Flare attitude with icing speeds
I have done a couple landings recently where I used icing speeds. I have noticed the plane really doesn't have a nose up attitude at those higher speeds. I realize the normal operation is to touchdown with throttles active, as opposed to idling in the flare like other aircraft. I have done numerous normal clean landings with the throttles active into the touchdown and nose up attitude. What am I missing? This is with flaps 35.
Comments
Just a thought:
Did you have physically ice on the wings or was it only an ice warning?
If your wings are free of ice and you increase your landing speed, you are not going to have a nose up and you are going to require a much longer landing distance.
JP
Icing warning. As soon as I get ice detected I turn those systems on. Would something change that angle during flare in icing conditions as you say? My landing distance was increase, but not significantly. IOW, would ice on the wings at a higher speed (vref) change the angle of attack?
Ice on the wings and tails, if not removed, is going to change completely the aerodynamics and also the weight of the aircraft.
The stall speed is going to be higher and it is why we should increase the speed to keep the aicraft flyable.
When in heavy icing conditions, you should fly by hand "to feel the aicraft" and sometimes you would think that you are flying a brick.
The angle of attack is not the same than the pitch and there are only very few Q400 equipped with an AOA indcator, mostly firefighters. So you have no indication of your AOA but you can see your pitch which is the angle on your artificial horizon.
If you increase your speed by 20 Kts and you have no ice on wings your pitch angle is going to be very different and you are going to have a nose down instead of a nose up.
Okay, that all makes sense. Thanks!