Start your flare at 30 ft and slowly retard the throttles, aiming to be at idle just as the wheels touch. Don't pitch up too much - 2 degrees at most. I find I sometimes need to just very slightly push the nose over again maybe 0.5 degrees to break through ground effect and make the wheels touchdown. Best regards,Robin.

Start your flare at 30 ft and slowly retard the throttles, aiming to be at idle just as the wheels touch. Don't pitch up too much - 2 degrees at most. I find I sometimes need to just very slightly push the nose over again maybe 0.5 degrees to break through ground effect and make the wheels touchdown. Best regards,Robin.

I swear 30ft just seems to high for me in this bird.

Start your flare at 30 ft and slowly retard the throttles, aiming to be at idle just as the wheels touch. Don't pitch up too much - 2 degrees at most. I find I sometimes need to just very slightly push the nose over again maybe 0.5 degrees to break through ground effect and make the wheels touchdown. Best regards,Robin.

Yeah, the flare itself is pretty small too. Nose gear isn't off the ground very long at all, about as close to landing on all threes as you'll get out of a mainline jet at least. And that's realistic by my observation. About a month ago I was waiting to pick my sister up at the airport, sitting in the cellphone lot looking at rwy 30L at KMSP for about an hour... and the 737s were sure enough floating in a little farther than most of the other mainline jets. And dang, JT8Ds on all those Delta MD80s are loud, even from 3500 some feet away.

Yea Im still getting use to flaring this plane, but overall I been doing a good job. Carlitos Colon

JT8Ds on all those Delta MD80s are loud

* drool * Those JT8Ds sound great! The louder, the better! To hell with Stage 3/4!!! :D I like it when the classic 707s fly over (NATO) - some of them have the JT7Ds and they whine and smoke like crazy. Very nice! Best regards,Robin.

The 737 is a much harder lander than the MD11 and the 747 (in reality). It has absolutely tiny wings generating a very small ground effect to help in the flare stage and to smoothen the actual touch down. In addition, the said planes have those big wide sets of landing gears with multiple tires as to spread the initial hit from the runway, the 737's small main gear is a real challenge and needs a very smooth piloting skills to avoid the bumping touchdown. Good luck.

* drool * The louder, the better! To hell with Stage 3/4!!! :D I like it when the classic 707s fly over (NATO) - some of them have the JT7Ds and they whine and smoke like crazy. Very nice! Best regards,Robin.

Haha ... the sound of freedom! I've always lived under the approaches to 30R and L at KMSP, and when I was a kid, I went to the science museum once and due to a very compelling IMAX video I was terrified of volcanoes... So I'd lay in bed and hear these jets coming and going and think it was a volcano going off in my backyard... but I grew quite fond of that sound. When this was the Northwest intergalactic hub there were DC10s and 742s coming and going regularly. Nowadays the only KMSP traffic you hear are those MD-80s, otherwise you forget there's an international airport fifteen miles away. Heck I was sitting a half mile away from the runway and could hardly hear the E-175s. That high pitched whine out those old PW engines let out in the low end is sure going to get your attention...!

They are two very different birds. The MD 11 had a lot of drag. 737 likes to fly, so you have to start your approach and manage your energy carefully on the way down so that you're just above vref when you get there.

I couldn't agree more when testing this bird out!

Perhaps another thing that makes the 737 look "harder" to land is the MD-11's LSAS? Just saying

Exactly. In the MD-11 is trimmed itself!! So I would land with minimal input.

Yeah, compared to the MD-11 she really does like to stay in the air. Much, much more responsive aircraft. Flare at 50 feet and you'll be blowing past the TDZ... like I did pretty badly on my first landing. That's why they have 12,000 foot runways, right?

-- 15-20 feet is where they flare on this particular landing. I haven't noticed a drop in FPS. (once you get the cursor on the other screen)

Interesting, in the MD-11 you really have to RESIST the urge to flare early- flaring at 20-30 feet is perfect.

NGX harder to land than the MD11? I can definitely land the NGX harder than the MD11!

Interesting, in the MD-11 you really have to RESIST the urge to flare early- flaring at 20-30 feet is perfect.

Yeah, the MD-11 likes to stay off the runway sometimes as well... especially when you get a gusty headwind. If I remember right there's been a few real-life incidents - namely that FedEx flight that crashed in Japan a couple years ago - where pilots had trouble getting the aircraft through those last fifty some feet.

She is a sweety to land. When I was doing trials on a real simulator I was told because the 738 is so sippery through the air you need to manage the speed well to slow down and just fly them into the ground as the ground effect will help you flare properly. If you flare early or just a tad too much you will simply float down the runway. I did 6 landings yesterday all manual and all centre of the runway. I never had that much luck on the 74X. Had to let the autopilot settle down for me to get the perfect landing. NGX is so easy.

I would have to agree with everyone here. She handles totally separate from the MD11 and the 747. It makes it unique, challenging, and more rewarding. We just have to vitalize the tools we have to cope with an add-on developed with such precision and realism. I am still getting used the the handling characteristics, and I am still working on the flare to nail that center-line. It is very pretty if you watch the touchdown from the outside, as you can see the main gear sink under the initial weight of the aircraft and then rise up a tad. Perfection.

Yeah, the flare itself is pretty small too. Nose gear isn't off the ground very long at all, about as close to landing on all threes as you'll get out of a mainline jet at least. And that's realistic by my observation. About a month ago I was waiting to pick my sister up at the airport, sitting in the cellphone lot looking at rwy 30L at KMSP for about an hour... and the 737s were sure enough floating in a little farther than most of the other mainline jets. And dang, JT8Ds on all those Delta MD80s are loud, even from 3500 some feet away.

Very true, I have been mostly flying 738s for the past couple years and the landings always seems to be a little hard (ok yah I have been to smaller airports like DCA and OGG but even at SEA its always a bit hard). I just took a 763 back and I could barely feel the touchdown...

Very true, I have been mostly flying 738s for the past couple years and the landings always seems to be a little hard (ok yah I have been to smaller airports like DCA and OGG but even at SEA its always a bit hard). I just took a 763 back and I could barely feel the touchdown...

The more difficult it is for an aircraft to stop flying, the better, as far as I'm concerned... :) I flew ORD-LAX on a 763 back in December and they do come down pretty soft. Especially since most of my flights the past few years have been on DC-9 variants which ride like a school bus on the ground. And if it's an AA MD-80, it looks like a school bus inside...