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How To Land In FSX  
User currently offlineAA388 From Puerto Rico, joined Sep 2007, 285 posts, RR: 0
Posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 3 days 9 hours ago) and read 6569 times:

Has anyone else noticed that it is really hard to land in FSX? I watch all these videos on youtube and the planes sort of glide to the runway. How do you do that?

-max


flown on A319, A320, A330-200, A340-300, 737-3,5,7,8, 747-400, 757-2,3, 767-300, 777-200
22 replies: All unread, jump to last
 
User currently offlineB727-200 From Australia, joined Nov 1999, 1035 posts, RR: 2
Reply 1, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 3 days 8 hours ago) and read 6562 times:

Lot's of practice, a good game controller and possibly using the ILS where available Big grin

I have noticed it is a little harder to land by stick on the bigger jets than in FS9 - anyone else think it is a little more difficult?

B727-200.

User currently offlineCLEwatcher From United States, joined Feb 2001, 242 posts, RR: 1
Reply 2, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 3 days 8 hours ago) and read 6562 times:

practice will make it easier
but for me, its mostly dumb luck  Smile



-Ray-
User currently offlineBongo From Colombia, joined Oct 2003, 1826 posts, RR: 5
Reply 3, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 1 day 19 hours ago) and read 6426 times:
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I think it´s easier to land a real plane than to land an FS plane  Sad


MDE: First airport in the Americas visited by the A380!
User currently offlineDelboy From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2001, 562 posts, RR: 0
Reply 4, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 6421 times:

I would suggest using autothrottle, it's one less thing to worry about. It sounded like a hot air balloon, power up, power down, power off!

Nice landing though.

User currently offlineACDC8 From Canada, joined Mar 2005, 6431 posts, RR: 26
Reply 5, posted (1 year 3 months 3 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 6386 times:

Quoting Bongo (Reply 3):
I think it´s easier to land a real plane than to land an FS plane

I find it is. I've got way more hours in FS then I do with my actual licence and I still have problems with landing in FS. I find that you just don't have the sensations of movement or actual depth perception in FS as you do in the real world. Even landing with the ILS, FS just doesn't give you that sense of movement that I find helps me land (and fly in general).


Quad- and Tri-jets.....the ONLY way to fly!
User currently offlineAdman737 From Ecuador, joined Sep 2007, 86 posts, RR: 0
Reply 6, posted (1 year 3 months 2 weeks 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 6212 times:

Yup i agree it is harder to land on FSX due to the sensations of flight you need have but i have pretty much mastered take off and landing i fly PHF to CLT daily at least 3 or 4 times a day and its nothing for me to land anymore. But it wasnt that easy when i forst got FSX i had a real hard time landing.

User currently offlineJamesbaldwyn From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 7, posted (1 year 3 months 2 weeks 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 6200 times:

Quoting Bongo (Reply 3):
I think it´s easier to land a real plane than to land an FS plane  

I feel the same way. I make great landings in real GA. But on FS it's a diffrent story.

User currently offlineJamesJimlb From Sweden, joined Jan 2006, 952 posts, RR: 2
Reply 8, posted (1 year 3 months 1 week 2 days 8 hours ago) and read 6039 times:

Quoting Jamesbaldwyn (Reply 7):
I feel the same way. I make great landings in real GA. But on FS it's a diffrent story.

oh man, then i must be awesome at real planes. lol

Quoting CLEwatcher (Reply 2):
practice will make it easier
but for me, its mostly dumb luck

no offense but that was a pretty bad landing. no flair just straight down, the struts would of been damaged.


MAKE A STATEMENT, CHANGE YOUR FLAG.
User currently offlineChksix From Sweden, joined Sep 2005, 345 posts, RR: 2
Reply 9, posted (1 year 3 months 1 week 2 days 1 hour ago) and read 6026 times:
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It's easier if you can find the Ref speeds to fly at each flaps setting and try to cross the threshold at Vref +5kt.
Retard the throttles to Idle over the threshold and flare at 20 ft by just a small amount. Don't float!


