About
Bring your skills to the next level by practicing precision takeoffs/landings at two challenging airports in Washington State. You and your remote flight instructor will begin on runway 25 at First Air Field (W16), which is 2100 feet long with upsloping trees at its departure end.
After thoroughly studying the aircraft performance data and practicing a set of takeoff scenarios to ensure your thorough understanding of the manufacturer’s recommended procedures (as well go/no-go criteria and the effects of weight, wind, and density altitude), you will progress to precision short-field landing practice. Explore concepts such as the Latest Touchdown Point, stabilized approach criteria, and ways to manage the risks associated with go arounds on runways with obstacles.
At the end, you’ll be ready to execute a complete flight to the Whidbey Air Park (W10), a quaint little airport tucked into a tight area with many surrounding trees.
While you’re welcome to complete this learning plan yourself, we highly recommend booking one of our flight instructors to help guide you along each step of the way and tailor the content to your specific situation.
This deep dive is intended for:
- Student pilots (post-solo)
- Certified pilots who wants a refresher in aircraft performance calculations and short field operations – and to learn systematic ways to manage the risks
- Sim enthusiasts who want to unlock a new level of challenge – precision takeoffs and landings at the world’s most challenging airports. You should already be comfortable flying a stabilized approach and landing in your simulator.
Depending on your experience level, this learning plan can be covered in approximately 2 to 4 hours. You can use any sim you wish, though it is worth noting that the scenery quality in FS2020 will create a much more immersive experience for these exercises.
Suggested Reading
Airplane Flying Handbook (AFH)
Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK)
Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM)
Study point: “Assuming that the runway length is appropriate for takeoff (considering runway condition and slope, elevation, aircraft weight, wind, and temperature), typical takeoff acceleration should allow the airplane to reach 70 percent of lift-off airspeed by the midpoint of the runway.”
Caution!
- The performance of your simulator (takeoff/landing distance, climb rates, etc.) cannot be used to make accurate assessments of real-world aircraft performance.
- Note that the airports used in the scenario are paved airports close to sea level, and high-altitude or unimproved airport short field operations adds an entirely new level of risk which is not explored in this learning plan.
- Before you operate a real aircraft into/out of short fields, be sure to receive in-aircraft instruction from an experienced Certified Flight Instructor in your specific aircraft.
Initial Sim Setup
| Recommended Aircraft Type | Cessna 172S |
| Position | W16 airport, runway 25 (engine running) |
| Wind | Calm |
| Temperature and pressure | Standard (15 deg C, altimeter 29.92 in Hg) |
| Payload | 2 front seat passengers (170 lbs each), no cargo. (340 lbs total payload) |
| Fuel | Full fuel (In the Cessna 172S, this is 53 gal*6 lbs/gal=318 lbs) |
Final Flight Mission (after scenarios are completed)
| Departure Airport | W16 Airport |
| Arrival Airport | W10 airport |
| Distance | 19.9 NM |
| PilotEdge ATC Coverage | PAE Tower and Seattle Approach |
Practice Plan
Airport Familiarization
- Gather information about the departure and arrival airports, including runway length, width, slope, obstacles, and the windsock location, using the Chart Supplement.
- Use satellite imagery from Google Maps to gain further insight into the airports and the runways.
Takeoff/landing distance calculations
Calculate takeoff and landing performance using POH performance data. If you’re flying the Cessna 172S in X-Plane or FS2020, you can use the POH here (https://flightsimcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/C172S-G1000-POH-GFC700.pdf).
- What do you think is a reasonable safety margin to add beyond the published distances?
- If the takeoff/landing distance (plus your safety margin) exceeds the available runway length, are there any variables in your control that could help reduce the distance?
- Be sure to consider the presence of any displaced thresholds when doing your calculations.
Scenario 1: Basic short field takeoff
Set up your simulator to match the initial conditions (position, weather, loading).
Review the POH procedure for short field takeoff. Take note of where it differs from the normal takeoff procedure (including technique, flap settings, airspeeds, etc.).
Practice a basic short field takeoff until proficiency.
Scenario 2: Effect of loading and density altitude
Reset position to the runway threshold. Modify the conditions for the following:
| Wind | 5 knots of tailwind (wind 070 at 5 knots). In FS2020, set gusts to zero. |
| Temperature | 27 degrees C (81 deg F) |
| Pressure | 29.75 in Hg |
| Payload | 1 additional 170-pound passenger in the back seat |
Now perform the same takeoff and notice the difference in performance. Although none of the factors individually seems to be a huge deal, they all add up to create a much more risky situation.
Here’s a real-life example of a short field takeoff that almost ended in disaster.
Scenario 3: Go/no-go criteria
Determine the runway halfway point and practice applying the rejected takeoff rule of thumb discussed in AIM 7-6-7.
Scenario 4: Basic short field landing
- Reset the flight conditions to the “normal” initial conditions (loading, wind, temperature, and pressure).
- Position the aircraft on final approach to runway 16L at KPAE (easier) or runway 16 at W10 (harder).
- Review the POH procedures for short field landings.
- Discuss the pros and cons of raising the flaps after touchdown.
- Decide on a touchdown point, then practice a basic short field landing.
Scenario 5: Aim point versus touchdown point
- Reset on final approach.
- If using X-Plane, switch to HUD mode using SHIFT+W. Repeat and discuss the difference between the aim point (using the Flight Path Vector symbol) and the touchdown point – and how the aim point needs to be slightly prior to the touchdown point to account for the flare distance.
- Discuss how to use runway markings to determine the touchdown distance tolerance during checkrides.
Scenario 6: Stabilized approach criteria
- Discuss stabilized approach criteria and the concept of “latest touchdown point.”
- Reset flight conditions to those used in Scenario 2 (except with a 10-knot tailwind) and re-fly the approach.
- Execute a go-around as soon as you’re sure you can’t touchdown prior to the latest touchdown point.
- Discuss how to manage the risks of a low-altitude go-around with obstacles at the end of the runway.
Full Flight Mission: W16 to W10
Reset the flight conditions to the “normal” initial conditions (loading, wind, temperature, and pressure). Plan and execute the complete flight from W16 to W10. For full immersion, consider doing this on PilotEdge and talking to PAE tower.
- Start at the parking area close to runway 25 at W16. Brief the taxi route using the exterior view or Google Maps. Practice taxiing so that you use all available runway on takeoff.
- If you’re using X-Plane with the Flight Control Indicator, use the FPA (flight path angle) readout to prove to yourself that VX actually provides the best angle of climb
- Utilize an After Takeoff Checklist to ensure flaps were raised
- Enroute to PAE, use caution for traffic at the S43 airport, the PAE class D airspace, and the Seattle class B airspace. Consider requesting a transition of the PAE class D airspace from tower.
- When approaching W10, consider overflying the airport to first check the windsock and runway condition
Flight Planning Links
Completion Standards
