How to Land a Cessna 172Impress your friends on your aviation knowledge. Landing a plane is the most

important part of a flight. Fly safe! These instructions assume you are approaching

a towered airport for landing in a left traffic pattern, and the winds are calm and

visibility is good.

Steps

1.

1Get the ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) 10 miles (16 km) out

from entry into the airspace. ATIS will give you a code such as "Information

alpha" to give to tower. Contact the control tower or approach control for that

airport, and state the following:

"tower/approach name, aircraft tail number, location, altitude, Landing with

information whatever "ATIS" code you received above." The tower will give you

instructions. This guide assumes they instructed you to take left (or right) traffic for

Runway X and to report on 45 (45 degree downwind entry to runway being used).

(This is a rough guideline, it's missing some specific information that tower

sometimes asks for)

2.

2Do your pre-landing check with your checklist: Brakes checked, undercarriage

down & locked, Mixture fully rich, Fuel selector on both, Flaps as required,

(Propeller pitch fixed), Suction indicating, Oil Temps. and Press. (Ts&Ps) in green,

Master on, Mags on both, (Carb. heat to HOT if RPM is below 1500RPM) Hatches

& Harness' locked and latched, Landing lights on. PLANE CLEAR TO LAND

3.

3Apply Carb. Heat and make your descent to where you reach pattern altitude for

that airport by the time you reach the 45° entry leg. You can be a little higher on the

45. Let's assume the pattern altitude is 1,200 feet (365.8 m) MSL. Try to descend

at 500 feet per minute. That will be easier on your ear drums.

4.

4Reach the 45 and contact the tower and tell them how many miles you are

out on the 45 and your altitude. The tower might clear you to land or will

acknowledge.

5.

5Remember that when you reach 1⁄4 mile (0.4 km) from the runway, turn

downwind. By now the tower should have cleared you to land. You should have

slowed the plane to 80 to 85 knots and powered the engine to around 2000 rpms.

6.

6Know that when you are abeam the downwind runway numbers, turn on your

carburetor heat on, power back to 1500 rpm. Hold the nose level until the

airspeed drops into the white arc, then extend 10 degrees of flaps. Pitch for 75

knots using outside visual reference, then confirm with the airspeed indicator.

Make sure you coordinate your turns with the rudder pedals. Be especially careful

not to use excessive inside rudder however: skid + stall = spin!

7.

7When the threshold of the runway is 45° behind you, turn left base, and apply

another 10 degrees of flaps. This should bring your airspeed down to 70 knots.

Do not add flaps while in the turn; only after turn is complete. You are now

perpendicular to the runway. Be especially careful not to overshoot your final turn

at an airport with parallel runways, because the parallel runway might have landing

traffic.

8.

8Turn Final. When the field is made (you would reach it even if the engine were to

quit), extend the next 10 degrees of flaps (again, after the turn is complete). The

spot on the ground where you will land will appear stationary. Use pitch to maintain

approach speed (usually 60-70KIAS). Use power to control altitude. Be careful to

keep airspeed above 60KIAS, but do not fixate on the airspeed indicator. Use the

ailerons to correct for any crosswind and the rudder pedals to keep the plane

aligned with the runway center-line.

9.

9When you are a few feet off the ground, gently power back and level

off.Keeping level will require increasing amounts of back pressure on the yoke,

and (increasing amounts of aileron in a crosswind). After touchdown keep the yoke

pulled all the way back and to whichever side is needed for crosswind. Only apply

the brakes if necessary (for field length or to avoid holding up other landing traffic).

Continue on the runway centerline until you reach taxi speed (a fast walking pace),

then turn off at the nearest taxiway and do not stop until you have passed the hold

short line.

10.

10Complete your post landing checks, then call tower if they have not called

you already.