Hello forum, It might be my lack of skill at manual landings, but i've done about 200 of them in the last 3 days and i've only had 1-2 proper landings through all these attempts... By proper i mean not floating half the runway after the flare and not bouncing on touchdown. No matter how hard i try, no matter how many different ways i try, i just cant make it right. A part of me refuses to believe it's supposed to be this hard IRL... Sometimes just the slightest bit of nose-up(1.5-2 degrees) right before touchdown, the plane wil stop sinking and will be float for another 2-3 seconds. In other situations it will just bounce off the runway, float for 1-2 seconds and touchdown again.. Im really frustrated and it's becoming very demotivating. I'll just give a brief overiview of how i manage the manual landing, and i would greatly appreciate if someone could give some input on what i could do differently. Latetly i've been turning of the A/P at about 7DME from the runway, so i could practise lining up manually. This i have mastered quite well, even though catching the localizer can be a bit tricky sometimes. At 200ft above the runway im on the glideslope holding the nose at 0 degrees(in most situations). While descending to 20ft ill adjust the nose angle slightly if needed, and at 20ft i set thrust to idle and try to pull the nose up to about 2 degrees. It's really difficult to actually pull it up this amount, because i have to be really sensitive on the joystick, otherwise it'll get like 2.5-3 and then aircraft will just float/bounce. And at 20ft i dont really have the time to slowly lift the nose to a proper pitch. Is it possible to use pitch to do the flare? I've tried but it just takes ages for the plane to start lifting it's nose and i usually just hit the runway either with the front wheel first or both almost simultaneously. Im not sure if this an allright description, and i might have misused some terms as im quite new to simming. Anyway, any input is appreciated. Thanks for your time! - Arthur

To solve your floating issues, try a slower approach, Around 140kts with full flaps.

Arthur, Make sure that you are on speed indicated on the approach page of the FMC... maybe a few knots above for winds, the trick to making a good landing is to be stable throughout the entire approach (solid on the LOC/GS and dont be jockying the power, try to find the best power setting and leave it). Get the airplane set up so that you basically dont have to touch the controls, unless theres a lot of wind, its very easy with this bird. Once you've got a stable approach setup, just follow that all the way down to the runway, chop the power over the threshold and just let the airplane settle onto the runway, there is hardly any flare, just let it touch down with slight back pressure to keep the nose from slamming down... works for me every time. Just takes a lot of practice, do pattern work at your favorite airport, repetition is the key here. Hope this helps!

Just to double-check - are you using the weights on the approach page? And setting the approach speed from that?It sounds as though you are trying too much (not saying this is wrong btw and can certainly share the passion to get it right)I tend to do it by sink rate (not RL pilot so theres the disclaimer). i.e. around 100 feet make sure the sink rate is not too much - 30 feet adjusting for around 200 ft/min then bring power back and slightly pull back the nose - it should start to go nose up by the fact that the power has been reduced.I sometimes find if I overdo the correction, then slight down pressure on the stick until i hear the t/d sound.Hope it helps!Good luckCarl Beeby

Keep on failing , that's the only way to succeed.

1. make sure you turn off AT and reduce thrust to idle at 50-30ft2. if you find you're flaring to much, then don't flare at all and let the airplane enter ground effect and settle on it's own.

To solve your floating issues, try a slower approach, Around 140kts with full flaps.

What?!?!? 140 vref is almost a full airplane, come on dude. If you wanna help, at least give some meaningful info! 1/2 tanks and 1/2 load Vref is around the 125kts mark I would guestimate. The right answer is to program the FMC correctly and follow the Vref speed given there. That would start you out nicely. Then it's just technique and practise.

At the correct speed, VREF +5 Autothrust OFF 20 feet off the runway power to idle List the nose a tad, don't just guess and always lift two degrees, look and see, use the HUD, place the flight path indicator just below the horizon line, If the flight path indicator is below the horizon line you can't float. When not using the HUD, look at your vertical speed indicator, you'll see if the aircraft is going down or not and by how much. Guessing, and just always lifting the nose by the same unmount, doesn't take into consideration any variables. If you have instruments like the HUD and VSI, use them. I've found landing the NGX to be easy, landed first time, without even reading the manual. I haven't had one float, accept when I stupidly left the autothust on.

