TECHNIQUE GUIDE NORMAL LANDING

TECHNIQUE GUIDE
NORMAL LANDING
PURPOSE The purpose of this document is to provide guidance on how to safely land the EMB-
145/EMB-135 from a stabilized approach. It is assumed the approach has a 3° glideslope,
the braking action is good, and the winds are calm. This document is an unofficial guide and
therefore, the FARs, the AIM, company policy, and good judgment take precedence over
this document.

GOOD LANDING A good landing, as defined by this document, is one that results from a stabilized approach
DEFINED where the airplane crosses the runway threshold at 50 feet AGL at VREF and touches down
smoothly in the touchdown zone with the thrust levers at idle.

STABILIZED A stabilized approach is key to getting safe and consistent landings. ExpressJet defines a
APPROACH stabilized approach on page 3-90 of the AOM Vol. I. The approach must stabilized by 1,000
feet above the TDZE in IMC and 500 feet above the TDZE in VMC. The conditions that must
be met for the approach to be considered stabilized are:
 The aircraft must in the final landing configuration by 1,000 feet above the TDZE
(Except when conducting a circling approach).
 The thrust must be at a stabilized setting (N1 changes should be less than 5%).
 Airspeed +10/-5 KIAS of target speed (VAPP).
 The rate of descent should be no greater than 1,000 fpm unless previously briefed.
 Only normal bracketing is required to remain on the proper flight path.
 The Landing Checklist must be completed at least to the line.
It is important to note that this must be done BEFORE reaching 1,000 feet above the TDZE in
IMC and 500 feet above the TDZE in VMC. Remember that it is not 1,000 feet AGL, but 1,000
feet above the TDZE. For must approaches, the difference is negligible, but some
approaches have terrain that can cause a disparity between 1,000 feet AGL and 1,000 feet
above the TDZE. You should get in the habit of referencing the barometric altimeter and not
the radar altimeter when calling, “1,000.” Also, regardless of the weather conditions, the
aircraft must be fully configured by 1,000 feet above the TDZE. It takes nine seconds for the
flaps to extend to 45° from 22°, so if you call for flaps 45° at 1,000 feet above the TDZE, the
flaps won’t reach 45° until you are 900 feet above the TDZE. See the Stabilized Approach
Technique Guide for more information.
Airspeed control is critical and will greatly affect the approach and landing. You should be
aiming for the target speed. We set target speed at 5 KIAS above VREF. VREF is calculated at
1.23 VS. The top of the low speed awareness tape (the white zone) is equal to VREF for the
current conditions. Most of the time the VREF bug and the top of the low speed awareness
tape coincide with each other, but if an incorrect landing weight was used to set the VREF bug,
they may differ. If there is a significant difference, the top of the low speed awareness tape
should be referenced for the approach. It is important to get the aircraft at target speed by this
point so the thrust, pitch trim, and descent rate can be stabilized. If you are able to get the
aircraft at target speed by 1,000 feet above the TDZE, then you only need to make minor
changes to keep the aircraft on the glideslope. Failure to do so will cause you to arrive at the
runway at a different airspeed, pitch angle, and power setting than what is required to get a
safe predictable landing.
If you find yourself making large and rapid power changes or moving the yoke backwards and
forwards repeatedly (pumping the yoke), you are probably not stabilized. Remember that the
engines take time to respond to thrust changes, so if you are slow and increase thrust to
compensate, it will take time for the engines to produce the requested amount of thrust. If you
get impatient and increase thrust further, in a few seconds you will find that you are now too
fast and high and have to bring the thrust levers to idle and push the nose down. Then as you
pull the nose back up to rejoin the glideslope, the engines have spooled down and now you
are slow again requiring you to add power and repeat the processes for the remainder of the
approach.

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Ideally, you should call for flaps 45° by 1,300 feet above the TDZE. As the flaps extend from
22° to 45° over a nine second period, you should be smoothly advancing the thrust levers to
stop the deceleration right as the airspeed reaches VAPP. As the flaps extend and the aircraft
slows, the trim should be brought up to between 6° and 8° nose up. By the time the aircraft is
at 1,000 feet above the TDZE, the airspeed should be at VAPP, the aircraft should be on the
glideslope, and the horizontal stabilizer should be trimmed. From this point on, only minor
pitch inputs and power changes (around 1% N1) should be needed to maintain the proper
flight path.

THRESHOLD Landing data is calculated assuming the aircraft crosses 50 feet above the runway threshold
CROSSING at VREF. Getting the altitude and airspeed right is critical because even minor deviations will
HEIGHT greatly affect location of the touchdown point. For example, the touchdown point increases
120 feet for every knot over VREF. Also, if you cross the threshold at 60 feet AGL, your
touchdown point will be an extra 190 feet further down the runway!
It is important to note that the glideslope and the Visual Glideslope Indicator (VGSI) are not
always aligned. If this is the case, it will be indicated in the notes section of the approach
plate. This should let you know that either the glideslope or the VGSI will not bring you to the
threshold at 50 feet AGL. Most of the time the electronic glideslope is correct and it is the
VASI or PAPI that is off, but this is not always the case. In the end it comes down to pilot skill
and judgment to get the aircraft to the threshold at 50 feet AGL.
The aircraft should be slowed to VREF at a rate of 1 KIAS per second. To achieve this, reduce
thrust (about 2% N1) at 100 feet AGL. Remember that VREF is VS X 1.23, so even for a low
VREF speed of 115 KIAS, the stall speed for the aircraft at that weight and configuration is 94
KIAS. That means at a deceleration rate of 1 KIAS per second, you have 21 seconds from
crossing the threshold to stalling. So remember, VREF gives plenty protection from stall under
normal conditions at low altitude over a runway.

TOUCHDOWN The Pilot/Controller Glossary defines the touchdown zone as the first 3,000 feet of the
ZONE runway. A standard 3° glideslope will bring you from 50 feet above the threshold to 954 feet
down the runway. Since we don’t go below the glideslope, we only have 2,000 feet left to
touchdown in. Keep in mind that if you are at the correct airspeed and rate of deceleration,
you will not need 2,000 feet to properly flare the aircraft. Realistically, touchdown should
occur between 1,500 feet and 2,000 feet past the runway threshold.
At the threshold, an ILS glideslope is only 23 feet thick from top to bottom. Trying to follow the
glideslope or VGSI past the threshold can lead to excessive and futile control inputs, so once
you cross the threshold, the landing should be visual from that point on. You should be
looking down to the end of the runway to concentrate on the flare. After crossing the
threshold, you should continue to slowly decelerate all the way to touchdown. As you get
within 10 feet of the runway, power should be smoothly brought idle as you initiate the flare.
If you came in at the right speed with the right amount of declaration, the aircraft should
touchdown smoothly slightly below VREF with the thrust levers at idle shortly after the flare is
initiated. The most common error is coming in with too much energy. The result is a slight
balloon or float after the flare. If you find yourself waiting to touchdown for more than three
seconds at the normal flare attitude or even pushing the nose down to stop a slight balloon,
you came in with too much energy. It is not good technique to push the nose over and unload
the wings during landing.

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