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But, as you near the runway, the airplane starts to float. It’s not magic—it’s groundeffect. When you’re flying near the ground, within one wingspan, the aerodynamic forces start to change. Groundeffect is a phenomenon that every pilot must master. What Is GroundEffect in Aviation?
A pilot needs to control the airplane in a manner that the wings support the weight of the airplane as long as practical to minimize stresses imposed on the landing gear by a rough surface or to prevent sinking into a soft surface. The approach for the soft-field landing is similar to the normal approach.
If you’re not stabilized at 200 feet AGL, go around. On a normal landing, you’d pull the power over the threshold, begin your roundout, and flare around 10 feet AGL. Hold this extra power as you enter groundeffect. Low-wing aircraft perform better in groundeffect because of the wing’s proximity to the ground.
This is a hard one to gain insight from other than this: Some atmospheric events are bigger than our plastic airplanes. He only needed a glide ratio of 14:1 to reach the airfield to arrive at a typical pattern altitude of 1,000 ft AGL. Shmulik flew quite fast at ground speeds between 100 and 130 kt, carrying a lot of extra energy.
Fly at least 1,500 above ground level (AGL) to allow room for recovery in case you stall the aircraft. For a greater margin of safety, select an altitude that leaves you 1,500 feet AGL after recovery from a stall. So, if you’re inexperienced or out of practice, consider starting at 3,000 feet AGL.
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