What is a power off 180? | Master this highly used maneuver.

In the past, every aspiring young pilot had to learn, practice and perform the 180-degree power-off approach and landing to pass the private pilot checkride. Many student pilots were able to master this maneuver by practicing. However, today, this approach and landing is not required to meet either the Sport Pilot or Private Pilot checkride requirements. 

This approach and landing is made by gliding with the engine idling from downwind to a touchdown point or designated mark on the runway, which is within a space from the touchdown point to 200 feet beyond it.

Nowadays this maneuver is not included in the practical test, and therefore the applicant is not tested on this maneuver.

Many Flight Instructors still teach this maneuver to their students because they believe that learning this maneuver will make them better and safer pilots. In this blog, we will thoroughly discuss this maneuver in detail and see why it's important for flight training. 

What is the Power-Off 180 Maneuver? 

The power-off 180 maneuver simulates an engine failure in the traffic pattern. This maneuver is performed differently than others because there is no power available to manage the glide path;  so the approach to land is rather different from a normal landing:

1. The approach to land will be steeper. The typical 3-degree glide path is not possible in many aircraft. 

2. The approach to land will be tighter and usually requires the pilot to fly a closer or “tighter” base leg than usual. 

3. Maneuvering may be required to lose altitude by performing S-turns or forward slips in order to lose altitude.

Normally, the Power-off 180 maneuver is started from the downwind leg at a point abeam the touchdown point. This point is known as the downwind key position. From this position, the pilot will initially consider the distance to the runway and plan the approach path. At the key position, the pilot is at a close-in base leg position and again at this key position, the pilot calculates the distance to the runway and then modifies the approach path as required.

What are Simulated Landing Points?

You can’t just land your airplane anywhere, as there are forests, water, and densely populated areas, making emergency landings challenging. The power-off 180 maneuvers may not correctly depict real-life landing conditions, but they do enhance the skills with regard to the importance of landing on a pre-selected point.

During a power-off emergency landing, your aim should be to descend to landing following the traffic pattern format. The straight-in power-off approaches are challenging because you have to start farther away from the landing spot, and it's difficult to know the glide and sink rates.

The Significance of Glide Path and Glide Speed

Pilots must develop and enhance their skills in visually estimating the airplane’s glide path to perform the power-off 180 maneuver. You have to start by finding an aiming point that is before the desired touchdown point, to account for the round-out and flare. When your aircraft is in a stable descent, if the aiming point is moving further away the landing will be shorter. 

If you see the aiming point moving closer, the landing will be extended more. It’s essential for you to be aware of the movement of the aiming point and then make the proper corrections. When you are gliding towards land, the most crucial airspeed to know is the best glide speed. 

The best glide speed is the airspeed that will happen in the absence of wind and result in the airplane traveling the furthest distance. This maneuver should be mostly flown at approximately the best glide speed and in the lowest drag configuration until a safe landing spot is assured. It’s good to trim the best glide speed immediately at the beginning of the maneuver.

Wind Correction

When flying power-off 180s, you will always find headwinds, crosswinds, and tailwinds challenging. In this approach, you don’t have the backup of adding power to adjust for poorly predicted wind conditions. Learning this maneuver is the perfect way to know how to control the descent path while compensating for wind conditions. For example, when you fly downwind, you will see a high ground speed with a corresponding tailwind. 

When you pull the power back, you must make a base turn towards the runway sooner than usual. Throughout the whole way, you’ll be fighting a headwind and low groundspeed on final approach. You need to practice adjusting for different wind directions and speeds, and this is one of the main reasons to practice power-off 180s. As time passes, you will know how long you have to wait before making a base turn.

How to Increase Your Descent Rate?

If you want to lose altitude, there are two methods. Let’s discuss each method to lose altitude.

Forward Slip: To lose altitude, enter a forward slip for a few seconds, lose altitude, and exit the slip.  Then re-estimate your glide path to the runway. If you think you need to lose more altitude, repeat the process again. This way, you will be able to reduce the odds of undershooting the runway. 

S-Turns:   Another method to increase your descent rate for landing is to perform S-Turns. You will be turning simultaneously to increase the ground track while lift is directed horizontally. Both of these factors result in a greater descent than straight-and-level flight. Don’t over-bank or depend only on s-turns as your way of losing altitude. Generally, this is not a good option because you de-stabilize your approach.

Configuration

When you know that you’re high, then start adding flaps and make sure to avoid putting flaps to full right away. Use flaps gradually like the forward slip, to ensure you don’t overshoot or undershoot your target. It’s worse when you add full flaps and don’t need that high of a descent angle and risk undershooting your landing spot. 

When you add flaps, don’t take them out immediately; they are significantly down low. If you reject flaps with no power, there will be a significant sink rate and possibly more than you can recover from even with power. Never add flaps, especially full flaps, until you are certain that you will make your landing point.

Continuous Turns for a Better Final Approach

Finally, you have to know the ground track, because this directly affects your descent path. If you make squared turns from the downwind to base to final, you will spend more time in the air, make steeper turns, and lose more altitude. When you make a continuous turn, you will be able to set up a better final approach.