The go-around is the maneuver every student pilot hears about early and then, too often, avoids practicing. It appears on the checkride as Task PA.IV.N in the current Private Pilot Airplane Airman Certification Standards, and it comes up in real flying constantly, on almost every flight if the pilot is honest about grading the approach. Many students treat it as an emergency procedure reserved for something going badly wrong. It is not. It is a normal maneuver.

This post covers what a go-around is, when to call it, the three cardinal principles that govern how to fly one, the standard sequence, the flaps-before-gear rule, trim behavior, ground effect, common errors, and what the ACS expects. Every technical claim below traces to Chapter 9 of the Airplane Flying Handbook, FAA-H-8083-3C, or to the current FAA-S-ACS-6C, Private Pilot for Airplane Category Airman Certification Standards.

What a Go-Around Actually Is

The Airplane Flying Handbook defines it plainly: a go-around is a normal maneuver used when approach and landing parameters deviate from expectations or when continuing the approach would be hazardous (AFH Chapter 9). It is a planned recovery from an approach that no longer meets the conditions needed for a safe landing, not a failure state or an admission that the flight went wrong.

The handbook lists a range of situations that call for discontinuing the approach, including:

  • Air traffic control requirements
  • The unexpected appearance of a hazard on the runway
  • Overtaking another airplane ahead on the approach or runway
  • Wind shear
  • Wake turbulence
  • Mechanical failure
  • An unstable approach

Only one item on this list, mechanical failure, is a true emergency. The rest are ordinary operational realities any pilot will encounter across a flying career. The AFH is direct: the maneuver itself is not inherently dangerous. It becomes dangerous only when delayed unduly or executed improperly (AFH Chapter 9). The most critical version is one started very close to the ground, which is exactly why the decision needs to happen early rather than late.

The handbook identifies two specific reasons pilots delay a go-around they should have already started:

  • Landing expectancy, or set. The anticipatory belief that conditions are not as threatening as they actually are, and that the approach is sure to end in a safe landing, before the airplane has actually demonstrated it can be landed safely.
  • Pride. The mistaken belief that going around is an admission of failure to fly the approach properly. Continuing an approach that should have been abandoned is the actual failure.

Instructors should name both directly during training. Students who recognize these as named failure modes are more likely to catch themselves and act despite them.

When to Go Around: The Stabilized Approach Standard

Deciding when to go around is not guesswork. The AFH ties the decision to the concept of a stabilized approach, with concrete altitude gates. Typically, pilots should go around if unable to establish a stabilized approach by 500 feet above airport elevation in visual conditions, or by 1,000 feet above airport elevation in instrument conditions (AFH Chapter 9). For a typical general aviation piston airplane in a traffic pattern, the standard tightens further: an immediate go-around should be initiated if the approach becomes unstabilized below 300 feet AGL. Below that height, there is no more time to fix the approach.

A stabilized approach is defined by six criteria in the AFH. Students should be able to run through all six on any approach, not just when something already feels wrong:

  • Glide path. A constant angle of approximately 3 degrees to the touchdown zone, obstructions permitting.
  • Heading. The aircraft tracks the runway centerline with only minor heading or pitch corrections needed for wind or turbulence. Bank angle is normally limited to 15 degrees once established on final.
  • Airspeed. Within +10/-5 KIAS of the recommended landing speed published in the AFM, or 1.3 VSO if no published speed exists, or the approved placard or marking speed. If a gust factor is applied, indicated airspeed should not decay below the recommended landing speed.
  • Configuration. Flaps set as required, landing gear extended, and the airplane in trim.
  • Descent rate. Generally 500 to 1,000 fpm for light general aviation airplanes, with minimal further adjustment needed as the runway approaches. If the descent rate exceeds 500 fpm for approach reasons, it should be reduced before reaching 300 feet AGL.
  • Power setting. Appropriate for the configuration and not below the minimum power for approach defined in the AFM.

The AFH also lists completing all briefings and checklists before the approach, aside from the landing checklist itself, as part of staying stabilized, since it frees the pilot to focus on the numbers above (AFH Chapter 9). An approach that drifts outside any of these six criteria and cannot be corrected promptly is unstabilized, and the decision gates above apply.

The Three Cardinal Principles

The AFH organizes the entire maneuver around three cardinal principles: power, attitude, and configuration, applied in that order (AFH Chapter 9).

Power

Power is the pilot's first concern. The instant the decision to go around is made, full or maximum allowable takeoff power should be applied smoothly, without hesitation, and held until flying speed and controllability are restored. An airplane settling toward the ground carries inertia that must be overcome, and sufficient power stops the descent. The application should be smooth as well as positive, since abrupt throttle movement can cause some engines to falter. Carburetor heat should be turned off, as applicable, to recover maximum available power.

