How To Fly A Touch-And-Go Landing
Nearly every pilot has flown a touch-and-go. But did you know the FAA doesn't publish guidance on how to fly one? Here's what you should know...
For how common they are, you won't find guidance on flying touch-and-goes in the FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook. Flying a touch-and-go is only defined in the AIM and Pilot/Controller Glossary as an "operation by an aircraft that lands and departs on a runway without stopping or exiting the runway."
What we do know is that you'll fly countless touch-and-goes while you're in training, so you might as well learn the maneuver and how to fly it safely.
The procedure you use to fly a "normal landing" is what you'll use to fly touch-and-go landing. You can even fly one after a power-off 180 approach. However, you must keep in mind that takeoff and landing performance isn't calculated for touch-and-go operations.
That means you shouldn't attempt touch-and-go landings on short runways, contaminated runways, runways with tailwinds, extremely soft-fields, or runways with obstacles at the end. The decision making is up to you, and it's your job to determine if the touch-and-go can be flown safely.
