Short and Soft Field Takeoffs and Landings

Private Pilot License (PPL) Notes

Most of your flight training has likely occurred on long paved runways, providing plenty of extra margin as you build experience. This section covers techniques for short and soft field takeoffs and landings, essential skills for achieving maximum performance from your airplane when operating from shorter or less-than-ideal runways.

Short-Field Takeoff and Maximum-Performance Climb

1. Use this technique when:
   1. Operating from short runways.
   2. There are obstructions in the departure path.
2. Understand key speeds:
   1. Vx (Best Angle of Climb Speed): Greatest gain in altitude per given distance over the ground.
   2. Vy (Best Rate of Climb Speed): Greatest gain in altitude per unit of time.
3. Preparation steps:
   1. Set flaps to manufacturer's recommended setting.
   2. Start as close to the beginning of the takeoff area as possible.
4. Takeoff procedure:
   1. Align with the intended takeoff path.
   2. Hold brakes and advance throttle to maximum takeoff power.
   3. Verify engine gauges for correct RPM and indications before releasing brakes.
   4. Adjust pitch attitude for minimal drag during takeoff roll.
   5. Allow acceleration on main wheels until just before reaching Vx.
   6. Prevent early liftoff by applying forward pressure if necessary.
5. Climb out:
   1. At Vx, firmly apply back elevator pressure to become airborne.
   2. Maintain climb at Vx until obstacles are cleared or until 50 feet above ground level.
   3. Lower pitch attitude to accelerate to Vy.
   4. Once at safe altitude and established at Vy, retract flaps.
6. Avoid common mistakes:
   1. Do not lift off too soon.
   2. Avoid climbing at too steep an angle after liftoff.

Short-Field Landing

1. Use this technique when landing on short runways, especially over obstacles.
2. Approach considerations:
   1. Start final approach around 500 feet above touchdown point.
   2. Use full flaps as recommended.
   3. Maintain recommended short-field approach speed (if not specified, use no more than 1.3 times the power-off stalling speed with gear and flaps down).
   4. Use power and pitch to control descent rate:
      • If too high: Reduce power and lower pitch to increase descent without increasing airspeed.
      • If too low: Increase power and raise pitch to decrease descent rate without lowering airspeed.
3. Landing procedure:
   1. Touch down at the proper pitch attitude aiming for a power-off stall upon power reduction.
   2. Do not reduce power too soon before touchdown to avoid a hard landing.
   3. According to standards, aim to touch down within 200 feet of a specified point.
4. After touchdown:
   1. Simultaneously reduce power to idle.
   2. Hold the elevator control full back.
   3. Firmly apply brakes upon nosewheel touchdown.
   4. Aim to stop in the shortest distance possible.

Soft-Field Takeoff

1. Objective:
   1. Get the airplane flying as quickly as possible to minimize drag from soft surfaces like grass, mud, sand, or snow.
   2. Reduce stress on landing gear when operating from rough fields.
2. Preparation steps:
   1. Set flaps as recommended by the manufacturer.
   2. Keep the airplane moving to avoid getting bogged down.
   3. Hold elevator in full aft position to keep weight off the nosewheel.
3. Takeoff procedure:
   1. Align with the takeoff path without stopping if possible.
   2. Apply takeoff power smoothly.
   3. Maintain nose-high pitch attitude to transfer weight from wheels to wings.
   4. As nose lifts off, reduce back pressure slightly to prevent excessive pitch.
   5. The airplane will lift off due to ground effect at a slower airspeed.
4. Climb out:
   1. Remain in ground effect (within approximately half the wingspan above ground) until reaching Vx.
   2. Do not attempt to climb out of ground effect prematurely to avoid settling back down.
   3. Once at Vx, commence climb out.
   4. If obstacles are present, climb at Vx; otherwise, accelerate to Vy.
   5. Retract flaps after establishing a positive rate of climb.

Soft-Field Landing

1. Objective:
   1. Have the wings support the airplane's weight as long as practical during landing.
   2. Touch down gently at minimum speed to reduce stress on landing gear.
2. Approach considerations:
   1. Use flaps as recommended.
   2. Maintain the same approach speed as for short-field landing.
   3. Approach can be shallower unless obstacles are present.
3. Landing procedure:
   1. After round-out, keep a small amount of power using throttle.
   2. Fly just above the surface (1–2 feet) as long as practical.
   3. Touch down at minimum controllable airspeed.
4. After touchdown:
   1. Hold the nose-high attitude until elevator loses effectiveness.
   2. Keep the nosewheel off the surface to prevent it from digging in.
   3. Hold full aft elevator during rollout.
   4. Avoid using brakes; let the soft surface slow the airplane naturally.
   5. Add power if necessary to keep moving and prevent becoming stuck.

Note on Combined Short and Soft Field Operations

1. Landing on a short, soft field:
   1. Requires specialized training; not typically required for certification standards.
   2. Often performed in tailwheel airplanes due to increased propeller clearance.
   3. Not expected to demonstrate combined short and soft field techniques during standard training.

By mastering these techniques, you will enhance your ability to safely operate from a variety of runway conditions, expanding the versatility of your piloting skills.