CPL Checkride Guide
Chair flying / Power-Off 180° Accuracy Approach and Landing

Power-Off 180° Accuracy Approach and Landing

From abeam the touchdown point, close the throttle and glide a 180° pattern to land on a spot: energy management with no second chances from power.

Guided rehearsal is PremiumACS IV.M: Power-Off 180° Accuracy Approach and Landing (ASEL, ASES)

Setup

  1. Normal pattern, gear down (if retractable), pick the touchdown point
  2. Abeam the point: throttle idle, pitch for best glide 73“Abeam, power off”
    Energy budget is fixed from here. Note wind; it decides how tight to fly the base turn.

Execution

  1. Turn base early or late based on wind and sink; keep the point off your shoulder
    Strong headwind on final: cut the pattern in. Tailwind on base: extend slightly and turn early. Judge continuously, not once.
  2. Hold flaps until the field is assured; add in increments to steepen, slip if high
    Flaps and slips are one-way energy valves: easy to add drag, impossible to un-add. Save some margin until short final.
  3. Stabilize final at the normal approach speed, aim slightly short of the point
    The flare consumes distance, so aiming exactly at the point usually floats past it.
  4. Touch down on, or within 200 ft beyond, the specified point; never short“On the numbers”

Recovery

  1. Normal rollout; if the spot is unmakeable, go around early. Don't stretch the glide
  2. Debrief the energy calls: where did you gain or lose the margin?

ACS tolerances

  • Touchdown -0/+200 ft from the specified point
  • Proper pitch attitude at touchdown, longitudinal axis aligned
  • Stabilized approach, no stretching the glide

Common errors

  • Turning base at the same place regardless of wind
  • Dumping all the flaps early, then arriving short
  • Aiming at the point instead of short of it, and floating past
  • Adding power to save the spot (that's a different maneuver, and a bust)