Simviation Forums

Could anyone give me any tips or advice on landing?

I always either:

1) Stay high so I can see the runway and land at the last minute making the plane "nose-dive" to the runway.

2) Have trouble controlling the speed, either approach too slow causing the plane to stall, or approach too fast causing me to overshoot the runway when I land.

3) Approach too low and I can't see the runway at all so end up landing on the grass beside the runway etc.

As an aside, does anyone know how to get the little bus that attaches itself to the plane door so the passengers can get down? I know when there is a jetway nearby you press Ctrl-j but when there's no jetway around how do you get one of these little vehicles to the plane door?

First try the Lessons - untill you can land safely and then select an airport in the map - note down the Runway number and the ILS frequency. Put your aircraft about 20miles away from the Runway and 5000ft high and in-line with the runway. Heading must be same degree as the runway number. If you select KLAX runway 7L, the heading is 69degrees and ILS is 111.10 and height set to 5000ft. In 172 tune NAV1 to 111.10 and set Course to 69deg. Set speed to 80knts. With the help of the Landing lessons try this many times untill you land safely on the runway.  You must learn about ILS  and try www.navfltsm.addr.com - a great site to learn about Navigation. As someone told - first try to walk before you run!

Landing an airplane is a complicated thing. Many forces at work and a lot going on, for the pilot to stay on top of.

Practice practice practice in the 172 until it's second nature..  and then work your way up the ladder to bigger, faster planes.

If you want to learn what a plane "feels" like close to a stall, try a glider.  While I am not a real world pilot, my real world pilot friend says this is the best way to learn landing.  Don't know if he speaks the truth, but it couldn't hurt.  Although, I have never flown a glider yet in FSX.  Maybe my advise is wrong.  Any input from others?  (Gee.  Glad I could give a straight answer.)

Ok when landing you need to be at around 2000 ft at 5nm out. Nominal descent rate is 500FPM for a 3 deg glideslope which most aiports use, 9 london city is 6deg ). There is a VASI light system on most , not all runways. Some of the bush runways are purely visible landing only. The lighs have 2 sytems, red/white and the white T. In the red white system ( number of lights may vary but generally 4), as you approach ( below glide slope) the light will all be red, you fly untill there are 2 red and 2 white ( 4 light system ), then you are on glide slope and can start your descent. 500 FPM for the 3 deg slope should keep you there, you do this by reducing your throttle till your speed keeps you at the correct descent rate. if the light start going to more white then you are too high and must reduce speed if they start going all red you are too low and must increase speed. when you are below 10000 ft your speed should be around 240 kts for a jet, by the time you hit glide slope you should have your gear down and at first flap setting, i think a jet is around 160 Kts a small plane could be 80 kts, read the plane specs that info will be there some where. Joystick should only be used to correct drift left or right, throttle should be used to maintain glideslope. just b4 you hit runway you just pull nose up a few degrees and cut throttle and plane should roll onto runway. The white T light system works similar. If lights look like a T then you are too low, if an upside down T then you are too high, if you only see a horizontal bar you are on glide slope. Most important thing is too know you Flap down , gear down speeds and to slow down before you get on the glide slope to landing speeds. It takes practise but thats life.

Mjrhealth, wouldn't you agree that rate of descent is a factor of the aircraft's groundspeed?
500fpm is  too slow for a jet on a standard glide path unless you have a 40kt headwind component (which would require an adjustment of the indicated approach speed anyway)

I'd say 700 to 800 fpm is more normal.

try getting a joystick with the Throttle feature. It helps me with my landings alot.

If you want to learn what a plane "feels" like close to a stall, try a glider.  While I am not a real world pilot, my real world pilot friend says this is the best way to learn landing.  Don't know if he speaks the truth, but it couldn't hurt.  Although, I have never flown a glider yet in FSX.  Maybe my advise is wrong.  Any input from others?  (Gee.  Glad I could give a straight answer.)

That will work but it's the expensive way to do it. Not in FSX but in real life. You have to pay for a glider and instructor and none of that time goes toward your PPL. My instructor had me do a lot of slow flight before working on landings. I highly recommend the lesson on slow flight. First learn to keep it straight and level. When you can do that easily then try for about 500 ft/min descent from three thousand down to about a thousand feet. When you can do that easily then try some landings. Keep the runway centered in the windshield and aim just past the numbers. Just before touching down, about 20 or so feet cut all power and try to keep the airplane flying by pulling back gently on the yoke.

1st start out with small plains such as the cesna-moony. so on.. then move on to the king air... maybe a douglas dc-3 , then move on to the leerjet, challenger, crj700, 737, ect. but use the guide lights... try to keep 2 of each or in somecases 1 of each the hole time... as for to speed controll.... lots of practice.

i used to have the same problem.
i still have that problem with the airliners, but with them i just use ils.
the main problem i had with GA planes is that i couldn't see the runway over the cockpit.
but then i either just went into vc, or changed the cockpit views.
but in real life, when i started landing, it was fine. the cockpit didn't get in the way, and it was quite easy to manage speed, and RoD.
thats the main problem i am having with flight simulator, it is seeing out. its just not like real life.

ya but flight sim will never be as grate as real life... hey what do you fly and where?

I fly a cessna-172 right now untill i get old enough to start doing groundwork and then my crosscountry i fly in a small airport in mobile, FL

I fly Robin 200's. wonderful little planes.
fantastic visibility, and flies like a dream.
i fly out of Earls Colne, its near colchester, in england.
i am preparing for my solo. i probably would have already done it, but you have to be 16, so i'm just getting ready to do it in september

You can raise the sseat height, in  the cockpit just check the key settings cant remember the combo, that should solve the not seeing over dash problem

[quote]You can raise the sseat height, in

I think and correct me guys if Im wrong ,Landing its the most dificult procedure in aviation...am I right??

sunlord_clave you ask about to get a better landings, first: what plane are we talking about? I think the secret its to hold the correct speed and altitude(Slow and low Not Too low) , I made my own rudder pedals wich are now (and not in FS9) find them usefull , FSX for me has much better Flight Dinamics and I assume much real than FS9, I can correct my center in a crosswind with this right after touchdown, and most of my landings are more nice ,wich it supposed to be ,Like in a real life..I think..