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rwy12

Tricks of perfect landings

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As both Kim and Gary have already mentioned, I'll add a third vote:Save up some money and purchase a CH Yoke. You've already got the other half of the "essential" flightsim control package, and that's the pedals. It truly does make a significant difference in how you perceive your airplane's handling. All the other recommendations are there too... use the VASI, take things slow, and set up farther out from the runway. -Greg

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Practice - the great thing about Flightsim is you can load up your 747 and fly patterns just like a student pilot would in the real world. I assume you are flying with crosswinds? If so, set up a flight on a big runway with clear weather. Not the default "fair" weather, but go in and select clear. This will give you zero wind. You can't land in weather until you can land in perfect conditions. Find an airport with boring scenery, so your FPS stay high. Set up your ILS for the runway you are on. Take off, and use your autopilot to fly at around 3000 or so and set your heading to the runway heading. Once you are set, turn the plane 180 degrees to go back for the same runway. Fly away from the airport until you lose the ILS signal. At this point, turn around again and pick back up the ILS. From here, follow the ILS and land. Keep doing it until you get it down. From there, add crosswinds and other weather and keep doing it until you get it down.


-------------------------

Craig from KBUF

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Guest Pilotman58

I'm not to good at landing in FS either, but I do have Single Engine Land ticket, and found it easier, as you say, with yolk and pedals (neither which I have, just joystick) in the real aircraft. Maybe I'm wrong in saying, but I had always head the old saying of "Any landing you can walk away from, is a good landing." THE END!Pilotman58

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Guest pbn

Sometimes, if I haven't been flying for a while or is switching to a completely different type of plane I'll make poor landings as well. I have found the following to work for me.I forget about landings for a while. I'll take of and find a VOR (if aircraft is equipped with such) and either fly a holding pattern or a figure 8 around the VOR. One one leg I'll climb for instance 1000 feet and then descend 1000 feet going the other way, all while I maintain the same airspeed. I might also do a few rounds where I change airspeed, but keep the altitude. Important is to set a goal and try to stick to it. When I master the above consistently, I find my landings will improve significantly, because controlling the plane becomes natural, and I can focus more on the actual manouver (landing)CheersPeter

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Guest PARADISE

All the above information can be very usefull to you for improving your landing skills. I noticed in your original post that your problem is maintaining allignment with the centerline. Are you using the ILS for your approaches? If so, remember that not all ILS approaches will line you up perfectly with the runway centerline. Try hand flying (autopilot off) the approach from about 1000' AGL and see if that improves your runway allignment. Your airplane should be at it's landing configuration by this altitude and hand flying will give you a better feel for how the airplane is reacting to winds and up/down drafts. The main thing to remember is to relax. A landing is just another flight manuever, no different than any other manuever. All you're doing is "flying" the airplane to the ground.John M

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Also if it is a bad approach, go around. This will make you set up the approach again and get better at it. Land ittis.jimCYWG

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Hi everyoneI guess I was trying to fly before I could run!!! :-lolI have decided to start from the basics again with static weather conditions etc-I was flying with live weather etc before.I am still confused by the term 'the plane must be trimed' for landing-does this mean approp. flaps,speed etc.Also I read soemwhere/or heard 'set the landing trim'where do you find the landing trim from.Apologies for going on about the subject-I really apprciate all the help offered by you all.many thanks.Qas

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Guest tango papa

Another approach would be to take a few flying lessons available in the learning center. There is a bunch of info available there, especially, how to trim the plane on approach.Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like -M.Twain

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Guest heclak

try flying in a boring scenery with a long runway. That way you can minimise the number of discouraging go arounds. Maybe like the Area 51 scenery. Simple and a REALLY long runway.

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Hey Qas!Here's a "trim" example. Assume you're in aeroplane X at 1000' and 80% power, flying straight and level at 150kts (or mph). Note the buttons "7" and "1" on the number pad at the right side of the keyboard. (NumLock ON). The "7" is "nose down trim" and the "1" is "nose up trim". OK. Pull the power back to 30%. Power now no longer equals drag, does it? - so the aeroplane slows. Ok. the result is - the nose will drop, and she'll begin to descend. Watch the climb & descent meter. You will find that if you press the "1" button a few times the nose will start to rise. If you leave it this way - at some point the nose will go up above the horizon. If you now tap the "down" trim button - the nose will drop again. When it gets down to the horizon a quick couple of taps of "up trim" (button 1) will slow the nose dropping and bring it back up. If you do (estimate) the right number of taps you will eventually bring the aircraft to a stable, level flight - but she will now be flying at a lower airspeed! This is what you need to do as you approach the airfield, and how well it does this depends upon the aircraft, height, speed, etc.. When you get her down to the speed at which you can drop the first division of flaps without ripping them off - you can select flaps - 10, 15 degrees, whatever, of flap. She will slow down again - you may need to add power - and you will usually need to trim again. And so on, as you get her slowed down to the right landing speed. (Somewhere in there the gear needs to be put down - more drag!). The one thing that trim allows you to do is climb or descend at a fixed speed. This is "stable". We can cut the power, let the nose drop - and then trim the nose up until she's descending at a particular speed - regardless of flaps. If you increase power - she will level out and maybe climb: if you decrease power some more she will beging to descend at a greater rate: i.e. steeper. If you throw in some flap, she will slow down some more, you will need to add a touch of power and add a little more up (OR down!)trim, perhaps. You will find that all aircraft have a trim setting for xx power, at xx weight, at xx flaps, and at xx rate of descent.What (actually) is "trim"? Well, lets take a Chipmunk tail - attached to the trailing edge of the elevator there is a flat, hinged chunk of aluminum that looks like a hinged a 12" ruler. It is connected to a trim wheel in the cockpit, and when you make your power change - you will need to adjust this "trim tab" up or down. This will then apply air pressure to the elevator itself - and force IT down or up - dependent upon what we're trying to do. The pilot will feel this pressure in the yoke, stick or control column, and will be able to "feel" whether the aircraft is trying to climb or descend. It will become second nature - the more you practise - the better you get, so that you can concentrate on the approach, VASI's, ILS, and all the other things that are happening.There are a lot of good, experienced, suggestions in this thread, and one of the best was to visit the Training Flights with Rod Machado.Good luck, and have fun!http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/165290.jpg



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Hi everyoneI have put into practice some of the advise given and already my landings are much better.I am flying with zero winds below 3000ft-and the plane stays in a good line.I used to fly with the real weather settings and I must say I missthe changing clouds etc now.Could somebody please tell me if I can use the real weather and still be able to cancel winds at 3000 and below.If this is possible than I will have the perfect set up.Nevertheless many thanks to all for taking so much time to help me.Qas

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Guest heclak

remember that trimming is to relieve yoke/stick pressure. use you stick to hold the nose in the attitude and trim away the forces so the nose stays in the same orientation without you touching the stick. THat way, you can make more precise adjustments without bothering about keeping the nose up/down.

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Heclat suggested a long runway and simple scenery. Maybe a good idea.I like Denver Int. It's huge(!), lots of runways, simple terrain, and few distractions. A big fat flat landing test center.


___________________________
I'm just flying for the fun of it.
 

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