P2008 Rotax 912 Pattern and Landing Speeds

[keithn208ta]

I am new to the forum and I am in the process of buying a 2009 Tecnam P2008 (note this is one of the original P2008s Tecnam brought over to the US to demo).  I have currently started flying a 2019 P2008 and I am having problems consistently hitting my speeds on downwind and final legs.  Any advice would be great.  Questions - what power, flap and speeds are typical/preferred in a normal pattern situation with relatively light winds with minimal crosswind?  The POH says preferred landing speed is 45 KIAS with full flaps, but that seems awfully slow to me.  

Any thoughts and suggestions would be great!

[Flocker]

Search "landing speeds" - I'm sure it's been covered before.

[ChiMike]

Keith,

Landing speeds, as I’m sure you’re aware, are affected by a number of things, particularly at towered or busier non-towered airfields.

I have a 914 engine.

As a general rule at a towered airport I’m throttled back to 3600 RPMs and 75- 80 knots IAS as I move along the glide path to 500 ft AGL on a standard approach. At that point I’m full throttle back and go to full flaps (if I’m not there already) and look to cross the threshold at 60-65 kts IAS. From there I just stay centered and let the runway come to me with a slight nose up. Usually I’ll have main gear touchdown somewhere in that 48- 53 kts range. Then slight hold it back on the stick until the nose gear sets itself down on its own.

At a traditional approach I’m 1,000 ft AGL @ 70-75 kts on the downwind at the end of runway with a throttle chop to 3400 rpm’s. 1st flaps and turn to base, then full flaps as I enter final. Speed should now be around 60-65 as I hit short final and hear 500 feet. Then the same as before.

The key is set up well for the threshold and use the runway to settle in. It’s not an aircraft carrier, so no need to plant it as quick as you can.

These are ball park numbers. Obviously wind conditions, density altitude and your onboard load will affect RPM settings and glide speed as you do your legs. The key thing is lots of practice. If you’re too fast or too high, or too low or too slow on the final, take it around. It takes awhile to get it where it is intuitive, especially if you’re correcting for crosswind drift on final or crosswind twist or yaw as you settle in for that last few feet of descent when over the runway and waiting on touchdown.

If you’re over the centerline just waiting to touchdown and the audio ‘chirps’ for pending too slow could stall start going off— you’re doing it right.

But thank goodness for sturdy landing gear!

I hope that helped. Good luck with your practice landings.

[FormerCirrus]

I fly out of KWVI, a busy non-towered airport in coastal Calif. The predominant runway is 20, and because it is busy, locals get bitchy if you fly anything other a 45-degree entry to a left downwind. Overhead breaks, base entries, straight-ins, etc. are discouraged when there are 2+ planes in the pattern. You'll get yelled at. I've been yelled at.

So my challenge is, how best to fit into a busy left-traffic pattern, with its mix of Cubs, 172/182s, Cirrus, RVs, Barons, and some small jets. 

With my P2008's 40-knot stall speed, I often can be the slowest guy in the pattern. But do I want to be? Personally, I'd rather fit into the flow. So I fly 182 pattern speeds of 90 downwind, 80 base, 70 final. I also fly 182 pattern geometries -- i.e.; longer and wider than I really need to. This allows me to both fit in and be predictably visible to other planes in the pattern. I still have plenty of time to slow down to the short final, threshold and landing speeds that ChiMike recommends.