Learning to fly, or thinking of learning? Post your questions, comments and experiences here

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By VRB_20kt
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1879934
AIUI the main reason for leaving checks until downwind is the undercarriage - and that retractables will not lower the rubber until relatively late in the day. For consistency the checks are taught to be done after the undercarriage is down.

Personally I tend to complete them in sight of the airfield and after the last major change other than flaps has been made. (Major change might be selecting a fuel tank or setting the prop. )

But teaching students is another matter. Downwind is pretty much always a place that students will find themselves prior to landing. Be it circuits, a go-around or returning to the field it’s a repeating part of virtually every landing and a time when they should have spare capacity. Hence it’s the preferred place for checks.

Remember that none of this is routine for a student. They don’t have the experience to judge when a variation may be appropriate. Teaching good habits is essential to keeping new pilots safe.
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By lobstaboy
#1879964
They are done on the downwind leg of the circuit. But it is good practice even when flying a Tiger Moth to call them "Pre Landing Checks" in the hope that this prompts you to do them on those occasions when you're doing, say, a straight in approach, ie without a down wind leg.
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By VRB_20kt
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1880152
So you go around at 200’ if the checks haven’t been completed? How do you know? Do you recite them again in case you’ve missed one?

Or is this perhaps an extension of Reds, Blues, Greens?