Pardon me for another newbish question. I'm working through Rod's lessons, now doing the ILS tutorials. These lessons require me to descend at 90 knots on final approach, following a glide slope that has me descend about 500 ft/minute. I handle that fine, until the last 200 feet, when I find I'm still going 90 knots and need to slow to landing speed -- about 65 knots or so. I reduce power and raise flaps, and that does slow me, but I also tend to descend too fast. I end up compensating by adding a little power and/or lifting the nose so that I can reach the runway. I guess I'm wondering: when do I decrease from 90 knots to 65 knots? The landing tutorial for MS Flight had me going slow all the way down the glide slope, from a half mile out or further. I know MS Flight isn't the be-all and end-all, but I'm a bit confused about when I should slow to landing speed. Thanks!

Sounds like you're doing it right. You will need to add power when you apply flaps, or you'll drop quickly. Getting used to compensating for the flaps' drag takes practice, but you should still find that flaps + some added power lets you descend more slowly and land it sweetly.

Do not raise flaps in an approach as it is also a device that creates drag. Only raise them if you're on a go-around or you've suffered an engine failure in a multi-engined aircraft and you have problems with performance.In real life with a light single I would configure 2 miles before intercepting glideslope (flaps 10, slow to 75kts, approach checks etc) and descend at 75kts. when you hit decision altitude look outside and drop full flap.

Why are you raising flaps before touch down, you're destabilizing the approach. Your approach must be stable to ensure a "decent" landing.On a runway with plenty of room and not trying to compensate for crosswind or strong headwind final approach speed should be about 70 knots at flaps stage 2. Landing configurations will vary somewhat with weather, type of surface etc.Try this procedureAt approx. 800ft above runway ( be aware of runway height above sea level) throttle back to about 15-1700 rpm,hold the yoke back to keep the flight level ( do not descend,or rise),watch the speed bleed off and when speed enters the white arc select flaps stage 1push slightly forward on yoke to avoid ballooning (and possible speed reduction) as the flaps add a little liftallow plane to descend at approx 500 fpm @ 80knotsfix point on runway at which you intend to touch down, keep that view constantwhen stable select flaps stage 2 and using combination of throttle and yoke descend at approx 70knots keeping a focus on your touch down pointwhen at touch down zone throttle back slowly but definitely and pull back on yoke (flare)shift focus to end of runway and keep the flare going,speed will bleed off allowing plane to touch down on main gear. DON'T be tempted to push nose forward before touch down,in the real world peripheral vision helps with flaring (this is one of the limitations of flight simming).BTW, you may need a little directional input with the rudder "in and around" the flare, touchdown and rollout but with stable (or no) wind you can keep that to a minimum.Hope that helps.

Thanks for the replies. Oops, I meant to say that I select flaps, not "raise" flaps, before landing. (I guess the right term is "drop" or "select" flaps when going from 0 degrees to 15 degrees of flaps?) Anyway, your comments confirm my understanding. I like Rod The Instructor, but sometimes he doesn't fill in the gaps. In the ILS lessons, he's all about establishing a descent of 500 feet/minute at 90 knots, but as you all point out, one has to slow to 70 knots or lower well before reaching the runway. I don't think Rod opposes doing that; he just didn't tell me when to start slowing.Thanks again. This a great forum. Very active!

Just so you understand it all. Lowering the flaps does two things, it increases the wing's surface area, and increases its camber (the curved shape). This makes the wings generate more lift, but you never get something for nothing, and that's true with wings especially. Generating lift also generates drag - more lift with more flaps equals more drag.The easy way to think of it, is to imagine you are going down a hill, which in effect you are when in a descent toward a runway, so you need something to slow you down in just the same way as you need something to slow a car down when it goes down a hill. That's what the flaps do in addition to allowing you to fly slower when landing, they work a bit like brakes do when going down a hill in a car.But it is worth remembering that unlike when a car goes downhill, because of the drag which the flaps on an aeroplane will cause, you may in fact need to add power by throttling up, even though you want to slow down. This is why you see aeroplanes only using small flap settings on take off, but large settings when landing, and also why you hear quite loud engine noises coming from aeroplanes which are coming in for a landing.Al

Thanks, Chock. Very helpful, and consistent with the articles in the Learning Center (which are also quite helpful). I think I'm getting the hang of it.

I do not see it mentioned here, but try to maintain speed with trim/elevator and descent rate with power. It is much easier to perform a stabilized approach that way and I guess it is a 'correct way'. Machado mention this as far as I remember in the lessons.If You find it too difficult, try flying with headwind (10-15 kts) - this will reduce Your ground speed, thus reducing closure rate to the TDZ, than add a little Xwind and after that, visibility at minimums.When I was learning the proper approaches, I tend to go down the ILS capture altitude 2-3 nm before the capture point and slow down in between. I know it is not fuel efficient, but it was effective. Cessna 172 is difficult to stall, as long as You have 1,3 V_s You will be fine. Good luck!