Anyone else find the third landing challenge in the Icon really tough?It's the one at the airforce base all the way up at 7000 feet. I'm guessing this is pretty close to the operating ceiling of the Icon... can anyone confirm?The only way I could keep the plane even remotely stable on approach was to come in fast (75-80 kts) at almost full power but this gives warning messages about having the gear down at high speed.Is this a realistic representation of what you would have to do in rl?I understand that at higher altitude, air pressure is less and stall speeds etc get higher. Presumeably, flying with gear down at 80 kts at sea level is more damaging to the infrastructure of the plane than at 7000' so is it acceptable to land at higher speed at high altitude airports?Hope this makes sense!

Presumeably, flying with gear down at 80 kts at sea level is more damaging to the infrastructure of the plane than at 7000'

no idea about the service ceiling but 80kts is 80 kts, being on seal level or at 7000', so there is no difference if we talk aout true airspeed TAS compared to indicated airspeed IAS whereas flight only shows IAS. correct however is your idea about applying more throttle at higher speeds. not only gets the air thinner and reduces less lift, on top come possibly winds (did you have e.g. tail winds during that landing) and the climate, hot air again reduces lift.

If it's the challenge I'm thinking it is... don't land at the end of the runway where the yellow diamond is... go around and land into the wind from the other end... I found that much easier!

The service ceiling of the Icon is certainly much higher than that. I have flown it up to over 14,000 feet and another poster here over 15,000. It is not easy to fly at that height but at 7,000 ft it should be fine subject to wind and other factors of course :)

You're sort of on the right track. Your "indicated" stall speed is a constant regardless of altitude. You are however moving faster through the thinner air to make the same indicated airspeed. You should still land at the same airspeeds you normally would.Even better than monitoring the speed, you have an angle of attack indicator on the Icon so you have plenty of warning about an imminent stall.You start out that challenge in a position to enter downwind. I don't recall the headings, but pay attention to your drift right at the moment the challenge begins. You want to land so that you are flying into the wind as directly as possible to make things easer for yourself.

I found that one interesting the first time I tried it in the beta, but had no real problems. By the time I did it again in the release version, I got gold the first attempt. Lots of landing practice by then.What's really strange is, all my recent landings in the Icon, the stall warning goes off for 1/2 second just before I touch down. I have no idea what I'm doing right, it's just working for me for some reason.The Stearman is something else entirely. :)Hook

thanks a lot for the info.I'll give it another bash tonight and see what happens. I wanna get that silver medal to get the paint unlock...

Anyone else find the third landing challenge in the Icon really tough?It's the one at the airforce base all the way up at 7000 feet. I'm guessing this is pretty close to the operating ceiling of the Icon... can anyone confirm?

Well I just went in and took a look as I honestly could not remember this particular challenge and if I had completed it or not.I show I did get the Gold in this one - so for me it must not have been too dang difficult I guess.I wish I could help you and give some tips on how to complete it with high award, but my memory ain't what it used to be and I truly do not remember a lot about it, it must have been one I did fairly early on in the progression of things.Keep the faith though - if I can get the Gold in it, you should not have too much trouble with it either.Good luck,

no idea about the service ceiling but 80kts is 80 kts, being on seal level or at 7000', so there is no difference if we talk aout true airspeed TAS compared to indicated airspeed IAS whereas flight only shows IAS. correct however is your idea about applying more throttle at higher speeds. not only gets the air thinner and reduces less lift, on top come possibly winds (did you have e.g. tail winds during that landing) and the climate, hot air again reduces lift.

True, 80 kts is 80 kts, but VNE is still expressed as TAS, so it goes down as you go higher. That might be why we get that warning at higher pressure altitudes.

True, 80 kts is 80 kts, but VNE is still expressed as TAS, so it goes down as you go higher. That might be why we get that warning at higher pressure altitudes.

Not sure what you mean. The VNE (never exceed speed) shouldn't be coming into play here. The airspeed indicator is displaying IAS, indicated airspeed, on these aircraft. I wouldn't get worried about the various airspeed corrections for density. Just fly the plane and try to do what the checklist says, regardless of what altitude you are at.Do be aware that the plane is moving faster though the thinner air at high altitude so you should give yourself ample time to line up and stabilize your approach to the runway.There is a strong headwind on this challenge if you come in from the right direction. You should actually have plenty of time to adjust in this one.

True, 80 kts is 80 kts, but VNE is still expressed as TAS, so it goes down as you go higher. That might be why we get that warning at higher pressure altitudes.

Are you sure about that? Aerodynamic loads, inlcuding the ones that break your plane if you exceed Vne, are a function of dynamic pressure, not of the plane's speed relative to the air. If you fly at the same IAS then the dynamic pressure will be the same, regardless of TAS and static air pressure. The dynamic pressure required to break your plane is a constant (assuming angle of attack remains constant).The FAA defines Vne as a function of Vd, which is defined as an equivalent airspeed (which for the purposes of this argument is more or less equivalent to IAS), not as a true airspeed.

This challenge is pretty simple but to a newer person I can completely understand the challenge here.I went in and recorded a perfect run for you.. Hope it helps.. No stall warnings, no over speeding, perfect score.. Key.. Keep your gear up until you make your turn into final, when speed drops to about 65 lower gear, and full power.. You should be directly in the wind or close to it when doing this. Key is to monitor your speed now and adjust throttle accordingly. keep it above 60mph and you're fine.. You want to cut your power later than normal as a 29kt headwind on a icon is going to slow it down way faster than a normal approach.. Be careful also there seems to be a updraft right near the threshold. You mentioned unable to keep it stable. Sounds like you have your sensitivity possibly too high or you're making abrupt corrections and not subtle ones.This particular challenge also highlights one of the key flaws with the icon I personally dislike. That awful cheap attitude indicator in place of a standard artificial horizon attitude indicator. That thing they have in there isn't very precise at all with its positioning.Anyways, good luck, hope this helps you! :smile:http://youtu.be/Wem0TrBc1cw

I went in and recorded a perfect run for you.. Hope it helps..

many thanks... cracked it now!

I missed the attitude indicator in the Icon. Where is it?

I missed the attitude indicator in the Icon. Where is it?

I think he's referring to the AoA indicator.