First time posting here, a co-worker from work recommended me to this site for some help on using FSX. It's a great site to help me further enjoy playing FSX and get the most out of it. I've been using FSX off-and-on for the past few months, but lately I've been using it more and more, and I do prefer some realism when using it. I've got the taxing and take-offs down somewhat, but my landings typically are more "dropping out of the sky" than a smooth, competent attempt. My main issues are (1) finding out the correct distance from the runway to start decending, (2) how I decend, and (3) trying to land too close and too high from the runway. Pretty much every attempt I've made and just (like I said) fall from the sky.

 

I've been flying the Cessna Skyhawk as I feel it is perfect for speed and ease of use for my limited knowledge, if that will help in any tips and info. I also use the in-game ATC for my flights as well as the GPS (if it helps).

 

All help is appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Welcome, Commodore. While I'm sure that competent folks will soon join in with useful tips, lets not forget about the FSX Learning Center (with interactive courses). You can use them for going through the flight phases step by step and with an Instructor at your side.

 

There also is an option to visualize the flight path. That item may look somehow artificial when being used the first time, but it really helps getting to know the typical flown paths since you may fail to grab some reference points while being in the air. So it helps getting used to 'how the runway looks like when I'm flying on the right path'.

You will find it in the aircraft menu, the Visual Flight Path entry. This option may also be available (without a big setup) when you are flying the lessons from the Learning Center.

 

If you advance some more, you can also use the display of the ILS, the Instrument Landing System, which will show up on the C172 gauges and also acts as a reference for the lateral and vertical path. Same as on the above things, the Learning Center helps on how to set up the radios for this helpful thing.

 

For the actual landing tips and lesson, just check Lesson 6: Landings. If you scroll down in that briefing view, you will find 'fly this lesson now'. But I wouldn't start there if you are new to the sim. Perhaps try the previous lessons first. They will all give vital clues and help.

Hi, this is what I recommend, when you are aligned with the runway look at the papi lights you should have 2 whites and 2 reds, If you have 4 reds it means you are too low and if you have 4 whites it means you are too high, I usually use this If I can see the runway visually.

 

good:

 

What I use to make my landings smother, when I am over the runway and I am descending to the ground I usually put some power on the engine so I can make my descending rate low, but I usually do this when I am around 50 to 10 feet, so when you are around 50 feet start putting some power in the engines but not much and as you are descending put more power to lower you descending rate, I usually use this on general aviation airplanes like the c152 or the 172. I have used it on airliners but not as much as I use it on GA. T

Here you go, I drew a rough guide for you, for a Cessna 172 circuit. You should be no closer than about a quarter of a mile off to the side of the runway when you start this, and keep a bit of speed on when you turn:

 

 

If you stuff it up, open the throttle, then raise the flaps and go around the circuit for another try. Do this 20 times and you will probably have it sussed out. This is what instructors and student pilots call doing 'circuits and bumps' and is what instructors have got trainee pilots to do when learning for real since WW1, and it is still how they do it, because it works and is the best way to learn. Have fun!

 

Al

Here you go, I drew a rough guide for you, for a Cessna 172 circuit.

You are such a nice guy Al! :Party: The post made me think about landings...

I used to live in India back in the mid 80's and all Air India pilots were from the Navy/Army. If we landed anywhere (except Delhi or Calcutta) without the oxy masks falling down and luggage falling from the overheads, it was a miracle. Short and Hard was the normal approach. I can't count the nights spent in small towns, waiting for parts for the landing gear to show up. Duct tape was also a common sight when we finally took off again. It was such a relief when finally boarding the "real" airline for the long haul to Europe, KLM or BA 1st class, and THAT was truly heaven...Happy days.

Flying in India is rough mainly because of the extreme weather and winds.

I remember back in the days my first virtual landings... Well, that was not landings, more a CFIT.

Anyway, I have found a nice "cheat" practicing landing - ILS signal. You can pick long runway with ILS guidance into it. Tune the radio, but do not put the AutoPilot on, rather fly manually. After few attempts, pick a smaller airport, smaller... And end in grass/dirt strip with no PAPI and no ILS.

