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Photo credit Divinity PriceWe previously discussed technique versus procedure for a power off 180 landing to commercial standards.Related Article: Technique vs procedure — Performing a power off-180Here we'll talk about a familiar type of landing that you probably have performed. You would use this type of landing for any runway type other than a hard surface, such as grass, snow, dirt, gravel, mud, etc... have you guessed it yet? That's correct, a soft field landing.This landing, in my opinion, is fun once mastered. The objective is to touch down as smoothly as possible and at the slowest possible landing speed. Think about it, if you were landing on a soft surface other than asphalt or concrete, would the airplane tend to sink or settle into the soft surface? It definitely would! So, the best course of action is to keep weight on the main wheels and keep the nose wheel off the ground as long as possible. It's relatively the same as a normal landing, just hold the nose wheel off the ground by increasing back pressure on the yoke. Once again, this all goes back to energy management and transferring the weight of the airplane from the nose wheel to the wings (main wheels) as rapidly as possible.Let's look at the ACS.
Photo credit Commercial ACSDo not fixate on keeping the nose wheel off to the point where you omit maintaining a stabilized approach, adding appropriate crosswind corrections and adhering to adjoining traffic and obstacles. Situational awareness is key and our number one priority is the safety of the flight. Also, keep in mind this maneuver does not mean you do not have power. Coming in below manufacturer's recommended published approach speed will result in a greater sink rate than desired and hard landings. This doesn't mean excessive approach airspace is the goal either. Maintaining an appropriate approach speed means proper energy transfer to weight on wheels.
Photo credit Airplane Flying HandbookAs you see here in the skills to demonstrate, nothing states you have to add and remove a small amount of power just before touchdown. This is a common technique that is taught from instructor to student. But remember, just before you add power, even in small quantities, what are you doing? Changing the total energy. Depending on the situation, you may need to add power to keep the nose wheel up but do understand how that affects the stop distance, ground effect floating and pitch setting.Remember that some technique depends upon whether you are in a high wing or a low wing. The ground effect feels more pronounced for a low-wing airplane, such as a Piper, because it is closer to the ground. This may result in a need to add a bit more power. For a high wing, such as a Cessna, because the wings sit higher above the ground it may perform slow flight energy transfer without additional power.So, the next time you go out and practice a soft field landing remember to keep a stabilized approach, keep crosswind correction, do not fixate, maintain roper airspeed management, get the plane down in ground effect, touchdown at a slow airspeed and transfer weight to the main wheels while keeping the nose wheel off the ground as long as possible.