AA.III.F.S8
SkillContact the water at the correct pitch attitude and touchdown speed.
From the FAA library
- LANDING › GLASSY WATER LANDING
lowest possible safe altitude so that a reliable height reference is maintained to within a few feet of the water surface. When adequate visual references are not available, make glassy water landings by establishing a stable descent in the landing ... attitude at a rate that will provide a positive, but not excessive, contact with the water. Recognize the need for this type of landing in ample time to set up the proper final approach. Always perform glassy water landings with…
- LANDING › NORMAL LANDING
landings are generally preferred because they give the pilot more positive control of the rate of sink and the touchdown spot. To touch down at the slowest possible speed, extend the flaps fully. Use flaps, throttle, and pitch to control ... airspeed. The techniques for glidepath control are similar to those used in a landplane. As the seaplane approaches the water’s surface, smoothly raise the nose to the appropriate pitch attitude for touchdown. As the floats contact the water…
- LANDING › ROUGH WATER LANDING
rather flat attitude until conditions appear more acceptable, and then reduce the power to touch down. If severe bounces occur, add power and lift off to search for a smoother landing spot. In general, make the touchdown at a somewhat ... flatter pitch attitude than usual. This prevents the seaplane from being tossed back into the air at a dangerously low airspeed, and helps the floats to slice through the tops of the waves rather than slamming hard against them. Reduce…
- SKIPPING › GLASSY WATER TAKEOFFS
GLASSY WATER TAKEOFFS Glassy water makes takeoff more difficult in two ways. The smoothness of the surface has the effect of increasing drag, making acceleration and lift-off more difficult. This can feel as if there is suction between ... water and the floats. A little surface roughness actually helps break the contact between the floats and the water by introducing turbulence and air bubbles between water and the float bottoms. The intermittent contact between floats and water…