Having ILS as an indicator, You will see, how high You should approach. You should control Your airspeed with the elevator/trim, Your descent rate with the throttle. At the threshold line gently but firmly reduce the throttle to idle and fly few feet from the runway gently applying back pressure as the plane slows down. You will find it easier with no passengers and just a tiny bit of fuel - lighter aircraft will flare longer but will be easier to control. Also, turn off the wind for the beginning of Your practice landings. Good luck!

To put some perspective on things, a real world pilot friend once told me that you can learn to fly a small aiplane in 5 hours but it takes the rest of your life to learn how to land it. A lot of practice is what you need. The good guidance above will help a lot. Keep the faith and practive, practice, practice. I've been flight simming of 8 or 9 years and sometimes I still land on the ground but not necessarilly on the runway (chuckle).

 

Nice diagrams Chock.

You might want to check these two out.

First video and then the second video. Great tips on landing and flaring respectively!

Heh...it's been a loooong time since I've flown the 172. I put together some pictures that might help that show the view on the inside of the aircraft. They show what I'm watching for in each part of the flight. I think the biggest thing I'm monitoring is speed. It's what's holding you in the air and, at the same time, you're trying to put your airplane on the ground so you need to have enough to keep the airplane flying but not so much that it wants to keep flying when you get to the touchdown point. The other thing is power. You have to learn what the right power settings are that give you the descent rate and a picture of the runway that doesn't move. Seems to me that in the real world the right power on final was about 1500 but in FSX it seems to be about 1800...doesn't matter. Just a number. Even in the real world, every plane has personality differences.

 

Here are the pics. There's no base pic. Just add the second notch of flaps once you complete the turn to base, get 75- 80 knots and monitor the runway for turn to final. If power is right you should be dropping at about 500 fpm.

 

http://imgur.com/a/zNv3E#0

 

A couple of notes:

• I put on one notch of flaps on downwind just before turning base and wait for the airplane to stabilize. The touchdown point is behind my left shoulder at about 45 degrees when I start my turn to base.
  
• Every time I change the flaps I monitor speed and "put the aircraft attitude" right where it gives me that speed. If I'm sinking I add power, if I'm climbing I drop power. Small changes of 1000 RPM at a time.
  
• As I turn base I add a second notch of flaps and put the attitude on my expected speed. Again, adjust power to get about 500 fpm drop but I use my eyes more than the vertical speed thingy.
  
• When I turn final, the only thing I am looking at is the runway and my speed (I do glance at power from time to time). If I'm low I add power until I'm on the VASI's (the red and white lights by the runway..."red and white - just right...white and white - too high...red and red - you're dead". Don't panic if you have red/red...just add power and get red/white (keeping speed!). If I'm too high I immediately add the rest of the flaps and cut power until I get red/white (keeping speed!). If I don't have VASIs or PAPIs I just use the picture. With enough practice, you won't need them much any more. Above all, I keep 65 to 70 knots! Again, it's what's keeping you up there...respect it!
  
• If I don't have a stable airplane when I'm close I apply full power and do it all over again.
  

Seems to me that my speeds in the real world were 90 downwind, 85 with one notch flaps, 75 with second notch, 65 with third but it's been a lot of years. A few knots difference are ok.

 

When I was getting my real pilot's license I used FSX to practice full power stalls (the real world airplane I was learning in had a nasty habit of flipping upside down if you did the stall recovery wrong...call me a slow learner but twice was enough for me! I had to break a bad habit and FSX did the trick) and crosswind landings. It helped A LOT.

 

Hope it helps!

Tip - newcomers to FSX can fly in external Spot View while training, because it gives much better 'situational awareness' as you can see the attitude of the plane and see how it sits in the air and responds to the controls,

whereas in a cockpit you're much more confined and enclosed.

