Figure 11-4. Flar is measured relative to the pilot’s leg length.  Figure 11-5. The st eeper the descent rate, the greater the need for flare.  Touchdown The touchdown  is the gentle settling of the powered  parachute onto  the landing surface. The roundout and  touchdown  should be made with the engine slightly  below level flight power levels. As the powered para - chute settles, the parachute is flared to smooth out the  landing. Some pilots may try to force or fly the powered para - chute onto the  ground without flaring. It is paradoxi cal that the way  to make an ideal landing is to try to  hold the powered parachute’s wheels a few inches off  the ground as  long as possible. In most cases, when  the wheels are  within a foot or less off the ground, the  powered parachute will still be settling too fast for a  gentle touchdown; therefore, this rate of descent must  be retarded by the use of flare. [Figure 11-6] Flare is accomplished by pushing both steering bar  tubes simultaneously. That pulls the entire trailing  edge of the parachute down. That increases drag, low- ers the forward speed, and most importantly (for land- ing) increases the lift of the parachute. The amount  of flare needed depends on the rate of descent right  before landing. If the rate of descent is very gradual,  very little flare is needed. Conversely, in an engine- out situation a lot of flare is required. Accurately  determining how much flare is needed for a given  situation is developed with practice. A general rule is  to begin the flare one second before you would other - wise touch the ground. Flare is used rather than engine power because the  wing is much more responsive in controlling descent  and pitch than engine power. When you add flare, the  drag on the wing increases and the wing quickly re- sponds by rotating backwards and increasing its pitch  angle. In order to achieve the same effect with engine  power, you add throttle, the propeller speeds up, and  the thrust pushes the cart (which is much heavier than  a parachute) forward of the wing. It is easier to change  the inertia and positioning of a 25-pound wing than a  500+ pound cart-engine-pilot-fuel assembly. 11-5