Articles
Explainers on how landings work and what passengers feel. Ranking articles are added once the ratings support them.
Airport insights · 4 min read
Five airports with demanding approaches
London City, Madeira, Wellington, Gibraltar and Paro: what their published rules and local conditions ask of a landing.
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Explainers · 4 min read
Why some landings feel rough
The flare, floating, ground effect and gusts: the parts of a landing that decide how the touchdown feels in the cabin.
Explainers · 4 min read
Crosswind and gusty landings explained
The crab and wing-low methods, why one wheel can touch first, and why gusty approaches are flown a little faster.
Explainers · 3 min read
Firm landings: what pilots aim for
Why touching down in the right place matters more than a soft touchdown, especially where runway is limited.
Explainers · 3 min read
What a hard landing is, and what a go-around is
How a suspected hard landing is reported and checked, and why a go-around is a normal manoeuvre rather than a failure.
Explainers · 3 min read
Landing on wet and short runways
Why water on a runway affects braking, the three kinds of hydroplaning, and why floating is avoided on a short runway.
Approach guides · 3 min read
London City: the steep approach
London City's 5.5-degree glide slope, set by its city-centre site and short runway, and why aircraft need approval to fly it.
Approach guides · 3 min read
Madeira (Funchal): visual landings and wind limits
What Portugal's official publication requires at Madeira: visual landings, wind limits by direction and crew experience.
Approach guides · 2 min read
Wellington: wind, Cook Strait and the approach
Why Wellington is windy, why the wind mostly runs along the runway, and where on the approach turbulence is felt most.
Explainers · 3 min read
Fear of flying: what you feel on approach
Some of the changes you may notice as an aircraft lands, and where the NHS points people with a fear of flying for help.
Methodology · 3 min read
How the Touchdown Quality Index works, and what it cannot tell you
How one rating becomes a TQI, when a score appears and how it is weighted, and the limits of what the index measures.