Pre-Solo Landing Proficiency – Consistency through the Eyes of Different CFI’s.
Asked by: PedroThePilot 2629 views Flight Instructor, Private Pilot, Student Pilot
How do you define proper landing “consistency” for a pre-solo student in 2021 ?
When qualifying for the Pre-solo stage check for a PPL, a student has to be able to properly land the plane and do so in a “consistent” manner. Because of breaks in my flight training, I have had to qualify for solo status on three different occasions with three different instructors at three different schools. Looking back, all my instructors have been really great people, but I get the feeling that “consistency”, much like beauty, may often lie in the eyes of the CFI beholder.
It would be great to hear some perspectives from the more seasoned CFI’s here on the site. I am not looking for an answer with a precise set number of great landings as we can probably all agree that there is no one correct answer to this question of “consistency”.
Precision pattern work, setting up a nice stabilized approach on final, and then properly transitioning/flaring into the final smooth touchdown are all part of achieving a successful “landing experience”. I am told that the transitioning/flaring experience just before touchdown often is the most difficult challenge to master for the average student. That was my experience as well. Other individual elements which are part of the overall package include proper runway alignment, correct positioning over the mid-line, appropriate airspeed, crosswind adjustments, pitch, and more.
So before the student can become a candidate for the Pre-solo stage check, what are instructors looking for regarding “consistent” landing abilities? At what point do you know your student has finally achieved “consistency”? Rather than a “subjective feeling”, do you employ any objective standards? Does your school use a checklist to define landing proficiency and "consistency"?
There is a lot of talent here on this site, and I look forward to folks sharing their perspectives.
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