Ballooning & floating on landing
Ballooning: climb during round-out (AFH ch.9; gust in flare also causes it, TP 1102).
- Cause: pitch and angle of attack raised too rapidly after misjudging sink (AFH ch.9).
- Danger: height increasing, stall close.
Recovery:
- First: hold elevator steady.
- Never push forward: immediate loss of lift, rapid sink, hard contact, nose wheel damage (TP 1102).
| Balloon | Action |
|---|---|
| Rise 5 ft or less | Wait. Airspeed keeps falling: later control movements must be larger (TP 1102) |
| Higher | Add power, ease nose down slowly, do not overcontrol (TP 1102). Close throttle immediately after touchdown (AFH ch.9) |
| Excessive | Go around at once, power applied before stall (TP 1102; AFH ch.9) |
- Crosswind: lower wing further. Lower airspeed lets wind act more (AFH ch.9).
Floating: aircraft stays airborne down the runway from excessive approach airspeed (AFH ch.9).
- Slightest error of judgment while floating gives ballooning or bouncing.
- Avoid prolonged floating, especially on short runways or in strong crosswinds.
- Rule of thumb: not down in the first third of the runway, or drifting sideways: go around.
Trap: pushing nose down to cure a balloon or bounce: trades fault for hard, nose-first contact and porpoise; holding off a float past the first third of the runway.
References
- AFH ch.9 (FAA-H-8083-3), Ballooning
- AFH ch.9 (FAA-H-8083-3), Floating
- TP 1102 Approach and Landing: Recovering from Bad Landings