[SDF newsletter, winter 2001]
from The Cam Journal
Central Arizona Modelers
Marvin Hinton, Editor
by Glynn Mount
Touch-and-go is a great way to practice landings. It's a sure way to rapidly improve your technique, but even the best of us will bring one down a little hard once in a while, and the inevitable result will be a bounce.
The size of said bounce will be in direct proportion to how enthusiastically your airplane meets the runway. If unattended, of course, the first bounce will be followed by a second bounce and, if the second bounce doesn't break your prop or worse, you might be lucky enough to dribble to a stop before running off the end of the runway. This type of landing will usually bring enthusiastic responses from critics on the sidelines.
There are, however, a couple of ways you can recover from a bad bounce and keep your dignity intact. One way is to maintain "full back pressure" on the stick (i.e., full up elevator) in the hope that there is enough flying speed to cushion the second bounce. If the bounce is more of a high-speed "skip" then this method works well.
The second method is to immediately apply power and return to level flight. I've tried both methods, and a "bounce-and-go" with quick application of power will usually result in a more positive recovery from a bad bounce.
The best landing procedure is to hold the aircraft off the deck a foot high with idle power, and try "not to land." The airplane will slow down and "sink in" in spite of you, giving you a smooth transition from a i r t o ground.