Landing is the maneuver every student is most eager to master and most likely to overthink. A good landing is the natural result of a good approach: fly a stabilized approach at the right speed to a fixed aiming point, ease into the roundout and flare, and let the airplane settle onto the runway. When it is not working, the safest and most professional response is simply to go around.
Part of our Flight Maneuvers guide. This page is educational and is not a substitute for instruction from a certificated flight instructor.
The stabilized approach
Almost every good landing starts with a stabilized approach. That means the airplane is configured, trimmed, and tracking the centerline on a constant descent path, at a constant approach speed, with only small corrections to power and pitch. By short final you should not be making large changes; if you are, that is a signal the approach is not stabilized and a go-around may be the right call. A stable approach is what gives you the spare attention to judge the roundout well.
Aiming point and airspeed
On final you manage two things together. The aiming point is a spot on the runway that stays fixed in the windscreen when your glide path is correct. If the aiming point drifts down and away, you are overshooting and will land long; if it rises toward you, you are sinking short. Adjust pitch and power together to hold it steady. Airspeed should be the published approach speed for your airplane, often expressed as 1.3 times the stall speed in the landing configuration. Too fast and you will float down the runway; too slow and you risk a stall close to the ground.
The roundout and flare
The roundout, or flare, is the transition from the descent to touchdown. As the runway comes up, you smoothly raise the nose to arrest the descent and bleed off speed, holding the airplane just off the surface while it slows. As the airplane runs out of energy, it settles gently onto the main wheels with the nose still slightly high. The goal is to touch down on the main wheels at minimum controllable airspeed, near the stall, with the nosewheel held off until it lowers on its own. Smooth, progressive back pressure is the key; a single abrupt pull causes ballooning.
When to go around
A go-around is always available and is always the safe option when a landing is not working out. Common triggers are an unstable approach, too much speed or float, a bounce you are not sure you can salvage, an animal or aircraft on the runway, or simply a gut feeling that it is not right. The procedure is to apply full power, establish a positive climb, retract flaps incrementally as the airplane accelerates, and fly the pattern again. Deciding early and committing fully is what makes a go-around safe. There is no shame in it; experienced pilots go around routinely.
Common landing errors
- Ballooning: flaring too aggressively or too high, so the airplane climbs back up. Hold the pitch attitude or add a touch of power, and if it is severe, go around.
- Floating: carrying too much airspeed into the flare, so the airplane refuses to settle and eats up runway. The fix is on final: fly the correct approach speed.
- Bouncing: touching down too fast or nose-first, so the airplane rebounds into the air. A small bounce can be corrected with pitch and a little power; a large or porpoising bounce calls for an immediate go-around.
- Flat or nosewheel-first touchdown: not completing the flare, which strains the nose gear and can lead to porpoising. Keep raising the nose smoothly through the flare.
Putting it together
Landings improve fastest when you fix the approach rather than the touchdown. Hold the aiming point, hold the speed, keep it coordinated, and let the roundout flow. The closely related crosswind landing adds wind correction on top of these same fundamentals.
Study tools
What you'll need
The FAA handbooks that teach the maneuvers, all from PilotMall.com.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important part of a good landing?
The approach. A stabilized approach flown at the correct airspeed to a fixed aiming point sets up almost every good landing, while large corrections on short final usually mean trouble.
What is the aiming point?
It is a fixed spot on the runway that stays stationary in the windscreen when your glide path is correct. If it drifts down you are overshooting, and if it rises toward you, you are landing short.
What causes ballooning and floating?
Ballooning comes from flaring too high or too aggressively, so the airplane climbs back up. Floating comes from carrying too much airspeed into the flare, so the airplane will not settle.
When should I go around?
Whenever the landing is not working out: an unstable approach, too much float, a bounce you are unsure of, traffic or an animal on the runway, or any doubt. A go-around is always the safe option.