Short Field Landings and Power Off 180° | Private and Commercial ACS Landings

On your Private and Commercial checkrides, you'll be asked to demonstrate a short field landing, touching the wheels down within a small designated spot on the runway, and getting stopped in the shortest distance possible. Here, we'll give you all the tips to nail this tough maneuver on the first try.
Also, on the commercial checkride, you'll have to do a power off 180°, where you'll execute the same precision touchdown, only without the use of power, so your energy management better be up to task!
Our full How to Land Course is sure to make you more confident in your landing abilities. Check it out at flight-insight...

[@TridentCapital]

I've watched a lot of videos on short field landings, and this is the only one that has mentioned using back pressure on the yoke in the round out to control the point of touch down. Even my CFI hasn't really explained it like that. Makes total sense because keeping the nose high increases the angle of attack and generates additional lift so when you reduce the back pressure, you lower the angle of attack, reducing the lift and letting the plane descend to the runway. Got my checkride coming up so I'm going to practice it with this in mind. Thanks!

[@darrylday30]

Fantastic! I believe that you’ve just fixed my power off 180. I’ve been doing them as a continuous curve instead of turning 45°

[@flightinsight9111]

I hope so! Just be aware that all aircraft will have different looking approaches. I'm not sure I would do much of a 45 in a Cherokee as these have a much worse glide ratio.

[@gveduccio]

depends on the plane and the wind...in a 182RG the continuous turn is great...also remember not doing drastic turns also helps with load factor

[@darrylday30]

@@flightinsight9111 Thanks!

[@darrylday30]

@@gveduccio Thanks!

[@naosay]

On the power off 180, there is no requirement to go to best glide, so what I found to work great on the skyhawk is - power out obeam the aiming point (not the touchdown point), 10 degree flaps asap, count to 10 while pushing the nose down slightly to get the 75-80 knots (that will help you sink fast in a very tight pattern). As we drop 150 ft, make a base turn, a bit steep. From there, only as we get close to the runway, smoothly adjust to best glide, and maybe set 20 degree flaps to help slow us down. Making a runway turn only at 250 ft AGL, and you will make it to the touchdown point (mine is always the 1,000, and we have no displaced threshold). Of course if there are good head winds - make sure to account for those by either going earlier to the gliding speed or delaying the deployment of flaps, but regardless, the 250 ft AGL are amazing

[@ronsflightsimlab9512]

Excellent video. There is some controversy over slips in Cessnas, that darn "Avoid slips with flaps" placard causes many to NEVER do them, when in the Power off 180, they are your final tool to lose altitude...

[@CrossWind737]

Hey man; just wanted to thank you a lot for all the effort and all these amazing videos, you helped me pass my IR, and CPL SE last week. Much appreciated man Thx once again

[@allthingsvroom_cd]

I really enjoyed this video. I’ve never watched a video of how to do a power off 180° landing. Also I love how you explained a short field landing, I like how you mentioned to descend to about 5-10 above the ground then round out. Then after you landing flaps up before adding more back pressure because then you’d be cresting lift for the plane to take off again if the flaps were down. I saved this video video for sure! This video visually paints the picture for me.

[@alk672]

Configuring fully and slowing down to 55 knots (or whatever the short field landing speed is) in a base turn? That's... interesting. I don't know if a DPE would appreciate being full flaps and that close to stall with two 30 degree bank turns to go.

[@alk672]

@maynard623 you've already taken advantage of lower stall speed that flaps give you by slowing down to 55 knots. Now you're very close to stall with max drag. If you're already on final and have no further banking to do - it's fine, but in a base turn?.. I don't think so.

[@markheatherington8367]

Thanks man, haven't flown for years and likely will never again, but got back into msfs 2020. I find it remarkably realistic. Most of my sim flights are bush in alaska and I needed a refresher on STOL. Enjoy your channel

[@camsmeltzer9388]

Just did these yesterday with my instructor! Exciting to do!

