Page 32 - mmopaMJ21

The airplane is over the centerline, and both main tires are on the ground. The ailerons are now deflected into the wind, and the tires are firmly gripping the ground
in the landing roll. We now need to deal with the nose landing gear tire. We now need to fly the nose gear tire
to the ground. The key is not to let it “plop” down, but to fly it down in control. This should be done early in the landing sequence.
In the early stages of the landing sequence, the airplane’s speed ensures that the rudder is quite effective. As the airplane slows, the rudder becomes less and less effective. Remember, the rudder is an airfoil and develops horizontal lift as a function of angle of attack (AOA) and airspeed. As the airspeed slows (with the nose wheel tire off the ground), more rudder pedal pressure (increasing angle of attack)
is required to keep the longitudinal axis aligned with the runway centerline. So, the nose wheel should be flown to the ground by the elevator rather soon, before the airspeed slows and big rudder inputs are required to keep the nose going straight.
When the nose wheel touches the ground, we now
have much more directional control from the friction of
the rubber to the ground, and the aerodynamic control provided by the rudder becomes less important. So, the nose tire should be flown to the ground, allowed to touch for better directional control, but then aft elevator pressure should be added to keep the weight from falling upon the nose wheel. In a perfect scenario, we want the nose wheel
to touch the ground soon in the landing roll, allowed to remain on the ground, but then the full weight of the airplane is not allowed to lurch forward. Aft pressure on the elevator is important once the nose wheel touches down.
At the end of the landing roll, the yoke should be into
the wind, and the elevator should be into the pilot’s gut,
full aft pressure.
Is there another reason to fly the nose wheel to the ground soon in the landing sequence? Yes! On the Meridian/M500/M600, there’s a weight-on-wheel switch (WOW Switch, we called it a “squat switch” in the military) that has the singular purpose of allowing the pilot to move the power lever to beta or reverse. The pilot will not enjoy the benefits of reverse thrust unless the nose wheel is allowed to touch. In the Meridian/M500/M600, the nose wheel should be flown to the ground soon...not in a rush... but soon, especially if the landing surface is short.
How much reverse/beta should be applied on the landing roll? The answer depends upon the length of the landing surface, but the usual response is “not much.” I love beta/ reverse in the turbines and believe it is one of the best reasons to buy a turbine. But reverse/beta tend to throw debris in front of the airplane on the landing roll, and then that debris can be ingested by the engine. FOD damage is the usual result. My advice is to use reverse/beta minimally on a normal landing but not to be bashful if it is needed to keep the airplane from going off the end of the runway.
In the JetPROP, don’t even think about going into reverse/beta until the nose wheel is on the ground, even though there is no protection from doing it. You’ll want the nose wheel on the ground to keep the nose from yawing excessively.
There’s one more problem with reverse/beta in a turbine. Torque. Remember, torque happens anytime the power is advanced or placed into reverse/beta. So, reverse/beta will make the airplane yaw on the landing sequence. Without a doubt, an abrupt input of reverse/beta will make the nose of the airplane yaw. So, if you are on a contaminated surface or have a considerable crosswind, use less reverse/beta.
If you do need reverse/beta as part of your short-field landing technique, remember that reverse/beta is much more effective at higher speeds. This is another reason to fly the nose wheel to the ground early in the landing roll. At slow speeds, reverse/beta is almost useless, maybe even a detriment. But, at high speeds very useful. So, if you are to use reverse/beta, use it early, and after about 40 KIAS, you should release any deep reverse being applied and use the brakes to stop. A pilot flaw I regularly see in the turbines is excessive use of reverse/beta when slow. You’ll experience a noticeable yawing or wagging of the airplane when in deep reverse, all of which is undesirable when trying to maintain directional control.
There is a prevailing opinion in our community that excessive speed is one of the biggest causes of landing accidents. I think this is partly correct but doesn’t create a complete picture. Speed simply exacerbates any incorrect pilot inputs. Your POH and the MMOPA Operational Practices (found on the MMOPA website) clearly illustrate how to approach a runway and give appropriate speeds
for doing so. Speed control on the final segment of an approach is critical. So, make sure you are flying at appropriate speeds.
If you fly a PA46 to a runway too fast, but with correct technique, there will not be a “darting” problem. The speed simply exponentially increases the chances that the forces acting upon the nose wheel can get out of control.
There’s another lurker problem in the PA46 community: the yaw damper. Ask any airline or military pilot: They’ll tell you the last thing you do before landing is “push the LRB.” The LRB is the “little red button” on the yoke that is sometimes called a “kill switch.” It kills the autopilot. You need to push this button on every landing to ensure the yaw damper is OFF. I routinely see pilots land a PA46 with the yaw damper ON, and this can be a HUGE problem if there is any crosswind. Get in the habit of pushing the LRB before every landing!
My guess as to the biggest culprit in the series of landing accidents? I think there are two major problems: poor training and poor airmanship.
I believe some instructors are teaching that “the nose wheel should be held off the ground as long as possible in the landing roll.” This is not wise in the PA46. In some
32 MMOPA MAGAZINE MAY / JUNE 2021