Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

Circuits —

Flapless and Go-Arounds

CASA Recreational Pilot License (Aeroplane) — Lesson 8, Pre-flight theory

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Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

When should you NOT land?

  • You have flown several circuits now. What might make you decide not to land off an approach?
Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

When should you NOT land?

  • You have flown several circuits now. What might make you decide not to land off an approach?
  • Who makes that decision, and when is the latest it can be made safely?

A go-around can be started at any point — on final, in the flare, even after a bounce. The earlier you decide, the easier it is.

Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

Theory Lesson Overview

Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, our aim is to be able to:

  • Identify in what situations a flapless approach might be used.
  • Explain how a flapless profile differs from a normal approach profile.
  • Describe the flapless approach and landing technique, including its effects on the landing distance.
  • State the conditions that call for a go-around.
  • List the go-around actions in order.
  • Describe recovery from a baulked landing including the added care needed close to the ground.
  • Apply a clear priority order of Aviate, Navigate, Communicate when an approach or landing is abandoned.
Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

Waypoint 1 — Flapless Approach and Landing

Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

First, recall what flap gives us

Why do we normally use flaps during the approach?

Before we look at flying without it, recall what flap gives us:

Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

First, recall what flap gives us

Why do we normally use flaps during the approach?

Before we look at flying without it, recall what flap gives us:

  • More lift at a given speed → a lower stall speed and slower approach.
  • More drag → a steeper approach path and a shorter float.
  • More visibility → a lower nose attitude during descent

Take the flap away and all of those change. That is the whole story of a flapless approach.

TODO: Add an image of flaps here to break up, and remind.

Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

Why fly a flapless approach?

  • Flap failure — the flaps will not extend (mechanical or electrical).
  • Strong or gusty crosswind — some types are better landed with less or no flap (check the POH).
  • Practice — so an unfamiliar, flatter profile is never a first-time surprise.

A flapless landing is a normal landing flown to a different picture — not an emergency.

Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

How the flapless profile differs

  • Without flap drag, the approach path is flatter — judgement of the aim point is harder.
  • The approach is faster — fly the higher speed your POH recommends for flapless.
  • Fly it engine-assisted (with power), not as a glide — the lowest safe speed is achieved power-on.

Flatter path, higher speed, power on. Some briefs recommend extending downwind by 5 seconds to accommodate the flatter path.

TODO: idea for a new component: circuit viewer which allows specifying runway(s) and a patch that includes altitude. 3D path is then rendered as a translucent arrow and a 3D scene that can be viewed. Perhaps multiple paths (with colours) to compare, say, flapless vs with flaps.

TODO Profile diagram comparing a normal flapped approach (steeper, nearer aiming point) with a flatter flapless approach to a further aiming point, with a longer float and landing distance.

Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

The flapless landing — expect a longer float

  • The round-out is shallower — a smaller attitude change than a normal landing.
  • With less drag the aeroplane floats further before it settles — resist the urge to force it down.
  • Hold it off and let it land; then brake normally, allowing for the longer landing distance.

Same hold-off discipline as always — it just takes longer. Plan the extra runway before you commit.

TODO: Same image from previous slide here.

Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

Waypoint 2 — The Go-Around

Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

The go-around is the default, not the exception

  • Every approach is flown as though it may not end in a landing.
  • Decide against a stable set of gates: glide path, alignment, speed, configuration, runway clear.
  • If any gate is not met by your decision height (typically ~500 ft AGL, and again in the flare) → go around.

"If it isn't stable, it isn't a landing." Commit to the go-around early and fly it positively.

TODO: Add a youtube link to a late go-around that could have been safer as an earlier decision.

Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

The go-around actions, in order

Profile diagram of a go-around: an aircraft descends on final, arrests the descent at a low decision point, then climbs away along the extended centreline, with the four go-around actions labelled in sequence.

This is a modified Power, Attitude and Trim:

  1. Full Power — applied smoothly; carb heat cold (if fitted). Balance yaw with rudder.
  2. Attitude and Flap — arrest the descent and fly level while building sufficient speed to retract any full-flap. Raise flap to the go-around setting progressively, not all at once, continuing to adjust the attitude to a normal climb attitude.
  3. Trim — with a positive rate established, trim for the climb.

Power · Attitude & Flap · Trim — it can be a large trim change as the flap comes up; trim it off.

Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

Flying the go-around safely

  • Climb on the extended runway centreline — do not turn until at a safe height.
  • Allow for wind during the go-around and rejoin.
  • Avoid wake turbulence — propeller wash, rotor wash or jet blast from the aircraft ahead; stay at or above its path and rejoin upwind of it.
  • Prioritise: aviate, navigate, communicate — fly the aeroplane and climb first; make the radio call once safely climbing; re-enter on crosswind.

