Ok Lets keep it simple. Each builder should pay attention to two things: how he takes off and what the speed is. If you cannot separate from the runway until just after 60 mph, then it stands to reason that you will not WHEEL land lower than that, and your landing attitude will be the same. And yes you will be looking at the end of the runway, or you WILL be looking at the grass someday.
If you are attempting a 3 point landing, then do NOT lift the tail when taking off and note what speed the plane begins flying and stays up in ground effect and the sight picture there, and duplicate that when you come back down. These 2 points, landing with a wheel landing, and 3 point landing are EXACTLY the same as when taking off, because the exact same speed is acquired at each point and the same attitude is seen. The ONLY difference is what is happening next, acceleration or deceleration. I have never seen a P51 able to use numbers as slow as a KR, and all the latest KR crashes I have read about, including those on Mark Langford's website are where people have gotten them low and slow! You will not get the aircraft to land any where close to the slow flight except on a totally calm day and when you are holding power in until just before touchdown. This is because you are behind the power curve in MCA demo at altitude and to duplicate this on the ground while landing means carrying power all the way through the flare to just before touchdown. This takes a great deal of practice and is not for beginners. The lack of directional control, and lack of forward visibility makes it a best guess landing in its ideal circumstances. Tri-gear folks should see this attitude for just a moment right before touchdown. Draw a picture of take off and landing, and you will see what I am talking about and how the speeds should be the same since the same thing is going on in reverse. If take off is accomplished before this alot of time is spent in ground effect building the speed up because the aircraft cannot fly yet except in ground effect. This is the technique we teach for soft field takeoffs. Properly rotating and taking off, means to establish a climb attitude, and allow the airplane to separate when it is ready, NOT yank it airborne. This is probably why more pilots report such big differences between take off speeds and landings speeds. Colin KSFB
