Simviation Forums

i know it will sound daft but ive used fs 2002 and fs2004 for a while. my landings are a bit dodgy sometimes. more like 50/50. any tips on how to improve my landings. my speed is usually ok and my line up is usually fine, its just judging the distance and height as you approach the runway. chers

First of all,know your aircraft stall speed.
Let's say you're flying the B737 which stalls at 135-140 KTS
make the final approach at about 140 KTS use the runway red and white lights to know you're on the glideslope (more reds-too low,more white too high)
don't move the elevator too much,use the throttle to adjust your decent to the runway usualy at 140 KTS the rate of decent should be +- 700 FPM.

Hey Stivvi, use the ILS needles for assistance both horizontally and vertically.

Just to make things even more confusing: in aviation they talk about touch down point, how far it is from the threshold and  the threshold crossing height. Depending on how far the TD point is from the threshold and the glide path angle, you'll get a Threshold crossing height. Obviosusly the altitude will vary, but try to avoid crossing the threshold at over 100ft.

Aim for the touch down markers and as you cross the threshold, gently retard the throttles so they reach idle when your mains touch the ground. This will hopefully avoid a floating flaire  :)

I'm also going to contradict gabel here. Adjust the glidepath with the elevators. If you ever watch a jetpilot you'll see the constant twitching with the yoke to maintain the glide path. With the proper Stab trim, that's the easiest way to do it  8) The elevators responds much faster than a jet engine...

Stall speed on a  B737 is more at 120kts sice it's a Category C aircraft (approach speeds from 121- 151 kts)

Take care all

I always watch the PAPI or VASI lights during a VFR approach, and of course the glideslope during an ILS approach  ;D

Landing is something that can take a lot of practice.  save a flight when you are about 20 miles out of the airport, and repeatedly redo this flight to practice.  Make sure the approach that you chose gets a good frame-rate, because a good landing is impossible with a choppy framerate.  The other people before me explained it pretty well.  Enter the course and ILS runway frequency and use that to help you.  You could also just make ILS approaches all the time .  Real pilots do constantly make adjustments during a Visual, so don't worry about those.  Make sure they are slow and small, so you don't go off course.  I'm sure you know about flaps, but make sure to use those to get extra lift.  Like they said above, use the VASI's to help you, they arent as accurate as the glideslope but they definitely work.
One last thought - don't practice your first landings on a 37.  Use Cessnas or gliders, then work into King Airs, then small jets.  Finally after lots of practice you can move onto large airliners.
Remember - practice practice practice!

As was mentioned above, your stall speed is instrumental to landing.  I am working towards my private in real life, and my landing confidence improved greatly once I had the chance to go up and stall the aircraft I was flying in over and over at 2500 feet.  Not only did I know the speed of stall at various configurations, I also knew how the airplane felt.  Now on landings, I KNOW how close I am to a stall both mathmatically and feel-wise, and I can come in real slow and safe, which is the key to consistent landings.

This being a flight simulator, you can do as you please, stuff you would never do in the real world.  Don't know the stall speed of a 737 with full flaps?  Take it up to 6000 feet and stall it!  You'll find that doing this a few times will make your approaches a lot more predictable.

.....This being a flight simulator, you can do as you please, stuff you would never do in the real world.  Don't know the stall speed of a 737 with full flaps?  Take it up to 6000 feet and stall it!  You'll find that doing this a few times will make your approaches a lot more predictable.....

Won't the passengers object to this

I seem to recall a freeware aircraft that had a sound file which featured screaming passengers when you crashed or pulled too many g's.  Was it for fs2000?

Oh? I have to get that one then.....


The trick to landing is the same for just about any aircraft.

Approach above stall speed with a safety margin for any wind gusts/shear/ turbulence or other factors such as wet wings, strong headwind or crosswind and of course aircraft load factors.

Depending on aircraft type the margins vary in relation to stall speed, a rule of thumb for approach speed ......

stall speed + 10knots + 1/3 windspeed

This gives you enough grunt to kill the throttle over the threshhold and round out the flare......... and the best trick of all..... Don't land!

Hold her gently just off the runway and it will land itself. Everything from a hang glider to an X-15 works like that.

Thats fairly general, some aircraft are a bit more critical, but that should get you started.

Begin with a Cessna type and work your way to low wing singles, then dual props, before you start tackling the jets. The jets require a bit more finesse is all.

Another trick is to get trimmed

25 - 30 pct fuel.
Use A/T or A/Speed if available.
Set speed per reference for that a/c.
ILS as GS reference if available or VASI/PAPI.
Scan should include rate of descent.  500 fpm max in close.
Otherwise screaming passengers.
Program a button to disengage A/T w/o fumbling with mouse.
Disengage A/Speed close in.  Throttle position about 20 pct.

Do you allways a mean allways land the big jets with full flaps? just curious.

No Bruce, it's not necessary to land with full flaps on all aircraft types. But often the final flap setting will give the pilots a better field view (less upward pitch) during visual approaches. Since the full flap setting also decreases the approach speed, it is preferable on short runways.

But I can give you a handful commercial jets that rarely uses the final flap setting  :)

Thanks Nexus82. that answer clear up a whole lot for me. some of the planes i downloaded if i set full flaps on approch with the right approch speed, it always pitch nose down. if i tried 15 or 20 every thing looks good and i will take her home safe.

[quote]I seem to recall a freeware aircraft that had a sound file which featured screaming passengers when you crashed or pulled too many g's.

The most useful tip given to me when I first starting crashing aircraft, was to go to "views" and put the little "v" on the windscreen - think of it as part of your HUD display.

This gives a reference point which seems to be missing (for me at least) in the simming situation.