Why is landing a commercial plane difficult (or easy, I don't know)?

Question

Why is landing a commercial plane difficult (or easy, I don't know)?

Answer 1

assuming that you are talking about something like an airliner such as a boeing 747, remember that you are sitting 6 stories above the ground, and are talking about landing something near the size of a football field. that said these days there are systems built into these aircraft that aid in the landing of these jumbo jets.

Answer 2

There is no real difference in the "aerodynamics" (getting lift to zero as the wheels touchdown).  The techniques are different; i.e. in the F16 you aimed about 800 feet short and had a long round-out to touchdown then actually relaxed back pressure to maintain 11-15 alpha (the "staple" on the HUD) so you didn't get the burner can.

Airliners sit higher and transistioning from a trip to the warbirds I fly the first one is always interesting.

But the real trick I've found is to never give up the landing, keep flying until at taxi speed and they seem to work out better and be smoother.

Answer 3

Difficult or easy is a relative question. If one has proper training, knows the procedures, has the right experience and is qualified on the type, then it is a simple job. After some time, it becomes just routine. It becomes difficult when variables come into the picture with hidden surprises (and the pilot is not prepared/has not practiced for such conditions and is caught off guard) then the difficulty factor starts creeping in. And if one can come out of such situations successfully, the next time it will not be so difficult.

Remember, all landings are 'controlled crashes'.

Answer 4

people used to say in cessna "no matter how fast you are. how high you are, you can still land the aircraft"..

but not in jet jumbo, for example airbus..

The pilot have to prepare ahead,

- when to decent from cruising altitude.

- when to reduce the airspeed.

- follow the vector to the given landing runway.

violating some of the principle above may result in misapproach, and the pilot will have to "go-around' the airport to do another approach..

nowadays that will result in more fuel comsumption, and for sure delay in arrival..

Answer 5

while not yet in operation, they are testing an avionics system that can land a fully loaded airliner

Answer 6

Landing one plane is no more difficult than another, assuming the pilot knows what he/she is doing.  It is a series of maneuvers, done in sequence, and properly, will result in a safe landing.

Answer 7

I have never landed anything bigger than a Cessna, but there is no obvious reason why it would be more difficult to land a transport category aircraft other than that things go faster.

Answer 8

Landing a cessna 172 versus a 767 is night and day. Nothing is the same. One weighs 3000 pounds and the other weighs 300000 pounds. Slats, reversers, braking, steering....everything is different. Its fun though!

Answer 9

In general the larger the aircraft, the farther ahead

of it you must be when landing it and the closer to

optimum speed and position you must be at any given

point on the approach.

That little burst of power that saves a short approach

in a Cessna 150 might not be available in a larger aircraft.

Answer 10

If you know the approximate thrust setting and the approach speed, have a long enough runway, and know to expect touchdown of the main tires when you are still well above the runway it should be feasable enough.

I went from a KingAir type of plane to a B727, and it was just the height of the cockpit above the runway during the roundout and touchdown that took some getting used to.