to the ground .
It is important , however , that you do not attempt to climb out of ground effect until your airspeed is at least at best rate of climb speed , Vy . For the purpose of learning / demonstrating your soft field takeoff technique , if the runway environment permits , you may fly along in ground effect ground effect A phenomena experienced when very close to the ground that produces a cushioning effect that allows the airplane to remain airborne at lower than normal speeds when at an altitude which is equivalent to less than the wing span of the airplane . Ground effect occurs as a result of the ground interfering with wingtip vortices and reducing downwash and induced drag . a little longer than is strictly necessary . Contrary to what every bone in your body is telling you as you try this the first time , you are unlikely to fly yourself back into the ground unless you are really heavy-handed and not paying attention . You may be heavy-handed but it ’ s safe to say you ’ ll definitely be paying attention during this challenging task . Once the desired airspeed is attained , pitch to begin your climb by applying a little backpressure ; then climb out at best rate of climb speed , Vy
For a soft field landing , the objective is to land as gently as possible on the main gear and to keep the nose wheel off the ground as long as possible during the rollout to minimize the chances of getting bogged down or flipping the airplane over in severe situations where the nose wheel digs in . Fly a stabilized approach at the recommended speed for the airplane being used and plan on using full flaps . Just before touchdown , add a little power to reduce the sink rate and to provide more elevator authority to help hold the nose wheel off the runway . A power setting just slightly above idle should be sufficient . Touchdown should occur gently in a nose-high attitude . Maintain extra backpressure on the control wheel after touchdown to hold the nose wheel off the runway as long as possible . Don ’ t overdo the backpressure or you will cause the tail tie-down skid to scrape the ground . You will need to be particularly attentive to rudder input to maintain directional control since you will not have the benefit of nose wheel steering initially . It ’ s particularly important that the airplane ’ s longitudinal axis is perfectly aligned with the centerline on touchdown . Eventually , as your speed diminishes , there will be insufficient air flowing over the elevator to maintain the nose-high attitude necessary to keep the nose wheel off the ground . The nose wheel should touch down smoothly while you hold the control wheel full aft to minimize the weight on the nose wheel . Exit the runway with the control wheel held full aft and , local conditions permitting , taxi without stopping to the place you intend to tie down the airplane . Once you stop on a truly soft field , you may have trouble moving again .
Once you master the soft field techniques , you can move on to short field takeoffs and landings . Be careful to distinguish between soft field and short field procedures . They are quite different and not interchangeable .
Short field takeoffs are utilized when it is necessary to get off the ground in the minimum distance and climb relatively steeply to clear obstacles . Many trainers such as the Cessna 152 call for use of 10 degrees of flaps for the short field takeoff . Once pre-takeoff checks are complete , set flaps as appropriate prior to taxiing onto the runway . Taxi onto the runway and stop at the very beginning of the runway so no distance is wasted .
While using your toes to apply the brakes and hold the airplane in position gradually add full