These pages are a collection of the ideas and impressions of the
Cardinal pilots who frequent this site. This information is anecdotal
and informal, and may not be completely accurate.
As always, the Cessna operations and flight manual, and the advice
of a certified flight instructor, should be your primary source of
information regarding the safe operation of your aircraft.
Contents:
Slowing to pattern speeds
Normal pattern and speeds
Normal final and speeds
Touchdown
Rollout
Every airplane is different, but there are some standard speeds
that work for most Cardinals. There are also a couple of tricks to
know, especially in rollout. Don't skip the last section!
Slowing down to Pattern speeds
Most of us learned to fly in the 152 or 172, which have a typical flight profile that reads "Fly to destination, pull power, descend, land." The Cardinal, being faster and more slippery, needs to be flown a different way.
This process starts with the descent, which is covered in detail on this page. That process should result in your being at pattern altitude 2-4 miles from the airport.
I put in the first notch of flaps 2-3 miles from the field, depending on many factors. If it's a smooth day (or more likely night if it's smooth) I'll keep the speed up right into the pattern, traffic and local custom permitting. I'll hit this altitude about 3 miles out, level, and put out that first notch of flaps as I come down through 130 knots.
If it's a bumpy day down low I might stay a little higher. I will certainly descent as a lower airspeed, well within maneuvering speed. This makes slowing for the pattern easier and lets me do it later.
In either case I target 100 knots for entering the pattern and trim to hit 80 knots before arriving abeam midfield in the pattern.
Normal pattern and speeds in the pattern
Entering the pattern at 100 knots, I reduce throttle to bring the RPM to just above the top of the yellow arc. This, along with the notch of flaps already in, will let the speed continue to decay. I trim to hit 80 knots before arriving abeam the numbers.
Abeam the numbers I put in 20 degrees of flaps and move the engine controls to full rich and full RPM. Since I'm already throttle back to top-of-yellow the governor is no longer regulating prop speed and there is no engine surge.
20 degrees is usually my final flap setting. The speed restabilizes with this new configuration as I turn base. Flaps are handled differently in short field landings.
On base I trim for a speed of 65-75 knots. Why the wide range? If heavy I'll stay a little faster. And I will add speed for a crosswind.
Naturally the length of the runway also enters into this.. for short field numbers check out this page. And it's good to practice the zero power look and feel.. all airplanes seem to sink fast without power. Remember your instructor's good advice and make sure you can always make the airport.
Normal speeds on final
Speeds on final are a little like religion: you can accept
almost anyone's opinion on a good day, but when the chips
are down you better know what you believe in!
On a normal, calm day you can live with anything from
62 to 75 knots. I shoot for 65 on a normal landing when it's calm.
If it's a windy
day I'll come over the fence at about 70.. adding a little
for windier days. There is a formula I don't recall..
something like one knot for each 5 MPH of crosswind.
At one extreme, I've come over the numbers at 85 in a really
stiff crosswind. The extra speed gives the rudder more to work
with, giving you the ability to straight the airplane over the
runway.
At the other extreme, the perfect short field landing starts
with an approach speed of exactly 62 knots. A very nice landing
can be made at that speed but the timing of the round-out is critical.
Touchdown
Over the numbers at 68 you will notice that the Cardinal is substantially
lighter on the controls than other Cessnas. The powerful stab makes the
touch at flare very light.
Flare and roundout is very normal, just flare where you would in any Cessna. Many
experienced Cardinal drivers make an adjustment when heavy.. the range
of weights at landing is rather wider than in the smaller Cessnas. As a
result you should be aware of the impact of momentum on the flare.
Specifically, when heavy I tend to flare twice: once a little further
off the ground (say 2 or 3 feet), where I flare to an intermediate pitch
attitude. The extra momentum of the heavier aircraft will often take me
a little lower than I expected, but now sinking at a much more gentle
rate (with speed bleeding off to match.) I can then gentle it in normally
with a second flare from that intermediate pitch attitude.
If you choose to flare directly to the runway you may find, when heavy, that you've
mis-judged the height and degree of flare required. After all we usually fly
well on the light side of gross weight. Worst case you'll
arrive a little more solidly.
I've been in Cardinals that came in more
than a little solidly when fully loaded, in fact one landing I rode along on
tested the 600 fpm
landing spec on the gear legs. But they held up well with no damage other
than to the pilot's ego. These things always happen with witnesses!
The light stab forces can be an issue in flare if you try to fly the
Cardinal like other Cessnas, especially on those gusty or crosswind days.
On most of the Cessna line a balloon or gust of wind in the flare
requires a quick shot of down elevator to balance it out. In the Cardinal
this kind of reaction will tend to drive the nosewheel into the ground,
leading to the Cardinal Crowhop. Once you've
flown a Cardinal a few times the feel will become natural, you'll stop
trying to force it down and the crowhop will disappear.
Rollout
You're on the ground, not perfect but the passengers are clapping. It's
all over, right? Sometimes, but it's too early to stop flying the airplane.
That huge stabilator that kept the approach forces light is still with
us. It can hold the nosewheel off the ground for a long time, and even
when the nose falls through the Stab can provide a lot of drag. Let it do
it's thing, it's cheaper than brakes!
Rollout can be long or short, depending on how aggressive you are at
slowing it. I often land in the grass and can usually stop in under 800
feet with light braking. But when I'm on the tarmac I'll just let it
roll and use all 3000 feet at our home airport. If you're looking for a
number to hit every time without abusing the brakes, 1800 feet is a pretty
good guess. Check the POH for details with it's hot or high.
Rollout is where you'll experience weathervane tendencies.. the effect of
a crosswind pushing the tail. The Cardinal has more than some airplanes
but not more than the nosewheel can handle. If you have problems consider
using the stab to put a little more pressure on the nosewheel.
New Cardinal drivers occasionally worry about a shudder that occurs part
way down the runway. Usually that's the main wheels doing a little dance,
you can watch them do it out the window. This is a normal side effect of
the tubular gear system. If it gets bad take a look at the brake disk for
uniformity of it's surface and thickness, and check out the wheel balance.
Finally, more than one RG pilot has gotten to the end of the runway only
to find that they can't steer off the runway. The problem is the mechanism
that assures that the nosewheel is straight before being retracted. If you
hold full back stabilator on landing, are a little rearward on your center
of gravity and/or the nose gear strut is pumped up a little too high, this
mechanism can keep you locked in a straight-ahead mode on the runway.
The solution is easy, just a touch of brakes and down stabilator and the
strut will return to it's normal, steerable state. If it does so with great
difficulty you'd better check the strut inflation.
If it's a windy day, keep the wind direction in mind and be careful when
you open the doors. They are large, and don't have a strut to limit their
forward motion. The wind can catch them and create a new problem with the
door hinges. It can be repaired,
but better to avoid it.
That's about all you need to know about landing a Cardinal. The rest is
text-book normal, other than the envious looks you'll get on the ramp and
the ease with which you and your passengers will deplane through those
big doors. Enjoy!
Copyright Keith Peterson 1999
|