AboutDottie Norkus Expertise I can address questions concerning: airline pilot employment & entry level airline careers in the Unites States, women pilots, flight training, pilot certification, flight scholarships (mostly for women), aviation & airline safety topics, aviation accident investigation, air carrier accidents and airline operations.
***Please note, I cannot address flight training or career queries from outside the United States. If you are not in the USA, please direct your question to the message boards at www.PPRUNE.org as you can surely find an answer there. For those in India try http://www.indianpilots.com
Also, I cannot address questions about aero engineering degree programs/careers or aviation management careers.
Experience U.S. Regional Airline Pilot. I have also had 15 years previous experience in airline ground operations, as well as a part 91 commercial skydive pilot and ferry pilot.
Organizations I belong to I am a charter member of Women In Aviation International as well as the International Organization of Women Pilots: the Ninety Nines. I keep a database of flight scholarships for women (mostly SW USA) and mentor student pilots.
Education/Credentials Embry Riddle Aeronautical University certificate in Aviation Safety/Accident investigation.
Question What does it mean when an aircraft "flares" before it lands? How come carrier aircrafts don't flare?
Answer Kevin
The landing "flare" is the transition from a nose low or almost level pitch attitude in the cockpit, to a slight nose up pitch so that the mains will touch down first. The nose gear is not stressed like the mains are to bear weight during landing. It is important to land on the main gear first as too hard of a touchdown on the nose gear could cause it to collapse. That is not the case with carrier aircraft.
Carrier aircraft are designed with gear that can handle enormous stress so they can literally be "flown on" to the deck. That also enables them to get the most out of their small landing space as they rely on the arresting wire for their short landing performance. Runway left behind unused is one of the most worthless things to a pilot. Especially when it is so short, like on a carrier, they cannot afford to waste their landing area. There are probably other variables Navy carrier pilots can tell you about. As my profile states, I am a civilian pilot, so I do not have any in depth knowledge about military aviation. For those questions, I suggest going to the message forums at http://forums.military.com/
