a bounce? There have been times when I'd have called that a greaser! The only honest and polite point I would make is that once you do something you're not proud of, for whatever reason, stick it in a box and close the lid, don't open it up until you're back on the ground, parked and with the engine shut down!
Thanks Ian. Good advice.
Jon, I feel you should be applauded for videos like this. I would say you made no mistakes just explored a series of learning opportunities. If you spent 3 months planning this short flight you would never have factored in birds at one end of the runway and a moving vehicle at the other! When the moment came to make a split second decision on a go around your airmanship kicked in and the right decision made.
Thanks Mikey
What you demonstrated Jon was fantastic airmanship, the landing was screwed up as a result of external issues and you threw the landing away and went around as you should have done, just remember how many professionals do that each year at London Gatwick alone, so you should be proud of yourself mate not upset!!!
That’s true a David.
You definitely did the right procedure of going around! A bounced landing Could become Pilot induced oscillations that can be hazardous to Plane and health. The only thing I can judge from this video is that you were possibly going a little too fast on final and when touching down bounced back into the air. If you were at the exact touch down speed your stall warning should just start beeping as your wheels touch the grass, then no bounce just rolling onto the grass would have occurred.
Thanks Daniel. Yes, too fast, because I didn't round out properly and bleed any speed off, just landed flat.. Speed over the threshold was by the book.