Touch and Go

Land, Clean Up, Fly Again

A touch-and-go is exactly what it sounds like: your wheels touch the runway, then you go right back into the air. You never come to a stop. It packs lots of landing practice into one session because you do not have to taxi back each time.

Touchdown

The moment your main wheels gently meet the runway. Keep the airplane pointed straight down the centerline with your feet on the rudder pedals.

Clean up

Right after touchdown you raise the flaps to up and push the throttle to full power, getting the airplane ready to fly again.

Go

With full power and flaps up, the airplane speeds up and lifts off, and you climb back into the pattern.

Student pilots usually fly 50 to 100 touch-and-goes before their first solo flight. Each lap around the pattern makes your landings a little smoother and your timing a little better — that is why it is such great practice.

Instructor Setup

Cessna 172 with G1000, ready for departure at a familiar non-towered field, CTAF set. Plan about 20 minutes. The student should already fly the pattern and make basic radio calls (K31, K32). This session adds the landing and immediate re-takeoff.

Session Flow

1. Touch-and-go brief (3 min). Walk the sequence at the panel: stabilized final at ~65 knots with full flaps, touchdown, flaps up, full power, climb out. Set the rule: you fly the touchdown, student handles controls between.
2. Full pattern to final (6 min). Takeoff, pattern, descent. On final, full flaps, target ~65 knots, aim for the numbers.
3. Touchdown and cleanup (5 min). Gentle flare, mains touch, keep straight with rudder. Immediately: flaps UP, throttle FULL. Coach the cleanup order.
4. Climb out and repeat (4 min). Accelerate, lift off, climb to pattern altitude, fly the pattern again for a second attempt if time allows.
5. Wrap (2 min). Recap the land-cleanup-go order and preview "Engine Out!"

Guard the controls during touchdown and cleanup. The goal is a safe, repeatable sequence, not a perfect greaser.

Debrief

Confirm the student flew a stable approach and performed the cleanup in the right order before moving on.

• Flew the full pattern from takeoff through to a stable final
• Touched down on the runway and kept it straight with rudder
• Cleaned up correctly: flaps up, then full power
• Climbed back to pattern altitude to set up another lap

Next Lesson

Next up is "Engine Out!" (K34): staying calm and gliding to a safe spot if the engine quits after takeoff. If the cleanup order was rushed today, review flaps-then-power at the start of K34 before flying.

Skills You'll Work On

These are the maneuvers and procedures covered in this lesson. Your instructor tracks each one as you progress.

• Normal Takeoff & Departure
• Traffic Pattern Entry
• Altitude Speed Config & Trim
• Normal/ Crosswind Landing

Grades reflect what was covered in this lesson, not a certification of pilot competency.

Lesson Plan

Where this fits: Third of three sessions drawn from PPL Lesson 11, "Takeoff and Climb to Downwind." It combines the pattern shape (K31) and radio calls (K32) into a full lap with a landing and immediate takeoff. This closes out the Lesson 11 material and leads into pattern emergencies.

Prerequisite

Can fly the pattern and make position calls (K31, K32).

Materials

C172 G1000 simulator, approach speed card, headset sized for the student.

Goal for this session

Student can fly a complete pattern to a touchdown and perform the touch-and-go cleanup in the correct order.

Looking Ahead

• K34 — Engine Out!: gliding to a safe landing spot after an engine failure on takeoff.
• K35 — Go-Around!: safely aborting a landing and trying again.