Attitude

Pilots must accept a basic aerodynamic fact: the airplane cannot fly below stall speed and cannot climb below the minimum power-required speed. Resist the impulse to pitch up immediately if airspeed is insufficient; in some cases it is correct to lower the nose briefly to build airspeed and stay off the backside of the power curve. The sudden addition of power tends to raise the nose on its own and causes left yaw, so forward elevator pressure and right rudder pressure are typically needed right away to hold a safe attitude and counteract torque and P-factor. Allowing the nose to rise too far, too early, risks an unrecoverable stall at low altitude.

Configuration

Only after establishing climb attitude and power does the pilot turn to configuration, starting with the flaps.

Standard Sequence: What Happens and in What Order

Instructors commonly teach the go-around as a call-and-response sequence so students build the same muscle memory every time:

  • Power up. Throttle smoothly to full or maximum allowable takeoff power.
  • Pitch up. Establish a safe climb attitude with firm forward elevator pressure as needed, resisting the tendency to over-pitch.
  • Verify positive rate of climb. Confirm the airplane is actually climbing before changing configuration further.
  • Flaps to takeoff or approach setting. Retract flaps partially, and incrementally, per the POH.
  • Trim. Apply a rough trim once airspeed and pitch attitude are stabilizing, then refine trim as conditions settle.
  • Gear up. On retractable-gear airplanes, retract the landing gear only after a positive rate of climb is confirmed and it is certain the airplane will remain airborne.
  • Communicate. Advise the tower or announce on CTAF once the airplane is under control and climbing.

The AFH adds a caution worth repeating: on airplanes that generate high control pressures under maximum go-around power, pilots should be careful reaching for the flap handle, since controlling the airplane remains the first priority during this high-workload phase (AFH Chapter 9).

Why Flaps First, Gear Last

The order of configuration changes is not arbitrary. Unless the AFM or POH specifies otherwise, the AFH recommends retracting flaps, at least partially, before retracting the landing gear, for two reasons (AFH Chapter 9):

  • On most airplanes, full flaps produce more drag than the landing gear, so retracting flaps first buys back climb performance faster.
  • If the airplane inadvertently touches down as the go-around is initiated, it is better to have the landing gear already down and locked than retracted.

Flap retraction should not be a single abrupt motion. The AFH recommends retracting flaps intermittently, in small increments, giving the airplane time to accelerate progressively as lift-producing drag is removed. A sudden, complete retraction can cause a loss of lift that results in the airplane settling toward the ground, the opposite of what a go-around is trying to accomplish.

Trim Considerations

At the moment the go-around decision is made, the airplane is trimmed for slow, stabilized approach flight, not for climb. The sudden application of full power tends to pitch the nose up and yaw the airplane left, and the existing trim setting will fight the pilot's attempt to hold a safe climb attitude. The AFH is specific that the pilot should anticipate needing considerable forward elevator pressure just to hold the nose level or in a safe climb attitude immediately after power is applied (AFH Chapter 9).

Trim relieves control pressure; it does not fly the airplane instead of the pilot. Establish correct pitch attitude and airspeed with the controls first, then apply a rough trim, refining it once conditions stabilize. Flap retraction adds another pitch change, since removing flaps increases airflow over the tail. Students should expect rapid, successive trim changes and should manage pitch primarily with the elevator, using trim to reduce workload rather than as the primary pitch control.

Ground Effect

Ground effect matters in every takeoff and landing, and the AFH points out that it matters in go-arounds too (AFH Chapter 9). If the go-around begins close to the ground, the airplane is likely still inside the ground effect area, where induced drag is reduced and performance appears better than it actually is. The handbook calls this apparent cushion of air "imaginary" performance that is borrowed and repaid once the airplane climbs out of ground effect. Climbing prematurely, or too steeply, can leave the airplane unable to climb, or even hold altitude, once it leaves that cushion at full power.

Pilots should expect the airplane to settle briefly leaving ground effect and should not respond by over-pitching to arrest it. Maintain airspeed and let the established climb attitude and power do the work. The AFH also notes that a low, abrupt go-around can involve a brief settle-and-bounce on the runway. This is not necessarily dangerous provided the airplane stays straight with a constant, safe pitch attitude, since the applied power quickly restores flying speed and cushions any secondary touchdown.

When to Reject a Landing

Go-arounds are not limited to the approach phase. A rejected landing can be initiated later than most students expect.