Another tip- throw the rulebook out the window while training, and just use your best 2 instruments- the human eyeballs- ..:)

Dang, Al, that's a pretty low circuit around the runway! When I was flying (just a few months ago, I ran out of funds though, stuck at 26 hours:( ) I was taught to keep at 1,000 AGL in the traffic pattern, and I didn't start descending until I was abeam the numbers and even then it started slow. Power back to 1500 rpm, keep nose from dropping, flaps 10, and let the aircraft find 80 knots by itself.

 

Once I was 45 degrees from the runway, I turned to the base leg, and flaps 20. Once established on a pretty good glide path (keep an eye out for the two red and two white lights, they're indicating that you're right on track. More red than white means you're either very low, or just a little low, more white than red means you're too high or just a little high, the more white or red, the higher or lower, respectively.) you have to judge when you're going to turn to your final path onto the runway.Try not to overshoot it or else you're going to have yourself a bit of a hard time getting yourself back in the center of the runway.

 

Edit: Once you're on the glide path for your final approach (the runway is right in front of you and you're preparing for landing) go flaps 30 if you need to (this is only if there's not too much wind, or you're landing with a tailwind for any reason, which I wouldn't recommend doing!)

 

Tip: do everything you can to keep the center of the runway right in front of you, after a while, you won't need to stare down at your speed or anything for but a glance to make sure everything's ok. With the 172, once you're about 300-400 feet in the air, you should be looking for 65-70 knots of airspeed and on a good gliding path onto the runway.

 

As soon as you know that you're going to make the runway, or once you get past the numbers on the runway, pull the throttle all the way back and let the airplane keep gliding itself down, and as soon as you're 20-30 feet above the runway, pitch the airplane as if you're trying to get back to 1,000 feet, but don't do it too abruptly or you'll stall and fall right out of the air. Keep the nose up just a little bit and keep it there until the plane (hopefully) smoothly touches down.

 

I know I probably don't make too much sense, but keep trying, it'll get a lot easier!

 

Super pro tip: If you're trying to use flight sim to prepare for real flights and landings, try and keep above the glide path a little bit, I had a really bad habit of being really low a few miles out of the runway, and not being able to get the airplane down correctly. In real life, you'll feel like you're angled down quite a bit more than you thought you would be (at least it was in my experience, and I didn't crash!)

A lot of practice is what you need.

 

Practice, practice, practice. Fly 20 patterns a day! Touch and go. Start with a 172 and know your Take off, cruise and landing speeds. Those can be easily found anywhere on the internet. Then practice some more. Like at least 60 hours worth!

Nice thing about FS....... You aint gona keeel nobody.

 

Then go fly a 747 :)

that's a pretty low circuit around the runway! When I was flying (just a few months ago, I ran out of funds though, stuck at 26 hours:( ) I was taught to keep at 1,000 AGL in the traffic pattern, and I didn't start descending until I was abeam the numbers and even then it started slow. Power back to 1500 rpm, keep nose from dropping, flaps 10, and let the aircraft find 80 knots by itself.

 

This and your entire post seem spot on to me. Different airports have different pattern altitudes, though...that's why they publish them. My own experience is like yours that a real C172 pretty much "seeks to speeds" when you put on flaps if your trim and power are right. In fact, getting the aircraft out of those speeds is work. If you're at 85 on one notch and you put on the second, it slams on the breaks and drops straight to 75 and 65 with the next. FSX isn't so kind, I don't think. It makes you work a bit harder...you have to monitor and adjusting more. But, after awhile it seems just as natural and, my guess, makes your scan better. (On the other hand, FSX doesn't give you those fun thermals that make the light airplane seem like it has a mind of its own. :) )

Further to what I said earlier about flying with your eyeballs only in Locked Spot view, it's soooo easy..:)

Look here's my freeware X-15, I switched off the rocket motor permanently, committing myself to a one-shot-only glide approach; I'll try for Ford Island in Pearl Harbor just below the nose...

 

 

 

..wheels down, full flaps, spoilers out and a series of steeply banked high-G s-turns to bring the speed down to a civilised level...

 

 

 

..and voila, I touch down still going like a bat out of hades at 180kts, but standing on the brakes will slow me to a halt, piece o' cake. Incidentally it's stock FSX scenery straight out of the box-