Centreline, climb, clean up — then talk, then turn. The wing needs you before the radio does.

Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

Waypoint 3 — Missed Landing Recovery

Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

Recovering from a baulked landing

A baulked (missed) landing is a go-around begun during or after a poor touchdown — a bounce, a balloon, or being held off far too high.

  • Do not try to rescue a bad landing — commit to the go-around without hesitation.
  • Apply full power and check the descent — but do not pitch back into the ground nose-down.
  • Follow the same PAT sequence: Power, Attitude & Flap and Trim, ensuring to establish
    at least level flight with sufficient speed, before raising flap gradually to the go-around setting while climbing.

When in doubt, go around — even from the runway. A second circuit always beats a bad landing.

Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

Why a baulked landing is harder

  • You begin low, slow, and possibly out of balance — little height to trade for speed.
  • Power and pitch must be coordinated — too much pitch with low speed risks a stall; too little risks a second touchdown.
  • Loss of control on landing usually comes from a swing, a drift, or over-controlling — keep it straight and fly it positively.

Low airspeed in the air close to the ground means small, smooth, decisive inputs — and patience for the speed to build.

Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

Waypoint 4 — Recap

Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

What do you remember?

Flapless approach and landing

  • Describe two ways a flapless approach differs from a normal approach.
  • Explain why a flapless landing uses more runway.

The go-around and baulked landing

  • List three situations that would make you go around.
  • State the go-around actions in order.
  • Recall the priority order when any approach or landing is abandoned.
  • Identify the one thing you must avoid when going around from a bounced landing.
Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

Summary

Topic Key point
Flapless — why Flap failure, strong/gusty crosswind, or practice. Not an emergency.
Flapless — how Flatter path, higher speed, flown with power. Longer float, longer landing distance.
Go-around decision Every approach may not land. Gates: glide path, alignment, speed, configuration, runway clear.
Go-around actions Full power · Attitude · Flap up progressively · Climb & re-trim. Centreline, then turn.
Priority Aviate → Navigate → Communicate. Fly first, talk later.
Wake turbulence Stay at/above the path ahead; avoid prop/rotor wash and jet blast.
Baulked landing Go around without hesitation; don't pitch into the ground; level then climb before flap up.
Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

Arrival

Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds — Theory

Questions?

By this lesson the student has flown circuits (lessons 6–7) and can fly the standard pattern, approach and landing. In addition to more consolidation, this lesson adds two distinct new skills: 1. The flapless approach and landing — a flatter, faster approach flown with power. 2. The go-around and recovery from a baulked landing — abandoning an approach or a poor landing. The theory brief takes them in that order, which matches the in-flight notes and the order they are flown: consolidation circuit, then flapless, then go-arounds, then the baulked-landing recovery (the most demanding, built on the go-around). That said, there may be opportunity to demonstrate go-arounds throughout the lesson.

Open the lesson on a question that motivates the whole second half (go-arounds). Draw out the student's own list before giving the canonical one — but keep it short; the detailed decision criteria come later, in the go-around section. Likely answers to draw out: - The approach is unstable (too high, too low, too fast, not aligned). - Something is on or near the runway (traffic, animals, vehicle). - A gust, windshear, or a bounce upsets the landing. - You are simply not happy with the approach — that is reason enough. Plant the message: deciding to go around is a normal, well-flown outcome, not a failure. This lesson aims to make a go-around routine.

Emphasise: the option to go around never goes away, but it gets more demanding the lower and slower you are. That is exactly why we practise the late ones (the baulked landing) deliberately, at the end of the lesson. We'll come back to this. First, the other new skill for today — landing without flap.

Talk through the outline before clicking on the Start to start the timer.

These map to CASA lesson-8 elements A4.3, A4.4, NTS1.1, NTS1.3, NTS2.1 and the underpinning-knowledge list.

Click Direct-To to arrive at Flapless Approach and Landing.

A short recall bridge into the flapless exercise (builds on lesson 6 approach/landing and earlier flap exposure). Keep it brief — it is recall, not new theory. PHAK Ch 6 / AFH Ch 9 cover flap effect on lift and drag. FIM Ch 12 frames the flapless approach as flatter and best flown with power.

Underpinning knowledge: causes and handling of flap problems; crosswind technique. Note the manufacturer's guidance varies — some light types specify reduced flap in strong crosswinds, others do not. Read the POH for the training aircraft. FIM Ch 12: flapless used "in gusty or strong cross wind conditions or in the event of mechanical failure of the flaps." It may be worth discussing *why* less or no flaps are used in strong wind conditionts: - Reduced go-around performance - longer to accelerate and climbe on the more-likely go around - Less controllability at lower speeds - Pitch sensitivity - flaps shift the centre of pressure and change the pitch moment. Gusts will increase those pitches and flaps may make it harder to dampen those pitches.

