Near zero rate of descent 15 feet 2 to 3 feet 1 foot Figure 8-8.  A well-executed roundout results in attaining the proper landing attitude. to prevent floating or skipping and allows the full weight of  the airplane to rest on the wheels for better braking action. It is extremely important that the touchdown occur with the  airplane’s longitudinal axis exactly parallel to the direction  in which the airplane is moving along the runway. Failure  to accomplish this imposes severe side loads on the landing  gear. To avoid these side stresses, do not allow the airplane  to touch down while turned into the wind or drifting. when more positive control is required than couldbe obtained  with rudder or nose wheel steering alone. To use brakes, on an airplane equipped with toe  brakes, the  pilot slides the toes or feet up from the rudder pedals to the  brake pedals. If rudder pressure is being held  at the time  braking action is needed, that pressure is not to be  released as  the feet or toes are being slid up to the brake  pedals because  control may be lost before brakes can be applied. The landing process must never be considered complete until  the airplane decelerates to the normal taxi speed during the  landing roll or has been brought to a complete stop when clear  of the landing area. Numerous accidents occur as a result  of pilots abandoning their vigilance and failing to maintain  positive control after getting the airplane on the ground. Putting maximum weight on the wheels after touch down is an  important factor in obtaining optimum braking performance.  During the early part of rollout, some lift continues to be  generated by the wing. After touchdown, the nose wheel  is lowered to the runway to maintain directional control.  During deceleration, the nose may pitch down by braking  and the weight transferred to the nose wheel from the main  wheels. This does not aid in braking action, so back pressure  is applied to the controls without lifting the nose wheel off  the runway. This enables directional control  while keeping  weight on the main wheels. A pilot must be alert for directional control difficulties  immediately upon and after touchdown due to the ground  friction on the wheels. Loss of directional control may lead  to an aggravated, uncontrolled, tight turn on the ground, or  a ground loop. The combination of centrifugal force acting  on the center of gravity (CG) and ground friction of the  main wheels resisting it during the ground loop may cause  the airplane to tip or lean enough for the outside wingtip to  contact the ground. This imposes a sideward force that could  collapse the landing gear. Careful application of the brakes is initiated  after the nose  wheel is on the ground and directional control is established.  Maximum brake effectiveness is just short of the  point where  skidding occurs. If the brakes are applied so hard that skidding  takes place, braking becomes ineffective. Skidding is stopped  by releasing the brake pressure. Braking effectiveness is not  enhanced by alternately applying, releasing, and reapplying  brake pressure. The brakes are applied firmly and smoothly  as necessary. The rudder serves the same purpose on the ground as it  does in the air—it controls the yawing of the airplane. The  effectiveness of the rudder is dependent on the airflow, which  depends on the speed of the airplane. As the speed decreases  and the nose wheel has been lowered to the ground, the  steerable nose provides more positive directional control. The brakes of an airplane serve the same primary purpose as  the brakes of an automobile—to reduce speed on the ground.  In airplanes, they are also used as an aid in directional control  During the ground roll, the airplane’s direction of movement  can be changed by carefully applying pressure on one brake  or uneven pressures on each brake in the desired direction.  Caution must be exercised when applying brakes to  avoid overcontrolling. After-Landing Roll 8-8