Help with flare improvement, little floating...(video included)

[neodigital 0]

Friends at PMDG and forum users, First of all, to PMDG thank you for the great product which is a chance for a non-pilot like me to learn even more about the 737 operation and also to daydream a little about being an airlner pilot! Well, I have some navigation and general flight knowledge aquired during years of self-teaching (real life material and simulation specific), conversations with friends that work on the field of aviation, etc which allow me to do flight planning, fuel, navigation, etc. etc. That said, I am aware of all automatic and FMC capabilites of this airplane, but for approaches, I love to 98% of time hand fly it! Unfortunetely, most of the time, I am having some problems to flare the airplane properly: I always end up floating a little bit. It is not a big deal, but I would like to improve on that. If someone care to give me some tips I apprecite it! The following is a video of me doing an ILS approach on SBPA (C1 procedure) hand flying (and floating a little bit in the end LOL)...

Thanks in advance!!!

[Guest bstolle]

Unfortunately youtube is blocked in China so I can't tell from your video how far you are 'floating'.Very early in the beginning of my airline career a Swissair DC-8 captain told me:The touchdown zone is called touchdown zone because the touchdown takes place within its boundaries.Not much to add to that one.The slower you are, the less energy you have during the flare to make corrections.E.g. on the 767 Vref +5 is the target speed over the threshold. Some pilots fly exactly that and some Vref+10 (and every variation in between of course) Best regards Bernt Stolle

[Guest tonyf38]

The video shows the opposite of what you're describing.. You didn't float at all, looks like you got a little slow and hit hard and bounced and touched down before the 1000 foot stripe.. Look at your vertical speed at touchdown, landed with a little too much vertical speed.. Try to touch down at about -100 fpm and you'll smooth it out..

[Rusty10 5]

Hi, by no means an expert but looks like a small bounce? One question (unfamiliar with the airport and approach) but why are you landing with the direction of the wind and not in to the wind, as denoted by you ND, as this will help your landings? :0)

[GraemeBr 0]

I notice you didn't have a Vref bug set. Do you know what the calculated Vref should have been for that landing, based on the weight and flap config?Your touchdown attitude was about 5 deg and still quite a firm landing.

[falcon999 24]

I believe this is what the FA's in the back would call a firm arrival. :-)In addtion to what already has been suggested, try using the tools the plane has avaiable. Set up the FMS and set the V speeds. Watch how the AFDS does a few CAT 3 approaches (inc sys page) and you will get a better picture.

[martin-w 3,234]

Use the HUD!Auto thrust off for manual landing.20 feet off the ground, slowly ease the power back to idle, while simultaneously raising the nose by a few degrees.Place the flight path vector just below the horizon line on the HUD.As the other lads said... make sure your speed is VREF+5Martin Wilby

[neodigital 0]

Hello! Thank you for all suggestions, and sorry, based on your replies, I clearly used the wrong words and expressed myself incorrectly: I "bounced" instead of "floated". To Rusty10: yes I landed with tail wind... You totally right, the airport (which is 8 km of my house, and I love this airport) would directed me to runway 29!! But I was just compelled to put the video that I did not even paid attention :( Now I saw that detail in the panel... *sigh*... Anyway, thank you!