Hi guys, I want to start off by saying that this is by far the best addon I've ever used for FSX and I'm sure it will stay that way for a long long time.  Anyways, there is one thing I'm very curious about.  Very often, I won't do a full flight, but rather, I will load up around 30,000lbs of fuel on the runway and enter the basics such as ZFW to get me my approach speeds.  I'll then set flaps 5 and takeoff and perform several touch and go's to stay proficient and touch up and perfect my flare (wanna get good landings for my VA haha).  I noticed that a simple touch and go with a half configured FMC and no complete route will cause very different behavior as opposed to a fully fledged and programmed flight.  On a practice landing where I basically just powered up and took off, I'd put in the ZFW and get the correct VREF speeds.  I usually pull to 3-4 degrees at 30 feet RA and retard the thrust levers very slowly at 25 feet (all manual) until about 5 feet and it gets me a nice greaser right in the TD zone.  On a fully configured and programmed flight, I notice (APP armed) that the flare feels different.  It almost feels like it's in a "ready to land mode" (LAND3?) and the flare requires much less yoke movement.  In other words, using my usual technique I perfected during my practice will cause me to float a little too much.  I heard of something called flare assist on the newer Boeings and wondered if this was what I'm experiencing.  Once again, a fully programmed CDU/flight will seem to put my aircraft in a LAND mode and makes the last 50 feet of the aircraft's pitch movement more sensitive as opposed to a flight without any CDU entries besides basic things like weight..Thanks

Are the weights the same for both of these?  Meaning: are you using similar Vref speeds?  I'd guess that a heavy bird will handle differently than a light bird?

Yes they are nearly identical weights. Right around 137VREF+5. It doesn't feel like a weight difference either, it almost feels like the aircraft is helping me flare

Are you seeing LAND3 or something similar? That means the AP is flying, not you.

Are you seeing LAND3 or something similar? That means the AP is flying, not you.

No, but I know you are supposed to see that message if AP is engaged. I always hand fly my approaches and am just trying to figure out if there is flare assist

Interesting observation....I could have sworn that in some situations it is actively pushing the nose down, requiring me to pull back on the stick right in the flare region (Airbus-style). It's not a wind gust/windshear resulting in sudden loss of airspeed.

 

Best regards,

Robin.

Different trim settings perhaps?

Thanks for your thoughts. Another example...on the KMEM-OMDB event, I was switched over to 31R at the last second for a parallel approach. I put in the correct ILS and CRS into the NavRad page, but the ILS did not tune in for some reason. Guess what, it felt like I was doing my touch and go practice. I definitely have a feeling it has to do with something about being fully and correctly configured to land.

three words: FLY - BY - WIRE! You aren't flying the actual plane, your inputs are sent to a computer that calculates what is appropriate. Try testing with the FLY BY WIRE off


Like said above its possible the plane's systems switch to a 'flare mode' before touchdown just like some of the hydraulics used to power the flaperon activate at 50ft so it (the flaperon) can work with the spoilers when you land. I may be wrong but this is 'basically' what's going on

 

 

Like said above its possible the plane's systems switch to a 'flare mode' before touchdown

 

Would be better to know for sure.

 

In my case, the aircraft was on a stable flight path until the flare, when I start to flare the aircraft. At that precise moment the aircraft feels to actively push the nose down, requiring a much quicker pull on the elevator than expected to prevent it landing nosewheel first if uncorrected.

 

Best regards,

Robin.

Hi guys, I want to start off by saying that this is by far the best addon I've ever used for FSX and I'm sure it will stay that way for a long long time.  Anyways, there is one thing I'm very curious about.  Very often, I won't do a full flight, but rather, I will load up around 30,000lbs of fuel on the runway and enter the basics such as ZFW to get me my approach speeds.  I'll then set flaps 5 and takeoff and perform several touch and go's to stay proficient and touch up and perfect my flare (wanna get good landings for my VA haha).  I noticed that a simple touch and go with a half configured FMC and no complete route will cause very different behavior as opposed to a fully fledged and programmed flight.  On a practice landing where I basically just powered up and took off, I'd put in the ZFW and get the correct VREF speeds.  I usually pull to 3-4 degrees at 30 feet RA and retard the thrust levers very slowly at 25 feet (all manual) until about 5 feet and it gets me a nice greaser right in the TD zone.  On a fully configured and programmed flight, I notice (APP armed) that the flare feels different.  It almost feels like it's in a "ready to land mode" (LAND3?) and the flare requires much less yoke movement.  In other words, using my usual technique I perfected during my practice will cause me to float a little too much.  I heard of something called flare assist on the newer Boeings and wondered if this was what I'm experiencing.  Once again, a fully programmed CDU/flight will seem to put my aircraft in a LAND mode and makes the last 50 feet of the aircraft's pitch movement more sensitive as opposed to a flight without any CDU entries besides basic things like weight..Thanks

In your first, not fully configured example, you obviously have the auto thrust off, as you mention when you throttle back.

 

Do you have auto thrust ON in regard to your fully set up landing?

 

This could be the issue. I've noticed that auto thrust on landings tend to float. It's either the auto thrust not dropping to idle soon enough, or the engines too slow to spool down.

 

I notice in the pinned issue thread, that PMDG are including the option for manual thrust override during the flare. I wonder if auto thrust on landings are tricky in FSX.

 

 

Would be better to know for sure.

 

In my case, the aircraft was on a stable flight path until the flare, when I start to flare the aircraft. At that precise moment the aircraft feels to actively push the nose down, requiring a much quicker pull on the elevator than expected to prevent it landing nosewheel first if uncorrected.

 

Best regards,

Robin.

 

I've not noticed this at all. If anything I end up over flaring and floating. Just a slight pitch up, couple of degrees is all that's required for me.

To be honest, I don't think there should be any "flare assist". I believe that's just on the new 747.

 

The T7 incorporates "landing flare compensation". It's designed to make sure the flare landing characteristics are the same as any conventional aircraft.

 

If it wasn't for landing flare compensation, C*U law would significantly alter the flare.