As someone who has watched dozens of students struggle with the power-off 180, I learned everything about teaching this maneuver through patience and creative instruction. Probably should have led with this: my student nailed it today, and it was one of those breakthrough moments that makes this job worth it.
The power-off 180 is a commercial maneuver that separates the good from the great. You pull the power abeam your touchdown point, configure the airplane, and glide to a landing within 200 feet of your target. No do-overs, no power adjustments.
Why This Maneuver Is Demanding
This maneuver is all about energy management. Too high and you overshoot. Too low and you are short, which on a checkride is an automatic failure. The margin for error is slim, and the variables – wind, density altitude, aircraft weight – change every time. That has gotten complicated with all the factors to consider simultaneously.
My student had been struggling with it for three lessons. Always too high, always floating past the target. The mental block was clear: she was afraid of being short, so she carried extra altitude as a buffer.
The Breakthrough
Today I changed the approach. Instead of focusing on the numbers, I had her verbalize what she was seeing. “Am I high or low? What does the sight picture tell me?”
On the fourth attempt, something clicked. She pulled power, turned base early when she sensed extra altitude, slipped on final to lose energy, and touched down 50 feet past the numbers. Textbook execution. That is what makes all the frustration worthwhile – seeing that moment when everything comes together.
Ready for the Checkride
We did six more for consistency. All within standards. She is ready to schedule her commercial checkride.
Moments like this remind me why I became a CFI.
