>I suspect that most of the problems those experienced pilots >had in flying FS2002 was due to the unavoidable limitations >of the user interface, rather than any inherent 'hardness' >of the flight models. >Exactly!

That in addition to other comments,I have had a few occasions where the aircraft seems to "yaw" heavily just before touchdown. No crosswinds either. It's usually with heavier aircraft when everything was perfectly lined up. My only option is to anticipate this and add some aileron to bank back towards the runway. Then it's either land on the dirt or go around.But this only happens occasionly.L.Adamson ---- never had to land a real airplane in the dirt, unless that's all there is!

To add to what Leesw said:The main problem is that you cannot reproduce a 3 dimensional world on a 2 dimensional screen. The angles are never true. The 'v' axis indicator is the only way you can truly line up with the runway. Even then you will still have drift due to the joystick is not 100% true either. The other problem as Leesw indicated is that there is no 'feel' for the airplane. As pointed out in another post that real pilots cannot fly the simulator. A few years ago in an effort to develop an aviation fuel that was less flammable during a crash, a 707 was outfitted so that it could be flown by remote control. A real 707 pilot flying by remote control could not line up with the center line on the target range and crashed sideways and totally invalidated the test. The video is shown on the Discovery Channel occasionally.

I found that staying on the centerline is a bit easier in VC view. This way you can look straight ahead at the runway without having to keep the plane's axis perfectly lined up.Stephan

I've just tried the "V" axis indicator and there's no doubt that, although the problem still exists, it helps in lining up correctly.Thanks for the tip fellows.There's also been a lot of other interesting comments. All make sense.I'm hoping that the Microsoft team has read this string and taken our concerns seriously.

In the case of FS, this is exactly the issue. Though it creates the illusion of a round world, it isn't. But in trying to create that illusion, ones gets the drift and has to keep over correcting to compensate. This has been the same since FS1. What changed from earlier versions is the coordinate system, but in essence FS' world is a flat one.Dave Vega

ok my two bits.1. im not a real world pilot2. i have been flight simming since ver 3.0 (if this means anything please let me know - :) )3. i have been flying radio controlled models for about 7yrs.ok. so.... the best tip i got (cant remmember where i got it from) was that when on final pick a spot on the top part of your panel and ALLWAYS USE THE SAME SPOT and then line it up with the BACK END OF THE RUNWAY or the OPPOSITE end that your coming in on, i have found this helps tremendously and has improved my landings a lottry it and let me know if you see an improvementoh, a side note, i have also found that when im on short final i look at two things. 1. the centerline of the runway and 2. my airspeed that it, so another tip maybe would be to look out and not down into the cockpit that might help as wellciao!Brian S

When in the real world of flying a few different GA planes some time ago, I developed the habit of taking just a brief moment on a long taxiway or even on the start of the roll on the runway after lining up to get a "site picture" fixed in my brain. This would include a panel/shield reference point of the offset from the centerline and perspective corrections to roll straight. (This in tricycle gear craft also gave me an idea of clean S&L horizon placement.)Perhaps this technique can be used on final to apply to the virtual center line extension, with offset angle for any desired crabbing.As for the H drift, besides crosswind effects, as you change to lower thrust on approach for singles or assymetrical props, would not the engine(s) P factor and torque factor axis offsets come in to play since they are designed to neutralize those factors at greater power and a reverse effect come into play on reduced power?