Objectives

Understand, recognize, and react to factors requiring a go-around during a landing attempt.

Reading

This is the required reading for this lesson. Numbers in [brackets] indicate the starting and ending page in the referenced reading material. Read all the pages and sections referenced.

• Airplane Flying Handbook
  • Chapter 9 - Approaches and Landings
    • [9-10 to 9-12] "Go-Arounds (Rejected Landings)" to "Ground Effect"
    • [9-30 to 9-37] "Faulty Approaches and Landings"

Summary

The notes below highlight the important parts in the referenced material. Reading the notes without having read the actual referenced material is generally not sufficient to pass the written exam!

AFH - Chapter 8

• Execute a go-around whenever landing conditions are not satisfactory:
  • ATC instruction to go-around
  • Hazards on the runway
  • Overtaking another airplane
  • Wind shear / Wake turbulence
  • Unstable approach
  • Faulty landing
• Go-around is a normal maneuver that is an option for any landing. You can always go-around!
• The earlier/higher a go-around is executed, the safer it is. Avoid delays!
• Executing go-around:
  • Power maximum. Anticipate rapid pitch up, hard left-turning tendency, and high control pressures. Maintain control!
  • Hold nose down. Do not raise too early. Allow airspeed to build as in a takeoff.
  • Once positive rate of climb, retract flaps in small increments.
  • After flaps retracted, retract gear.
• Faulty Approaches. Execute immediate go-around if in doubt.
  • Too low. Go around.
  • Too high and exceeding 1000 feet per minute descent. Go around.
  • Too slow and too low. Go around.
• Faulty landing. Execute immediate go-around if in doubt.
  • Flare too high. Go around.
  • Bounced landing. Go around.
  • Floating past first ⅓ of runway or drifting sideways. Go around.
  • Ballooning. Go around.

General Notes

• Remember to correct for wind during the go-around -- just like a normal takeoff.
• Beware high density altitudes and/or obstacles during a go-around -- climb performance will be reduced, so go-arounds at high-density altitudes need to be executed early in order to clear obstacles.
• Ensure you have enough airspeed before pitching the nose up too high during a go-around. Raising the nose too soon while too slow can result in a stall/spin.
• Maintain proper rudder-aileron coordination during a go-around to avoid low-level spins.

Sim Pilot Notes

These notes highlight the differences between simulator and real-world flying. These differences are most often due to simulator limitations or specific VASTIM rules.

• "It's just a sim." You may be tempted to force landings instead of executing a go-around since there are usually no real-world consequences to crashing in a sim. While this is true, for those sim pilots striving for realism, executing go-arounds should be part of every pilot's tool kit and practiced just as in the real-world. There is no need to force a landing. A good pilot knows when to go-around and try again.

Tomas Hansson (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Chief Flight Instructor, VATSTAR
DISCLAIMER: all information contained herein is for flight simulation purposes only.
March 2021