Mon Nov 01, 2021 1:52 pm
#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.
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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