Simviation Forums

Okay, I am new to FS, and I have yet to figure out how to really land.  

I decided to do a short trip this time, Las Vegas to Los Angeles in a 747.  I am just outside of Los Angeles.  I have been flying it VFR, On a Direct Route.  How do I go about entering a landing pattern and being able to get lined up with a runway?

I have read that Landing Tutorial, but in that tutorial, he is already lined up with the runway and everything.

Please help to the best of your ability!

Thanks!

Hi INAG...just simply call up ATC , press the apostrophe key, (') and select the airport and ask for permission to land. Depending on where you are in relation to the runway they want you to land on, (they will specify that)

I sent you a PM, go read it & get back to me;D

Practice landing in smaller aircraft, and when you're comfortable move up to bigger, and faster aircraft

Oh dear, INeedAGig - from what you say you're already at LAX, and far too high.

For another time, in your early days, it might be an idea to file an IFR Plan and use Air Traffic Control from the start  - they'll give you courses to steer and heights to hold, and will also instruct you to let down to the correct height in good time, and line you up with the runway. From that point on follow the tutorial (I take it that it is my tute that you read?)

For now, just call up ATC as commoner says. They will tell you which runway to land on (at LAX there are two parallel runways, so they will probably tell you something like 'Runway 25 Left' or 'Runway 7 Right').

Say it's Runway 25 left. Add a nought and you get 250 degrees (almost due west) which is your landing direction. They will probably also say 'Make left traffic' (or 'Make right traffic', or 'fly straight in'). That just means either that you should make your last turn on to the runway line (respectively) a left turn, or a right turn, or that you're already more or less lined up and needn't bother.

Trouble is, you're probably right over LAX, and far too high. Never mind - you can still recover! Whatever runway they give you, just turn and fly the opposite course, and start losing height. To get the opposite course, just add or subtract 180 degrees - so the opposite of 250 degrees is 70 degrees, and so on.

If you're at full height, say 30,000 feet, you may have to go about fifty miles out before turning back - but just be patient, and wait till you're good and low, 15,000 feet or less.

Then turn back towards the airport, set the ILS frequency as shown in the tute, and on the way lose the rest of that height, down to 2,500 feet or so. Set the ILS frequency on NAV1 as described in the tute. Eventually the ILS dial will pick up the localiser and glideslope. Wait until you're BELOW the glideslope, and then press 'APP'.  The tute should work from there.

At some stage ATC will tell you that you are 'cleared to land'.  Just acknowledge it.

Welcome to to the wonderful world of Microsoft Flightsimulator (now in v.FS9 or FS2004).

Firstly, let me suggest placing the Learning Center icon on your desktop. (It's located here: C:/Program Files/Microsoft Games/Flight Simulator9/FSweb/LearningCenter/lc_index_IndexMain.htm)

Here's an excerpt from this useful learning aid:
"Landing:
For most pilots, landing is the most challenging part of flying. The secret to a soft, smooth landing, odd as it sounds, is to try to keep the airplane from touching down too quickly. You can learn more about landings in Flying Lessons with Rod Machado. To take flying lessons with Rod, click the Flying Lessons link on the left side of the screen."

Have fun and happy landings

In response to Nav,


  I am just coming over the mountains where it flattens back out to the coast, city, and surrounding area, lets just say, 20 or so miles to the SE, and I am at 12,500FT and doing about 320, which is probably too fast.

 I have it saved coming off an instruction from the ATC to do a HDG of 190.  What I've been doing is waiting for LAX to show up in the nearest airport list, which takes awhile, and then radio the tower for landing. It's been telling me 6R or 7L, and tells me those "Fly left downwind" and those "Fly Right Traffic", god this is confusing, lol.

 Ugh, thanks for the help so far...

Don't understand the ATC heading of 190, INAG? That suggests that you are flying IFR, not VFR?

If you're IFR, just go on flying the heights and courses they give you. You're right about the speed, too - lower it quick, 250 knots is all you need low down. If you are IFR, ATC will give you vectors and heights to line you up with the runway - as soon as you know which runway, click on 'Map', get the frequencies etc., and you're all set.

On IFR you don't need to call up the tower yourself - in due course the controller will tell you to switch frequencies and they'll clear you automatically.

If you're VFR, keep the speed down, get lower, and follow my advice above.

Everyone else is right too though - get knowledge and experience wherever you can. The early lessons are great - if I remember rightly, there's one on Air Traffic Control that will give you all the basics.