The right answer is to program the FMC correctly and follow the Vref speed given there. That would start you out nicely. Then it's just technique and practise.

Absolutely, if you are guessing the approach speed then you can expect to be too fast and float. Martin Wilby

To much speed was what I found especially if your light on overall weight, actuall 135 ish seems to be a sweet spot as my aircraft is not carrying much fuel on short flights. Also make sure you are at or below 2000 about 10 miles out that helps a lot, this seemed to be a big issue at first to high on approach really messes things up but you will figure that out when your landing in the middle of airport 10 times lol.

Thanks for your replies guys! I'll definitly try out some of your suggestions!

Just to double-check - are you using the weights on the approach page? And setting the approach speed from that?

Yep i am. I've just saved an approach which begins about 7-8DME from the runway, and im using this to practice. FMC tells me vref with flaps 30 should be 148, so i set 153(vref+5). Grossweight in the FMC approach page was set to 64.5, but it sets it automatically as far as i know? - Arthur

Is your controller calibrated properly, and not oversensitive? Martin Wilby

Is your controller calibrated properly, and not oversensitive?

Im afraid i have no idea how to check that. - Arhur

Honestly the trick for me to not float is to avoid playing around looking at your instruments...they will never be as responsive as actually looking outside. When you taxing around the airport...make a quick reference of where the horizon meets the centre pillar/whatever. You know that's gonna be around 0 degrees. Now, during your landing...do what other mentioned above: Correct speeds, weights, etc...I 'retard' thrust to idle at around 20-30 ft. (ha ha gotta give the ol' Airbus' a shout when ya can haha). After that point, transition you view from looking where you were gonna land, to around the far edge of the runway...basically the horizon. Don't worry too much about peeking at V/S or whatever. Remember your visual reference you picked up on earlier? Aim for that. I always find I overshoot it just a bit unconsciously any ways...and I get a nice smooth but still firm touchdown on the main gears +- 500ish feet from my aiming point everytime. Of course you'll have some real floaters and some hard ones along the way...everybody does. So try just setting up an approach, and focusing outside in the last 50ft or so. As you get better at that, then you can start worrying about if you're not bleeding enough energy in the flare, and other little things. Of course things get difficult when your runway environment consists of 1000 ft ahead of you and for all around...then you have to really play around to figure it out.

FMC tells me vref with flaps 30 should be 148, so i set 153(vref+5). Grossweight in the FMC approach page was set to 64.5, but it sets it automatically as far as i know?- Arthur

Pounds or kilos? If pounds that's wayyy to fast.Try something around half full payload and around 40 percent fuel. Play with that which will give you much more manageable 138 knot-ish vrefs. That's a little more what your weight would be landing most of the time.

Thanks for your replies guys! I'll definitly try out some of your suggestions! Yep i am. I've just saved an approach which begins about 7-8DME from the runway, and im using this to practice. FMC tells me vref with flaps 30 should be 148, so i set 153(vref+5). Grossweight in the FMC approach page was set to 64.5, but it sets it automatically as far as i know? - Arthur

Hi Arthur, My suggestion : - after setting the machine in the proper configuration for the actual weight (Vref etc.)- on an airport equiped with ILS (and with no crosswind to keep things simple) then DO AN AUTOLAND (with AT ON and both APs ON). You'll see then how the machine does it. It'll give you a good idea of what you should do. Hope this helps, Bruno

Thanks for your replies guys! I'll definitly try out some of your suggestions! Yep i am. I've just saved an approach which begins about 7-8DME from the runway, and im using this to practice. FMC tells me vref with flaps 30 should be 148, so i set 153(vref+5). Grossweight in the FMC approach page was set to 64.5, but it sets it automatically as far as i know? - Arthur

HOw do you save a flight?? Do you use autosave or something else?? Thank u..