Contact Flying

Contact flying involves the best situational awareness available in flight: visual observation of the earth, relative wind noise, control pressure, and application of rudder based on differential butt cheek pressure. No instrument, including airspeed indicator or ball is needed or used. The techniques covered are the low (6" to 3') ground effect takeoff, 45 degree Dutch rolls, the energy management (no load factor) turn, the apparent brisk walk rate of closure approach, the six second low level forced landing, the angle across the runway extreme crosswind landing, flying slow in updrafts and fast in downdrafts to achieve greater than excess engine thrust for climb in the mountains, the box canyon (energy management turn) turnaround, mountain operations with low powered aircraft, agricultural operations, and pipeline patrol operations.