Help me with my 737 landings!

[Noel 4,492]

I'm not sure why, but for some reason landings which were a piece of cake in FS2000 now are much more difficult in FS2002. For starters, the nose of the aircraft is way too high such that the tail is almost dragging. Help!Noel

[michal 44]

For start which 737 are you using ?You should watch your pitch angle. On final it should be around 2-3 deg, during flare it might go to 6 but no more. But if aircraft has poor flight model - little of that help.Michael J.

[Guest]

Hej Noel.How much fuel do you have onboard?. Try to keep it below 30-40 % for landings.Your final-approach speed should be approx. 135-140 knots.If that does not work, try what michael suggested, check your flight model, or try another 737 modell. Best regards S.Jensen

[N562Z 4]

Noel:I agree with what Michael and Scott have advised, but would add just a bit more to it. Their approach settings are right on, but what can be difficult is getting and keeping the plane there, and long enough to establish a "stabilized" approach. This really is key to hand-flying any heavy jet down the ILS. You have got to get the approach path and airspeed stablized at the numbers Scott and Michael advise by at least 1000ft agl.That said, techniques that have worked for me come right from the mouths of airliner pilots I've chatted with on various vacation flights, as I was lucky enough to be sitting next them. Number one, use the auto-throttle to help you control and adjust your airspeed until you are in close, definitely visual, say the inner marker, then turn it off, or else you won't be able to stop on the runway! You just dial in the desired speeds in line with the flap deployment schedule (most planes have manuals in FS 2002 or you can find non-default airliner manuals on the Internet, or if you want, I can E-mail you all of mine!)In the mean time, you are working to get your pitch correct and hold the localizer with the various winds. I'm not going to lecture you on how to do that, you've done it in FS 2000, so I'm assuming you know. But if you're trying to use the god-awful approach hold autopilot function in FS 2002, all I can say is forget it, the glideslope hold is flawed. I only use the localizer hold part of the autopilot in the worst weather, where inaccuracy can be deadly, and control my descent rate manually with the auto-throttles helping to ease the workload by taking care of my airspeed. This works wonderfully for all heavy jets, and I've been hand flying all of my ILS approaches for several months now. One thing though, as they point out above, you need to have a decent flight model for the aircraft. Experiment with what's out there on the flight sim sites until you find one you like, or again, I can send you mine, since I'm very happy with the flight models of my heavy jet collection, 85% of which are non-default.The key is practice. Go to a familiar airport, and fly the circuit a dozen times and you'll have it down. Add some weather; broken visibility, some winds, etc, and when you've gotten it, try all of this at night. Nothing more exhilarating than a successful approach to minimums at night in a heavy jet, especially when you break out and see the welcoming runway lights lined up perfectly in front of you!All The Best,Alex CN562ZMinneapolis, MN

[Noel 4,492]

Thanks guys I really never even thought about the fuel load! Due to my machine's capabilities I fly the default 737, but I can set the fuel load more carefully next time up. Yes it seems to me the GS and even the ILS are much less controlling than in FS2000, however I'm not sure which one is more realistic not being a pilot and all.Alex, definitely what is not happening for me is a stablized approach. Again, I was much better in FS2000 so it is weird. I'll work on those pitch angles and see if I can get better.Thanks all,Noel

[Guest]

Noel; For get the MS 737, go get the Dream-Fleet 737-400, this is a real piece of art. The flight model is as close to a 737 as your going to get, you'll never go back to that MS bird.Denny

[Noel 4,492]

Thanks Denny. I loved that bird in FS2000, but gave up on it quickly after enjoying the smoothness of the default 737. My machine for some reason handled the DF model much better in FS2000. I'll try it again, but man it is a hog for resources on my lowly P3 1GHz. By the time I add FSFlightMax, FSMeteo, Flight Deck Companion and a few other bells n whisltes, the default 737 ain't so bad. But no doubt, the flight model is superior in the DF737. Could I possibly import that .air into the default bird?Noel

[Guest]

Noel, you have to come in at the appropriate landing speed with the approprate fuel load. This isn't Gameboy ;-)