[@boogerwood]

What simulator is this? I've enjoyed consuming all your content! Thanks for the series!

[@juanbetancur1046]

Awesome video thanks

[@Zfx13]

Great video! Love it Just one thing, should the short field also have obstacle clearance ? Where you simulate you’re clearing a 300 foot obstacle or something

[@riflemusket]

I’m gonna try the Power-off 180 to land at Nanwalek (KEB) in Alaska.

[@gamjatangjoa]

The only think I would suggest in this video is that flap should not be the first option for descent during power off landing. either slip or delay your turn then when you are sure sure then deploy flaps... this applies the same during forced approach.

[@bludybrains]

The ACS for short field landings says that there is supposed to be minimal float. A lot of DPEs would not accept the short field landing demonstrated in this video. Once around 50 agl you should decrease your power and slightly increase pitch so that the aiming point and the touchdown point become the same point.

[@Cpt.Andy2]

Exactly.

[@reyesben]

On a power off 180 shouldn’t you wait until you know you have the runway made before you add flaps?

[@rodrigobrambilla4782]

Technically, he had the runway made when he added flaps, it's up to the pilot's judgement to keep the runway within reach after the point flaps were added. At least that's how I see it, I've done power off 180s with flaps 10 from the base turn because I knew I had to lose some altitude and we were totally gonna make it!

[@reyesben]

@@rodrigobrambilla4782 flaps 10 don’t add much drag

[@Pmularz]

Ptch for airspeed....Power for altitude on FINAL? give me a thumbs up. Having said that... True or False... Are you behind the power curve (region of reverse command) on FINAL?

[@nikmannino8577]

8:10 power off 180… abeam numbers, power idle. Make 45° turn so you can judge high low fast slow better.

[@kylemccartney1831]

What actually happens if you land on the displaced threshold?

[@aadsgames4964]

I thought about the same thing

[@flightinsight9111]

snakes. piles of snakes. No but really displaced thresholds typically are there to cause you to make an approach further down the runway either for noise abatement or to clear some obstacles in the approach path.

[@athgt6630]

You fall into a hidden trap full of crocodiles

[@riflemusket]

You could hit an SUV driving across the foot of the runway. This happened to a student pilot in Texas. 😬

[@Anee988]

High risk of picking up a puncture?

[@Templar0Valkrye]

See. I like this video. But, being that close to the trees can’t be safe.

[@joelwerre]

power off is not the same as idle. This is not accurate.

[@RetreadPhoto]

Isn’t it a fairly arbitrary and nonsensical requirement? Stopping a C-172 in 100 feet? Who cares? Commercial and ATP pilots are routinely ignoring LUAW and hold short instructions. Being able to precision nail the landing and standing on the brakes for basically a stunt prove very little if anything. it’s like a NIST test for drone pilots, adds little real world practical value. Has this ever saved a life? Does anyone practice it after they certify? Look how long it takes you to cover this silly maneuver. I gave up after 7 minutes.

[@Cpt.Andy2]

You’re not too bright are ya bud?

[@ArchieRipper]

This is the biggest amount of bollocks I've heard! Have you ever landed a plane in Africa, say in the Okavango Delta on a strip in the middle of a swamp? Or had to bang it down on the shore of Lake Malawi as equatorial darkness descends? I suspect not. If you can't hit the beginning of the strip repeatedly, it's simple - don't fly. And don't listen to these extremely dangerous KZbin wouldbe instructors....

[@CAO-sportsmed]

Dan is literally a professor at University of Maryland. Hardly a "KZbin wouldbe instructor"...

[@Shane2020xxx]

I hadn’t fully considered the interaction between flaps and brake weight effectiveness before.

[@Treadstone7]

Actually it's in the POH for the C172. They don't teach that in flightschool unfortunately, not even where I went and they only had a 1338ft runway. Which means short-field ops all the time.