Run-On Landing

When you can't stop the helicopter in mid-air — high density altitude, heavy load, partial loss of engine power — you land with forward speed and slide to a stop on the skids, like a fixed-wing landing. Run-on landings preserve translational lift all the way to touchdown, eliminating the high-power demand of a hover. The technique is straightforward; the recognition that you need it is the harder part.

Also called: rolling landing, sliding landing, "skid-on"

When you need it

You can't safely stop the helicopter in a hover when:

You can't hover OGE at this weight + DA — the OGE chart in your POH says no, and your destination won't let you stay IGE.
You're hovering at the edge of available power — the hover demands so much collective that any gust, slight rotor droop, or pedal demand exceeds what the engine can deliver.
Partial loss of engine power — you have some engine, just not enough to hover. Run-on lets you land using residual power instead of attempting an autorotation.
Low rotor RPM — if RPM is sagging, hovering will worsen it. Maintaining airspeed lets the rotor recover RPM through translational airflow.

The key recognition is this: if at any point in the approach the helicopter feels like it can't stop, don't try to make it. Land with whatever airspeed you've got and slide.

The technique

Approach at normal angle — 8-10° glide path, just like a normal landing.
Do NOT decelerate to a hover — maintain forward speed all the way through touchdown. Target ~10-20 kt at touchdown.
Touch down on level skids — the helicopter is moving forward; the skids contact the surface and slide.
After touchdown, lower collective smoothly — this transfers weight from the rotor to the skids and increases ground friction.
Use cyclic to maintain heading and lateral control — like a fixed-wing landing rollout, but with cyclic instead of rudder/aileron.
Slide to a stop — most surfaces will stop the helicopter in 30-100 ft of slide depending on speed and surface friction.

Surface matters

Run-on landings work well on:

Pavement — runway, ramp, road. Skids slide cleanly; surface is predictable.
Hard-packed dirt or gravel — slightly more friction, shorter slide.
Smooth grass — works fine if cut short and level.

Run-on landings are problematic on:

Tall grass or brush — vegetation can grab a skid and cause a roll-over. If you must land in tall grass, do it as a hover landing if at all possible.
Soft sand or mud — skids can dig in and pitch the helicopter forward.
Snow — depends on depth and consistency. Powder is fine; crusted snow can grab.
Sloped terrain — adds a sideways force during the slide. Land into the slope if possible.

Why this isn't a "lesser" landing

Some students treat the run-on landing as the consolation prize when you can't hover. It isn't. For the right conditions, it's the safer option:

Lower power demand than a hover — engine and rotor are less stressed.
Translational lift the whole way down — no last-second VRS risk.
Margin for partial power loss — if the engine drops further during the touchdown, you're already on the ground.
No demand for OGE hover capability — useful at any DA.

Mountain pilots, high-DA pilots, and pilots flying near max gross weight develop this skill early because they need it routinely. Treat it as an everyday tool, not an emergency-only technique.

Common mistakes

Decelerating too much — the pilot tries to "soften" the touchdown by slowing more, slips below ETL on short final, and ends up needing more collective than they have. Defeats the entire point of run-on.
Touching down crooked — if the helicopter is yawed or laterally drifting at touchdown, the slide goes sideways and dynamic rollover risk spikes. Heading straight, level skids, no drift.
Pulling collective after touchdown — the helicopter wants to stay flying; raising collective tries to get airborne again. Lower collective firmly after touchdown.
Choosing surface poorly — landing in tall grass when pavement was 50 ft over.