How to Land a Cessna 172

Impress your friends on your aviation knowledge. Landing a plane is the most
important part of a flight. Fly safe! These instructions assume you are approaching
a towered airport for landing in a left traffic pattern, and the winds are calm and
visibility is good.

Steps
1.

1
Get the ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) 10 miles (16 km) out
from entry into the airspace. ATIS will give you a code such as "Information
alpha" to give to tower. Contact the control tower or approach control for that
airport, and state the following:
o

"tower/approach name, aircraft tail number, location, altitude, Landing

with information whatever "ATIS" code you received above." The tower will give you
instructions. This guide assumes they instructed you to take left (or right) traffic for
Runway X and to report on 45 (45 degree downwind entry to runway being used).
(This is a rough guideline, it's missing some specific information that tower
sometimes asks for)

2
Do your pre-landing check with your checklist: Brakes checked, undercarriage
down & locked, Mixture fully rich, Fuel selector on both, Flaps as required,
(Propeller pitch fixed), Suction indicating, Oil Temps. and Press. (Ts&Ps) in green,
Master on, Mags on both, (Carb. heat to HOT if RPM is below 1500RPM) Hatches
& Harness' locked and latched, Landing lights on. PLANE CLEAR TO LAND

3
Apply Carb. Heat and make your descent to where you reach pattern altitude for
that airport by the time you reach the 45 entry leg. You can be a little higher on the
45. Let's assume the pattern altitude is 1,200 feet (365.8 m) MSL. Try to descend
at 500 feet per minute. That will be easier on your ear drums.

4
Reach the 45 and contact the tower and tell them how many miles you are
out on the 45 and your altitude. The tower might clear you to land or will
acknowledge.

5
Remember that when you reach 14 mile (0.4 km) from the runway, turn
downwind. By now the tower should have cleared you to land. You should have
slowed the plane to 80 to 85 knots and powered the engine to around 2000 rpms.

6
Know that when you are abeam the downwind runway numbers, turn on your
carburetor heat on, power back to 1500 rpm. Hold the nose level until the
airspeed drops into the white arc, then extend 10 degrees of flaps. Pitch for 75
knots using outside visual reference, then confirm with the airspeed indicator. Make
sure you coordinate your turns with the rudder pedals. Be especially careful not to
use excessive inside rudder however: skid + stall = spin!

7
When the threshold of the runway is 45 behind you, turn left base, and apply
another 10 degrees of flaps. This should bring your airspeed down to 70 knots.
Do not add flaps while in the turn; only after turn is complete. You are now
perpendicular to the runway. Be especially careful not to overshoot your final turn at
an airport with parallel runways, because the parallel runway might have landing
traffic.

8
Turn Final. When the field is made (you would reach it even if the engine were to
quit), extend the next 10 degrees of flaps (again, after the turn is complete). The
spot on the ground where you will land will appear stationary. Use pitch to maintain
approach speed (usually 60-70KIAS). Use power to control altitude. Be careful to
keep airspeed above 60KIAS, but do not fixate on the airspeed indicator. Use the
ailerons to correct for any crosswind and the rudder pedals to keep the plane
aligned with the runway center-line.

9
When you are a few feet off the ground, gently power back and level
off.Keeping level will require increasing amounts of back pressure on the yoke, and
(increasing amounts of aileron in a crosswind). After touchdown keep the yoke
pulled all the way back and to whichever side is needed for crosswind. Only apply
the brakes if necessary (for field length or to avoid holding up other landing traffic).
Continue on the runway centerline until you reach taxi speed (a fast walking pace),

then turn off at the nearest taxiway and do not stop until you have passed the hold
short line.

10
Complete your post landing checks, then call tower if they have not called
you already.