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Expressions when pulling off a greaser

Good question. Maybe I need an appropriate phrase.

When float flying I find it “euphoric” if you have a touch down with no vertical bump, nor an perceptible rearward tug. Of course the plane does eventually start slowing from the water drag, which by then you know for sure you are on the water, but you don’t know when it actually happened.

A lovely feeling and quite different as it is way smoother than the best touch down on land.

Sans aircraft at the moment :-(, United Kingdom

Happens only in smooth air when I consciously think about avoiding jerky control inputs. Just smile and let the nose ride high.

LPFR, Poland

Are we still in ground effect

Orgasmic!

(only if no ladies on board )

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

In a tricycle gear plane I don’t pay much attention to the smoothness of the landings as long as they are safe. It’s nice if it goes very smoothly but not important enough to me that I would say anything out loud. I might say something out loud if it is spectacularly bad! In a tailwheel airplane, on rare occasions I’ve done one that is spectacularly smooth where contact with the ground is barely perceptible. I did it once on the first landing of a flight review, was probably grinning like an idiot but said nothing, and the CFI said only something like “I guess you can land this thing.” That is a really good feeling. In spite of that I prefer tricycle gear almost always for its practicality on the paved runways where I operate.

Last Edited by Silvaire at 13 Dec 15:28

As much as we all love a greeser, I suppose there is an argument that if we have one, then it’s not actually a great landing as we landed with too much speed in the first place. Better to land with minimum speed and no energy left which almost always involves a little bump.

EIWT Weston, Ireland

Dublinpilot… I don’t think that minimum energy has to result in a bump. There is just skill in doing it smoothly.

I think the issue for most of us, is that we only do one landing per hour (or less).

When I was learning float flying you could go up a large body of water and do twenty or thirty landings in a row. When I was learning to fly a tailwheel, we went to big airports and did 7 or 8 repeated touch and goes on the same pass. If you do 10 circuits that is 80 landings.

Pretty quickly, you can refine your ability to control the pitch angle you want to land at and the closure rate with the ground.

I am still early in my flying career, but I do watch in amazement when I see a very experienced tailwheel pilot approach at the right speed and flare so that there is no float and a perfect three point touch down with a nil vertical component. Music for my eyes. Maybe one day I might get there :-).

Sans aircraft at the moment :-(, United Kingdom

I had an instructor from the RAF who used to say “cats piss on velvet”.

EDLN/EDLF, Germany

I used to fly with a feller who said “walked away from another one” after every landing, good or bad.

Darley Moor, Gamston (UK)

There’s no mention of “greaser” landings in my AFM but in any case, it’s best to say nowt until the old bird is safely tucked up in her shed.

Glenswinton, SW Scotland, United Kingdom
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