Chapter 11 Approaches and Landings Introduction Approaches and landings are critical maneuvers and require  the skills built from basic flight maneuvers, ground reference  maneuvers, and airport traffic patterns. A proper approach is  required for a proper roundout and touchdown. With the large  number of environmental variables the pilot must consider,  in addition to the skill to judge aircraft speed, descent rate,  and distance above the ground, landing is normally the last  basic maneuver the student learns before solo. Approaches and landings will be first discussed with the  fundamentals of a normal approach and landing in calm  winds on a large hard-surfaced runway. This will provide the  basis for specifi c power-on, crosswind, and steep approach  maneuvers, as well as other types of approaches and landings  that WSC commonly encounter.