I think we flightsimmers bang our planes in way to hard in the sim.We have no way of really knowing of how hard the landing really is/was.I had a real world flight one time from KATL to KDEN and I mean we hit hard with a bang! now, what I'm curious is, what was fpm at that moment? 300 or -500? or more?what is conisdered an average landing rate (in fpm) that would be somewhat "normal" in the real world, where you can def. feel it but but not where it bangs?I can bring in my GA stuff in usually at under -100 fpm, but sometimes I get sloppy and drop it at -350 or more... thanksBrian S

Hi Brian.Part § 25.473 of the FARS states:

For the landing conditions specified in §25.479 to §25.485 the airplane is assumed to contact the ground—(2) With a limit descent velocity of 10 fps / 600 fpm at the design landing weight (the maximum weight for landing conditions at maximum descent velocity); and(3) With a limit descent velocity of 6 fps / 360 fpm at the design take-off weight (the maximum weight for landing conditions at a reduced descent velocity).

So basically, in normal conditions a hard larding as anything over 600fpm.

It varies aircraft by aircraft. I've seen this example said to be from a Boeing maintenance manual but I don't know for what aircraft:For landing at or below the maximum design landing weight on airplanes with flight data recording systems capable of at least least eight (8) samples per second, the following can be used: An indication of a hard landing on the main landing gear is a peak recorded vertical acceleration that exceeds 1.7 G(incremental 0.7 G). This vertical accelerometer data must be measured by the flight data recorder accelerometer at a data sampling rate of at least eight (8) samples per second. This vertical acceleration G-level threshold is valid for a conventional landing with impact with no more than two (2) degrees of airplane roll, main landing gear touchdown first and normal rotation onto the nose gear. For a hard landing that is a hard nose landing or is accompanied by more than two (2) degrees of roll at the time of main landing gear impact, The recorded peak acceleration can be significantly less than 1.7 G, but a hard landing inspection may still be necessary.(:( For landing at or below the maximum design landing weight on airplanes with flight data recording systems capable of at least least sixteen (16) samples per second, the following can be used: An indication of a hard landing on the main landing gear is a peak recorded vertical acceleration that exceeds 1.8 G (incremental 0.8 G). This vertical accelerometer data must be measured by the flight data recorder accelerometer at a data sampling rate of at least sixteen (16) samples per second. This vertical acceleration G-level threshold is valid for a conventional landing with impact with no more than two (2) degrees of airplane roll, main landing gear touchdown first and normal rotation onto the nose gear. For a hard landing that is a hard nose landing or is accompanied by more than two (2) degrees of roll at the time of main landing gear impact, The recorded peak acceleration can be significantly less than 1.8 G, but a hard landing inspection may still be necessary.

thanks all, that is very helpful