  • Late go-around from the flare. Acceptable and sometimes necessary, but higher risk. Once power is applied, fly it through and do not try to salvage the landing partway.
  • Balked landings on short or soft fields. A landing not developing as planned where margins are already thin is a clear candidate for rejection before conditions worsen.
  • Runway environment issues. Traffic still on the runway, animals, debris, or an unplanned wet surface are valid reasons to abandon the landing regardless of how the approach was flown.
  • Pilot-induced deviations. Being high, fast, wide of centerline, or misaligned on short final requires no external trigger beyond recognizing the landing will not be safe.

What the ACS Requires: Task PA.IV.N

Go-Around/Rejected Landing is evaluated under Area of Operation IV, Takeoffs, Landings, and Go-Arounds, as Task N in the current FAA-S-ACS-6C, Private Pilot for Airplane Category Airman Certification Standards. The task code is PA.IV.N, and its objective is to determine that the applicant demonstrates satisfactory knowledge, risk management, and skills associated with a go-around or rejected landing, with emphasis on the factors that create the need for one.

The Skills elements an examiner grades against include:

  • Complete the appropriate checklist or checklists (PA.IV.N.S1)
  • Make radio calls as appropriate (PA.IV.N.S2)
  • Make a timely decision to discontinue the approach to landing (PA.IV.N.S3)
  • Apply takeoff power immediately and transition to climb pitch attitude for VX or VY as appropriate, within +10/-5 knots (PA.IV.N.S4)
  • Configure the airplane after a positive rate of climb has been verified, or per the manufacturer's instructions (PA.IV.N.S5)
  • Maneuver to the side of the runway or landing area when necessary to avoid conflicting traffic (PA.IV.N.S6)
  • Maintain VY within +10/-5 knots to a safe maneuvering altitude (PA.IV.N.S7)
  • Maintain directional control and proper wind-drift correction throughout the climb (PA.IV.N.S8)
  • Use runway incursion avoidance procedures, if applicable (PA.IV.N.S9)

The Risk Management elements pair with the errors discussed above: delayed recognition of the need for a go-around, delayed performance at low altitude, power application, configuring the airplane, collision hazards, low-altitude maneuvering including stall, spin, or CFIT, distractions, and runway incursion. Examiners test whether the applicant recognizes the need for the maneuver, not just whether they can fly it.

Common Errors

The AFH lists the errors examiners and instructors see most often (AFH Chapter 9):

  • Failure to recognize a condition that warrants a rejected landing
  • Indecision
  • Delay in initiating the go-around once the decision should have been made
  • Failure to apply maximum allowable power in a timely manner
  • Abrupt power application
  • Improper pitch attitude, including over-pitching or allowing the nose to drop
  • Failure to configure the airplane appropriately, including retracting flaps too fast or reversing the flaps-then-gear order
  • Attempting to climb out of ground effect prematurely
  • Failure to adequately compensate for torque and P-factor
  • Loss of aircraft control

Most of these are sequencing and timing errors rather than a lack of raw flying skill. Students who understand why each step happens in its particular order tend to avoid most of this list without extra drilling.

How to Practice Go-Arounds Deliberately

Go-arounds are easy to under-practice, since most training flights end with a successful landing by design. Instructors should build deliberate practice into pattern work rather than leaving it to surprise.

  • Grade every approach in the pattern. On each circuit, run the stabilized approach criteria mentally and make an explicit commit-or-go-around call by the applicable altitude gate, whether or not a go-around is actually flown.
  • Practice balked landings specifically. A balked landing, initiated after the flare has begun, exercises different reflexes than a go-around called earlier on final. Practice both so the higher-risk version is not unfamiliar if it happens for real.
  • Vary full-stop and touch-and-go treatment. Mix in scenarios where the go-around is followed by a full-stop landing, so students do not assume it always means try again immediately.

Radio Communication

Communicating the go-around is part of the Skills elements graded under PA.IV.N.S2, and it should become an automatic habit rather than an afterthought.

  • At a towered airport: Announce clearly and promptly, for example, "Cessna one two three four five, going around."
  • At a non-towered airport: Announce the go-around on CTAF as the climb begins, so other pattern traffic knows to expect the airplane to remain airborne.

Controlling the airplane always comes first. The radio call happens once power, attitude, and the flight path are under control, not before.

Bottom Line

A go-around is not an emergency and not a failure. It is a normal maneuver that the AFH treats as a routine part of flying, and the ACS treats as a core skill every private pilot applicant must demonstrate under Task PA.IV.N. It only becomes dangerous when the decision to fly it is delayed by landing expectancy or pride, or when power, attitude, and configuration are applied out of order or without discipline.

Students who internalize the three cardinal principles, apply full power without hesitation, control pitch without over-pitching, and retract flaps before gear while trimming through the changes, will handle the maneuver the same way every time. Practicing the commit-or-go-around decision on every approach, not just when something visibly goes wrong, turns the go-around from a rare emergency reaction into the reliable skill both the checkride and real-world flying demand.