Sinus Nose Wheel Landing Procedure
The easiest way to land the Sinus is to turn on final
at about 1000 feet 1 nautical mile from the desired landing spot
this will give you plenty of time to set up a good landing
the Sinus descends at 200 feet a minute spoilers closed
the Sinus descends at 1200 feet a minute spoilers full open
ideally the descend will be set at 700 feet a minute
as soon as aligned on final set the flaperons at +18 for normal winds
with power idle, prop full fine, in cold weather you might want to apply some power briefly during final
set the speed to 50 knot with normal winds
now you can check the IAS vs the GPS speed and have an good idea about the wind strength
now you can check with wings levelled the wind direction observing where the nose is pointing
always be cautious about wind gradient
the most difficult thing is to use the spoilers
they should be deployed with small movements and kept at the mid position
for a 700 feet per minute rate of descent
always keep you hand on the spoilers and move the handle slowly
with the stick you control the speed
with the spoilers you control the rate of descent
with aileron and/or rudder you control the direction
you aim a precise spot on the runway
and you will touch down further down
with this set up there is plenty of time to do a good final with
constant horizontal 50 kts IAS
constant vertical 700 feet per minute speed
with normal wind condition only very small adjustments are needed
again, the most difficult thing is to use the spoilers properly
with practice and experience you must learn to keep the
airplane in the MIDI SLOPE pointing to the AIM SPOT
at about 50 feet AGL the spoilers should be fully open and IAS 50 knots
and you can start flaring
with central vision look at the end of the runway to observe the airplane attitude
with periferic vision look at one side to assess altitude
with the right speed and attitude it is impossible to miss a good landing
use the controls as needed to keep the airplane aligned with the runway
with an attitude the airplane will touch down only with the main wheels
normally you will touch down 20 to 50 feet further down the aiming spot
once the plane touches down keep the nose off the ground as long as possible
normally with progressive back stick pressure
at about 20 knots IAS you no longer have pitch control
the nose wheel will touch down
keep direction with rudder, steerable nose wheel and differential braking if necessary
as soon as comfortable set the flaperons to negative for less lift
with strong winds you might want to keep spoilers open
always with the hand on the handle, otherwise spoilers might slam close suddenly
circulate at walking speed
in the event you bounce at touch down and your flaring speed was right
keep in mind the Sinus is a forgiving machine, bouncing will attenuate by itself,
keep a good attitude and the Sinus will settle down gently.
in the event you bounce at touch down and your speed is high the
best option when flying engine on is to go around.
On another page it will be explained how to correct and control big bounces that
usually occurs because of excessive speed and inertia.
at about 1000 feet 1 nautical mile from the desired landing spot
this will give you plenty of time to set up a good landing
the Sinus descends at 200 feet a minute spoilers closed
the Sinus descends at 1200 feet a minute spoilers full open
ideally the descend will be set at 700 feet a minute
as soon as aligned on final set the flaperons at +18 for normal winds
with power idle, prop full fine, in cold weather you might want to apply some power briefly during final
set the speed to 50 knot with normal winds
now you can check the IAS vs the GPS speed and have an good idea about the wind strength
now you can check with wings levelled the wind direction observing where the nose is pointing
always be cautious about wind gradient
the most difficult thing is to use the spoilers
they should be deployed with small movements and kept at the mid position
for a 700 feet per minute rate of descent
always keep you hand on the spoilers and move the handle slowly
with the stick you control the speed
with the spoilers you control the rate of descent
with aileron and/or rudder you control the direction
you aim a precise spot on the runway
and you will touch down further down
with this set up there is plenty of time to do a good final with
constant horizontal 50 kts IAS
constant vertical 700 feet per minute speed
with normal wind condition only very small adjustments are needed
again, the most difficult thing is to use the spoilers properly
with practice and experience you must learn to keep the
airplane in the MIDI SLOPE pointing to the AIM SPOT
at about 50 feet AGL the spoilers should be fully open and IAS 50 knots
and you can start flaring
with central vision look at the end of the runway to observe the airplane attitude
with periferic vision look at one side to assess altitude
with the right speed and attitude it is impossible to miss a good landing
use the controls as needed to keep the airplane aligned with the runway
with an attitude the airplane will touch down only with the main wheels
normally you will touch down 20 to 50 feet further down the aiming spot
once the plane touches down keep the nose off the ground as long as possible
normally with progressive back stick pressure
at about 20 knots IAS you no longer have pitch control
the nose wheel will touch down
keep direction with rudder, steerable nose wheel and differential braking if necessary
as soon as comfortable set the flaperons to negative for less lift
with strong winds you might want to keep spoilers open
always with the hand on the handle, otherwise spoilers might slam close suddenly
circulate at walking speed
in the event you bounce at touch down and your flaring speed was right
keep in mind the Sinus is a forgiving machine, bouncing will attenuate by itself,
keep a good attitude and the Sinus will settle down gently.
in the event you bounce at touch down and your speed is high the
best option when flying engine on is to go around.
On another page it will be explained how to correct and control big bounces that
usually occurs because of excessive speed and inertia.