Week Twenty One - More Pattern Practice

Typical angle of attack on take-off with one person on board.

Not much to say here. Just a pretty picture of the plane flying into a lightly clouded sky.

I made a deliberate fly by so that Joanne could get a nice overhead shot.

Talk about your "Wild Blue Yonder"

Passing through about 100 feet. It's all over but the shouting now.

I'm committed to going all the way around.

Runway 22 at Mansfield, coming in over the trees.

Another approach shot.

The FlightStar lands like a feather as long as you flare very late. Unlike a typcial Cessna, where you sit about three and a half feet off the ground, your butt in the FlightStar is only about one foot off the ground.

Here's my tips for landing.

• Approach at 55 to 60 mph.
• Keep the approach angle constant until your three feet off the ground.
• Flare by simply arresting the descent. Don't pull back abruptly
• Your speed will dissipate fairly rapidly, just keep slowly coming back on the stick.
• Moments later, you'll feel the wheels kiss the pavement. It's very, very gentle.