NAVWEPS DD-BOT-80 
APPLICATION OF AERODYNAMICS 
TO SPECIFIC PROBLEMS OF FLYING 
attack (and, hence, airspeed) and the flight 
path of the landing aircraft and signal correc- 
tions to be made in order to achieve the desired 
flight path and angle of attack. Because of 
the field of orientation available to the LSO, 
he is able to perceive the flight path and angle 
of attack more accurately than the pilot with- 
out an angle of attack indicator and mirror 
landing system. 
THE APPROACH AND LANDING 
The specific techniques necessary during the 
phase of approach and landing may vary con- 
siderably between various types of airplanes 
and various operations. However, regardless 
of the airplane type or operation, there are 
certain fundamental principles which will de- 
fine the basic techniques of flying during ap- 
proach and landing. The specific procedures 
recommended for each airplane type must be 
followed exactly to insure a consistent, safe 
landing technique. 
THE APPROACH. The approach must be 
conductrd to provide a stabilized, steady flight 
path to the intended point of touchdown. The 
approach speed specified for an airplane must 
provide sufficient margin above the stall speed 
or minimum control speed to allow satisfactory 
control and adequate maneuverability. On the 
other hand, the approach speed must not be 
greatly in excess of the touchdown speed or a 
large reduction in speed would be necessary 
prior to ground contact. Generally, the ap- 
proach speed will be from 10 to 30 percent 
above the stall speed depending on the air- 
plane type and the particular operation. 
During the approach, the pilot must attempt 
to maintain a smooth flight path and prepare 
for the touchdown. A smooth, steady ap- 
proach to landing will minimize the transient 
items of the flight path and provide the pilot 
better opportunity to perceive and orientate 
the airplane along the desired flight path. 
Steep turns must be avoided at the low speeds 
of the approach because of the increase in drag 
and stall speed in the turn. Figure 6.4 illus- 
trates the typical change in thrust required 
caused by a steep turn. A steep turn may cause 
the airplane to stall or the large increase in in- 
duced drag may create an excessive rate of 
descent. In either case, there may not be suf- 
ficient altitude to effect recovery. If the .air- 
plane is not properly lined up on the final ap- 
proach, it is certainly preferable to take a 
waveoff and go around rather than “press on 
regardless” and attempt to salvage a decent 
landing from a poor approach. 
The proper coordination of the controls is 
an absolute necessity during the approach. In 
this sense, due respect must be given to the 
primary control of airspeed and race of descent 
for the conditions of the steady approach. 
Thus, the proper angle of attack will produce 
the desired approach airspeed; too low an 
angle of attack will incur an excess speed while 
an excessive angle of attack will produce a 
deficiency of speed and may cause stall or con- 
trol problems. Once the proper airspeed and 
angle of attack are attained the primary control 
of rate of descent during the steady approach 
will be the power setting. For example, if it 
is realized that the airplane is above the de- 
sired glide path, a more nose-down attitude 
without a decrease in power setting will result 
in a gain in airspeed. On the other hand, if it 
is realized that the airplane is below the desired 
glide path, a more nose-up attitude without an 
increase in power setting will simply allow the 
airplane to fly more slowly and-in the region 
of reversed command-eventually produce a 
greater rate of descent. For the conditions of 
steady flight, angle of attack is the primary 
control of airspeed and power setting is the 
primary control of rate of climb and descent. 
This is especially true during the steady ap- 
proach to landing. Of course, the ability of 
the powerplant to produce rapid changes in