How does a jet fighter landing flare compare to a civilian plane?

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Posted on 16 Aug 2022, this text provides information on Syllabus Queries related to Course Queries. Please note that while accuracy is prioritized, the data presented might not be entirely correct or up-to-date. This information is offered for general knowledge and informational purposes only, and should not be considered as a substitute for professional advice.

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manpreet Tuteehub forum best answer Best Answer 2 years ago

How does a jet fighter flare compare to a civilian plane?

  • How low before flaring?
  • Do pilot keep track of pitch or AoA to know how much should be flared?
  • Is flare at last moment like in airliners, so after crossing runway threshold?
  • Will touchdown happen during the flare, or must the pilot bring the aircraft out of the flare to land more flat?

It's just 1 question. The bullet-points are just there to illustrate things in the answer I would like clarification of (which are all flare related).

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manpreet 2 years ago

It all depends on the aircraft for specific handling qualities, but for the most part they are flown just like any other large turbojet aircraft.

Some things to keep in mind about their specific handling: Jet fighters with the thin, low aspect ratio wings are really power dependent and glide about as well as a brick. Therefore they will be flown with power all the way to the runway until the roundout commences.

Like other large jets, fighters are flown at optimal angles of attack, the speed at which to achieve this is dependent upon the aircraft's landing weight. This can vary between 110-160 or so knots depending on the aircraft in question. The optimal angle of attack is available to the pilot in the form of an optical AoA indexer and either an AoA indicator or a graphic reference in the pilot's head up display (the 'E' Bracket).

Pilots will line up for final at Vref + 10 kts or so, align with the optical glideslope eg PAPI, etc and establish the optimal speed for the approach and power settings. An ideal sight picture from the jet will be to line up on runway centerline, have the Flight Path Marker in the HUD aligned with the PAPI or numbers and the E-Bracket centered on the flight path marker. Power corrections should be made to hold this sight picture as needed; in the case of a fighter, gently walking the throttles should be all that is required. Roundout will be commenced considerably higher than one would in a light GA aircraft so that the jet arrives at the correct roundout altitude of 1-2 feet and correct attitude for the approach, once the roundout commences, power will be pulled to idle, allowing the jet to gently settle on the runway. Flaring is not done quite like a commercial jet due to the difference in handling characteristics between the two due to the high wing loading, stores drag and a few other features found in fighters.

Most terrestrial based fighters are flared; naval fighters are often not and are flow to impact with the runway so the pilot can maintain proficiency in the techniques required to do arrested landings on aircraft carriers or log practice approaches with FCLP or Field Carrier Landing Practice. Even terrestrial air forces who operate naval fighters in their air force - one I can think of right now is the Canadian Air Force - teach no flare landings to their pilots; not surprising as the CAF CF-18 syllabus was copied and adapted from the USMC F-18 training syllabus from MCAS Cherry Point.


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