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By Pete L
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1201124
...except on final approach to a narrow farm strip with a hedge at the end.

So, shower approaching strip, leading edge looks like it'll arrive at the same time as us. No worries, looked thin enogh to see through it. Made the plan of if I go around, bug out to Cranfield where its still clearish (nice rainbow...).

What I hadn't bargained for was the rain streaming up the windscreen. Never been a problem at height, but it removed all depth perception, making it quite hard to work out if I was going to go through or over the hedge at the threshold. We landed, but I shan't be repeating the exercise. No bother on a nice long piece of tarmac where less precision can be applied.
By lordbonville
#1217160
Just wait till one day the sun is behind the rain...

I used to fly something bigger with windscreen wipers. They were no help either, just a distraction
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By Timothy
#1217176
Would it be worth looking at GPS ILS, or wouldn't it have helped?
By pb6797
#1217418
Timothy wrote:Would it be worth looking at GPS ILS, or wouldn't it have helped?


Can't speak for Pete, but as he said his concern was the "hedge at the threshold" I think I'd be looking out the window at that point ...
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By Timothy
#1217460
Yes, of course, but final approach is the result of the initial approach, and if you are set up early on for a precision touchdown, and then remain stable, then a precision touchdown is what you will get.

It is worth trying, anyway.
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By Pete L
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1217663
Agree on the stable approach, which is something I'm still mastering in the new a/c - still forgetting how little inertia it has.

What I missed from the original description was the effect as I put the last stage of flap in and slowed to "over the hedge" speed from approach speed. My normal practice is approach with two stages of flap from 500' and then only take "stop in the sky" flap when its becoming less likely I'll need the go around (and reasonable changce of not hitting something in front of me if the fan stops).

What were thin streams then turned into large slow moving droplets. What became hard was being able to focus ahead - like flies, the droplets were pulling the focus back to the screen.
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By Liam548
#1255352
Timothy wrote:Would it be worth looking at GPS ILS, or wouldn't it have helped?



Tim do you use GPS ILS? And do you have an external GPS reciever?

I find it hit and miss on final, not sure it is set up correctly. Even flying commercially on an airliner it does not show even near the glideslope, am I missing something basic? I have good GPS signal but not external GPS.

Thanks

Liam
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By Paul_Sengupta
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1255403
I'm not really familiar with the app, but GPS altitude is notorious for being out. You might have to calibrate it with your actual (pressure derived) altitude before it gets things right (i.e. tell the GPS what altitude you're at, and then it can work everything out relative to that).