Struggling with approaches at the beach

[Ed Cesnalis]

I have flown from Mammoth Lakes for over 30 years where the field elevation is 7,100' MSL.  Flying from my new home at 51' MSL I find myself doing 'pattern work' for the 1st time ever.  I now have 10 landings here and its coming.  I'm finding 40degrees flaps useful here.

My thinking goes to @FlyingMonkey because his descriptions of CTSW ops would seam backwards to me.  Now as I struggle to adjust my approach on approaching I find his words ring true.   Two things come to mind:

1.  Andy would use back pressure on approach with 30 degree flaps where for me it was generally forward pressure / nose down trim.
2. Andy would comment that the CTSW would accelerate quickly in a slip if the nose was low.

Here at the beach these things are now true.  I no longer can arrive at the numbers at any speed and quickly loose it in stead I'm slowing down early.  100kts in the pattern is now too fast.  Limiting downwind speed to 80kts and arriving abeam the numbers at 62kts and even using 40degrees is what's now working.  I am flying longer legs in the pattern and slowest ever approach speeds.

Its good to finally make sense of why Andy's words sometimes seemed wrong to me.

[FlyingMonkey]

I bet the difference in ground speed vs. indicated speed is startling compared to Mammoth.  It probably feels like landing a helicopter on touchdown.

[FlyingMonkey]

Just FYI for pattern speeds (my home airport is at 900ft) :

A couple of miles from the airport I usually reduce power to about 4000rpm, and once below 100kt I go to 0° flaps. 

I enter the pattern around 85-90kt, then reduce power to 3600-3800rpm on the downwind, which gives me about 80kt. 

Abeam the numbers I close the throttle and select 15° flaps.  This slows me to 60-ish knots.  Once the speed stabilizes I'm ready to turn base.

On base I'm usually easing back the trim and/or stick to slow down a little more.  I like 57kt on base.

I usually don't go to 30°-40° flaps until just before or just after I turn final, depending on my height, to make sure I'll make the runway.  If I'm still high I'll decide now when & how much slip to add.  If I'm low I'll add power until I'm back on the glide slope.  I like a speed around 50kt on final.

 

The above is just how I often do it, not telling you how you should do it.  Just a reference as you get used to the low altitude thing. 

[gogogo888]

The CTLS POH has a picture of flying small traffic pattern, 61kt 15 flaps abeam the number, then 54kt and 30 flaps on base. This seem really slow to me but might help landing on the beach.