FIM Ch 12: "The descent path may be flatter, making judgment more difficult and an engine assisted approach should be made... the lowest safe speed during the flapless approach is obtained with power on." TODO image — generate and save as flapless-vs-normal-profile.png in this lesson's brief-assets dir. IMAGE PROMPT (for an image generator): A clean, flat-style instructional aviation diagram in a side-on (profile) view, on a light background suitable for a slide. A runway sits along the bottom. From a single common start point at upper left (same height and distance from the runway) two descent paths run down to the runway: (1) a steeper roughly 3-degree NORMAL approach ending at a near aiming point a short way along the runway, labelled "Normal approach — with flap"; (2) a noticeably shallower, flatter FLAPLESS approach ending at an aiming point further along the runway, labelled "Flapless approach — no flap, with power". Put a small light-aircraft silhouette on each path. Along the runway, show with a bracket/arrow that the flapless path has a longer float and a longer ground roll, labelled "longer float + landing distance". Add a wind arrow showing a headwind from the right. Use simple labelled lines and a restrained blue-and-grey palette, minimal text, no photorealism — like a flight-instructor whiteboard or textbook diagram. Landscape orientation, generous margins so it reads at slide size.

FIM Ch 12: "Point out that there is usually a smaller round out angle and the possibility of a longer float... when the aeroplane has stopped, draw attention to the much longer distance covered." Emphasise the energy-management consequence: more speed + less drag = more runway used. This is the safety message of the exercise. A flatter, faster approach that isn't working is itself a reason to go around — which is the next topic.

Click Direct-To to arrive at The Go-Around.

CASA NTS1.3 (assess situations and make decisions) is graded across this lesson. The pedagogy: give the student firm, repeatable gates so the decision is rule-based, not a judgement call made under pressure. AFH Ch 9 (stabilised approach concept). Reinforce that a stabilised-approach standard removes the temptation to "save" a poor approach — including the flatter flapless one.

CASA A4.3 (conduct a missed approach). FIM Ch 12: apply take-off power, hold level until the recommended flaps-down climb speed, raise flap to optimum, then at a safe height/speed raise flap fully and resume a normal climb. Warn of the large trim change. Sequence the flap retraction with the aircraft type — full flap to a stage, then clean up in steps as speed and height allow. TODO image — generate and save as go-around-profile.png in this lesson's brief-assets dir. IMAGE PROMPT (for an image generator): A clean, flat-style instructional aviation diagram in a side-on (profile) view, on a light background suitable for a slide. A runway sits along the bottom. Draw one continuous flight path of a light aircraft that descends on final approach from the upper left toward the runway, reaches a low decision/level-off point just above the runway (it does NOT touch down), then transitions into a climb that rises away to the upper right along the extended runway centreline. Mark four labelled stages along the path, in order: "1. Full power" at the low point; "2. Attitude — arrest descent, climb" as it levels and starts up; "3. Flap up progressively" a little further along the climb; "4. Climb & re-trim on centreline" near the top. Place a small light-aircraft silhouette at the decision point and again climbing away. Add a wind arrow showing a headwind. Use simple labelled lines and a restrained blue-and-grey palette, minimal text, no photorealism — like a flight-instructor whiteboard or textbook diagram. Landscape orientation, generous margins so it reads at slide size.

A4.3 (e)(f)(g): after-take-off actions, wind allowance, wake-turbulence avoidance. Underpinning knowledge [A1 4(i), A4 4(j)]: prop wash / rotor wash / jet blast and their effect on other aircraft. [A6 4(e)]: prioritising activities during non-normal situations. A common error is reaching for the radio before the aeroplane is climbing — name it. A busy circuit means a go-around puts you back into traffic, so lookout and the radio call matter (NTS2, situational awareness).

Click Direct-To to arrive at Missed Landing Recovery.

CASA A4.4 (perform recovery from missed landing). FIM Ch 12: "the student must not try to convert a bad landing into a good one but must, without hesitation, go around again... care must be taken not to fly back into the ground in a nose down attitude. A positive rate of climb or at least level flight must be established before flaps are raised." This is the same go-around actions from the previous section, begun from a worse state — low, slow and possibly unsettled. That is precisely why it is briefed and demonstrated last, once the in-air go-around is solid.

Underpinning knowledge: "causes of loss of control of aeroplane on landing" [A4 4(f)]. Tie back to directional control — weathercocking, drift at touchdown, over-braking. The recovery is the standard go-around, just flown from a worse starting point.

Click Direct-To to arrive at Recap.

Grouped one topic at a time. Each uses a Bloom's action verb with a concrete quantity/anchor, so answers are assessable.

Final round of questions before moving to the pre-flight briefing notes and the flight.