The conveyor belt plane will fly
User currently offlineCLEwatcher From United States, joined Feb 2001, 242 posts, RR: 1
Reply 10, posted (1 year 3 months 6 days 20 hours ago) and read 5988 times:

Quoting JamesJimlb (Reply 8):
no offense but that was a pretty bad landing. no flair just straight down, the struts would of been damaged.

gotta start somewhere


-Ray-
User currently offlineBok269 From United States, joined May 2007, 2011 posts, RR: 0
Reply 11, posted (1 year 3 months 5 days 15 hours ago) and read 5988 times:

DOnt jump into the airliners right away. You need to master the basics of flight in a small aircraft (cough 172 cough cough). Do the lessons in the learning center, read up on it, etc.

You have to learn to walk before you run.


"Reality is wrong, dreams are for real." -Tupac
User currently offlineAlbird87 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 12, posted (1 year 3 months 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 5988 times:

Quoting B727-200 (Reply 1):
I have noticed it is a little harder to land by stick on the bigger jets than in FS9 - anyone else think it is a little more difficult?

Hmm im not sure about the 747 in FSX but i find that the A320 when flaps fully deployed and gear down, using my stick the response is sluggish... Now I normally try to approach the runway at 140-150 depending on my loads and i always find the aircraft very slow to respong to my controls. Is this normal in real life also??
Infact after the aircraft is aroun 120-130 just before touchdown the plane seems to become very reactive to anymoves i make.
Anybody else get this also or is it just me??

Quoting CLEwatcher (Reply 2):
practice will make it easier
but for me, its mostly dumb luck

BAH!! call that a landing!! Real men do it from the cockpit!!

User currently offlineBok269 From United States, joined May 2007, 2011 posts, RR: 0
Reply 13, posted (1 year 3 months 4 days 4 hours ago) and read 5988 times:

Quoting Albird87 (Reply 12):

Hmm im not sure about the 747 in FSX but i find that the A320 when flaps fully deployed and gear down, using my stick the response is sluggish... Now I normally try to approach the runway at 140-150 depending on my loads and i always find the aircraft very slow to respong to my controls. Is this normal in real life also??
Infact after the aircraft is aroun 120-130 just before touchdown the plane seems to become very reactive to anymoves i make.
Anybody else get this also or is it just me??

I think it has something to do with the Airbus FBW system. I believe that the computer has to approved all inputs before the surfaces are deflected. ANyone feel free to confirm/correct.


"Reality is wrong, dreams are for real." -Tupac
User currently offlineJamesJimlb From Sweden, joined Jan 2006, 952 posts, RR: 2
Reply 14, posted (1 year 3 months 2 days 23 hours ago) and read 5988 times:

Quoting CLEwatcher (Reply 10):
gotta start somewhere

very true, and i apoligize for my statement.


MAKE A STATEMENT, CHANGE YOUR FLAG.
User currently offlineUltimateDelta From United States, joined Sep 2007, 847 posts, RR: 0
Reply 15, posted (9 months 2 weeks 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 4773 times:

A joystick makes it easier. i tried it with the mouse control, which is fiendishly hard. After I got my joystick, I noticed a definite change in ease.


Those who think they know everything annoy those of us who actually do.
User currently offlineZuluAviator994 From Australia, joined Mar 2008, 410 posts, RR: 0
Reply 16, posted (9 months 2 weeks 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 4769 times:
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Quoting JamesJimlb (Reply 8):
Quoting Jamesbaldwyn (Reply 7):
I feel the same way. I make great landings in real GA. But on FS it's a different story.

I agree, the sensation of flight is missing greatly on Flight Sim, which makes a difference I guess.

Quoting Chksix (Reply 9):
It's easier if you can find the Ref speeds to fly at each flaps setting and try to cross the threshold at Vref +5kt.
Retard the throttles to Idle over the threshold and flare at 20 ft by just a small amount. Don't float!

