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What Is Ground Effect?

Pilot Institute

It’s not magic—it’s ground effect. When you’re flying near the ground, within one wingspan, the aerodynamic forces start to change. Ground effect is a phenomenon that every pilot must master. Key Takeaways Ground effect increases an aircraft’s lift and decreases drag. You feel in control.

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How to fly a perfect soft field approach and landing

Flight Training Central

The major difference between the two is that a degree of power is used throughout the level-off and touchdown for the soft-field landing so as to control the descent rate all the way to touch down. This allows the airspeed to slowly dissipate while the airplane is flown just above the surface in ground effect.

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Air Taxi Prototype Crash at Cotswold Airport

Fear of Landing

Once stable in ground effect, the pilot shut down EPU1 (left-side outboard) to simulate the performance in the case of an engine failure. As a result, there was no longer enough vertical thrust, although, to be fair, the prototype remained level as it descended towards the ground. A vertical descent rate of 19.5

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How to Make a Perfect Soft Field Landing Every Time

Pilot Institute

Hold this extra power as you enter ground effect. Low-wing aircraft perform better in ground effect because of the wing’s proximity to the ground. High-wing aircraft might need more power or pitch to arrest the descent. Overcorrecting for a high descent rate will cause the aircraft to balloon.

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How to Master Slow Flight (Step-By-Step)

Pilot Institute

Climbs and Descents During Slow Flight It’s counterintuitive, but pitching up will not result in a climb during slow flight. You’ll have to accelerate to V x while staying within ground effect. When you’re proficient, you’ll confidently maintain altitude a few feet off the ground while accelerating from slow flight.

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Invisible Trap Kills Glider Pilot – How To Avoid Microbursts

Chess In the Air

Under normal circumstances Shmulik would have had sufficient altitude to delay the landing by several minutes: his glider’s minimum descent rate in still air was just 100 fpm. Even a more typical descent rate of 200 fpm would have allowed Shmulik to hold for about 5-7 minutes before he would have had to proceed with the landing.

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What NTSB Reports Say About Impossible Turns and Angle of Attack

Air Facts

An incomplete summary description of FASF is whether the airplane made it out of ground effect. This descent used the same technique that (would have) had value in many of the NTSB accidents involving engine failure after takeoff. That phenomenon is best named Failure to Achieve Sustained Flight (FASF).