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of theroachat or above the correct glidepath assists in this process, but be prepared to do without them.This is basic piloting stuff. Be ready to trim aggressively, push power up or drag it back, and point the nose to maintain speed. Can it be practiced in the simulator? In some respects, yes, given the visual effects available today. But, nothing simulates the pressure of real weather, real traffic and the actual feel of a draggy airplane underneath one’s posterior.In addition to visual arrivals in the sim, I feel there’s value in practicing hand-flown landings in a VFR traffic pattern, even in a light trainer. The skills needed to fly manually are generic; only the numbers change. Certainly, we need to be able to manage the automation, and that requires the ability to couple to an approach to follow an ATC assignment. But, we also need to be able to fly the airplane when cut loose from the ATC tether.Knowing as much as possible about the aircraft ahead of us, and how it’s going to affect our flight path, can be important. If following a light twin, with a final approach speed well below 100 knots, it may be necessary to swing wide and stabilize at our own V-ref early-on the approach, holding a little extra space. On the other hand, keeping up with fast traffic breathing down our neck might require a close-in pattern, flown at higher-than- normal speed until in the final-approach slot. This has to be done carefully, if you want to avoid an overshoot from excess speed.If arriving downwind, make sure the traffic you’re following has at least passed your wingtip on final before you turn onto base leg. Once headed toward the other aircraft, the required spacing can be lost very quickly, which will generate a request to go-around from the tower controller. Waiting to turn in until the airplane you’re following is moving away from you helps keep separation.The chance of weather interfering with one’s plans for a visual arrival is always present. That’s the reason to have the expected approach loaded and ready. As the pilot, you have the honest assessment of flight visibility and cloud coverage in view; the folks on the ground do not. What’s reported and used to generate a visual approachNOVEMBER 2013TWIN & TURBINE • 13