Yes, correct, but you can't really find an accurate Vref Speed (at least I can't), so it's quite difficult.

I would suggest fine tuning your control sensibility, because if your controls are too light you will crash definately because you will end up in a 90 degree nose dive with the slightest touch. If your controls are too heavy, you will not be able to pull up or down OR flare, which CLEWatcher could work on, he still had a little one though.

Regards


When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward
User currently offlineJCH From Suriname, joined Sep 2008, 4 posts, RR: 0
Reply 17, posted (3 months 1 week 2 days 18 hours ago) and read 2513 times:




 Smile

User currently offlineANITIX87 From Switzerland, joined Mar 2005, 2366 posts, RR: 11
Reply 18, posted (3 months 1 week 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 2499 times:
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Many real pilots have posted above that landing a flight-sim aircraft is harder than a real one, and that the sensations just aren't there.

I'm curious what you all think of the physics, handling, and ease of flight in X-plane, since that's what I use.

TIS


Olympus Evolt E-500, Zuiko 14-45mm f/3.5-5.3, Zuiko 40-150mm f/3.5-4.5, Sigma 135-400 f/4.5-5.6
User currently offlineJetmatt777 From United States, joined Jun 2005, 1683 posts, RR: 16
Reply 19, posted (3 months 1 week 2 days 14 hours ago) and read 2488 times:

I still use FS9. But landing is the one thing that cannot be tought. It's more of an art than it is a science.

I remember using autoland (approach hold) and autothrottle to 'land' the plane. But since, I hardly ever do ILS approaches anymore, unless weather is pretty bad. I am one that really loves visual approaches. It makes you feel in control and knowing your aircraft, then watching some needle tell you when you are good. Most of the time, I land right on the centerline, about 1,250 down the runway, which is about 300 or 400 feet past the aiming boxes at an average of around -125 ft/min or so, which is not too shabby. Not to brag, but the only thing that will help landings is actually doing them. You can read all of the books in the world, but if you don't learn to feel the aircraft (hard to do in FS), then those books won't help you.

Most people who land a little rough like me saying this: The airplane should be flown onto the runway rather than floated and make a soft landing.

A harder landing is a safer one. (WITHIN reason)In your average commercial twin-engine jet, A -500 ft/min will ultimately destroy your landing gear, a -350 will probably bust a few bolts on the gear and give your pax a bit of a headache. A -250 is a firm, but safe landing, A -200 is just about perfect, A -150 is a still pretty perfect, A -100 is moving into unsafely floating, A -50 is not good, and lower is not good either. They may be comfortable, but a floated landing uses up precious stopping room, what if your brakes go out and you only have 5000 ft. of runway left? If you have 7,000 left, you may have enough room for momentum to die out before you reach the last turnoff. But, in FS unless you have failures set, then you don't have to worry about that, but if you have a program that randomly generates failures without you telling it to fail something, you might end up in the trick-bag.
Practice makes perfect when it comes to landing.

-Matt


Southwest 2003, cleared visual approach runway 17L at Will Rogers, contact Rogers Tower 119.35, good day.
User currently offlineMidEx216 From United States, joined Jun 2005, 383 posts, RR: 3
Reply 20, posted (3 months 1 week 2 days 14 hours ago) and read 2483 times:



Quoting ACDC8 (Reply 5):
I've got way more hours in FS then I do with my actual licence and I still have problems with landing in FS. I find that you just don't have the sensations of movement or actual depth perception in FS as you do in the real world.

I actually have to disagree. While I do believe it is hard to feel what's going on with the plane, and you don't have the added crutch of seeing around you, I'd say a real plane is far harder than Flight Simulator. I've done crazy landings, including doing a half-cuban off the runway, and diving straight towards the threshold with the flaps and spoilers out, and flaring out right onto the runway. Yet, it still stresses me to try to get a good landing off in a Cessna 152. I've left my share of marks, and had my share of go-arounds.


"Cue the Circus Music!"