practice final approach and landing

[leftseatguy 0]

OK I now have a brand new pc, so I'm getting around 30 fps now. The other thing is that I have installed FSiPanel which does exactly what I want in terms of setting up the scenario for repeated approaches.  So far I have done something like 10 or 12 approaches using this software addon,  BUT with varying degrees of success.

 

I know I just have to keep practising, but I don't seem to know quite how to improve. In the past I have done lots of landings with GA aircraft, but getting my current aircraft (737ngx-800) to (a) line up correctly with the centre line and (b) flaring at the right point and with the appropriate pitch angle continues to be a real problem to me.

 

I am not sure what I am doing wrong so any guidance would e much appreciated.

 

Cheers, all.

 

Dennis Hickman

[G7USL 117]

Practise and more practise is the way to go.

[Matt2218 4]

OK I now have a brand new pc, so I'm getting around 30 fps now. The other thing is that I have installed FSiPanel which does exactly what I want in terms of setting up the scenario for repeated approaches.  So far I have done something like 10 or 12 approaches using this software addon,  BUT with varying degrees of success.

 

I know I just have to keep practising, but I don't seem to know quite how to improve. In the past I have done lots of landings with GA aircraft, but getting my current aircraft (737ngx-800) to (a) line up correctly with the centre line and ( B) flaring at the right point and with the appropriate pitch angle continues to be a real problem to me.

 

I am not sure what I am doing wrong so any guidance would e much appreciated.

 

Cheers, all.

 

Dennis Hickman

 

 

Dave's advice is on the money, but one thing I would also suggest is work on one thing at a time. In other words, focus on flying the approach over and over again until you are consistently coming in over the runway threshold on speed, on centerline, and at an appropriate rate of descent.

 

Once you can do that regularly, you can start to experiment with the exact moment and amount you need to flare in order to touchdown without floating too much or slamming the pavement. Until you are arriving at the flare point consistently though you will be chasing your tail trying to figure out the flare because there will be a bunch of new (and ultimately extraneous) variables each time.

 

If you've already mastered that, then I don't have much wisdom to share other than to say that if you have even a few knots too much speed you will have to bleed it off in the flare. If you have too much descent rate and then have to pull up abruptly at the flare point you will probably balloon quite a bit. I don't know if it is "right", but another thing I have noticed with landing the NGX compared to GA aircraft (simulated or real life) is that unlike the Cessna where you're "holding it off until it stops flying", you literally are flying the jet onto the runway. So you raise the nose a couple of degrees to check the rate of descent and then see what the result is and adjust from there. I tend to 'over flare' a little bit sometimes and need to ease off a little of the back pressure on the yoke to get it to settle again. If you 'feel like you are flaring' you are probably flaring too much in the NGX.

 

I hope that helps. If not, at least it was free advice LOL.

 

Congrats on the new computer BTW.

[NM5K 1]

As far as the centerline, keep the runway in one spot on the glass. Preferably as close

to the center as possible. To make it really easy, use the HGS. That makes lining up a

piece of cake.

When getting close, you want to visualize keeping the runway right between your legs.

 

Speed is fairly critical, so practice keeping your Vref+5 or whatever as close as possible.

Too slow, and you risk a tail strike due to the high AOA. Also makes for a false teeth rattler

for the ones in the back. Too fast, and you have to float too far down the runway to bleed

off speed. Only flare a small amount. You pretty much want to fly the plane onto the runway,

rather than holding off until stall like you would a small Cessna.

 

You flare, but only a small amount, and not until you are below about 20 ft or so.

Watch an autoland, and note how the plane only flares itself at the last few feet above the

runway. That's how you want to flare. Also, watch down the runway towards the horizon to

gauge how much to flare. That will take a bit of practice, but once you get the hang, you

can make a decent landing most every time. Don't watch the runway right in front of the plane,

watch farther down the runway to gauge when and how much to flare. You will get used to

where the horizon is, and you will get to where you can flare the same appx amount every time

by watching where the horizon, and the end of the runway looks in relation what you see from

the cockpit. Watch the horizon during autolands to show you about how things should look.

If you seem to over flare, push the nose forward with the yoke a bit to get back to normal flare right

before touching down.

That can also make for a smoother landing in the cases where your speed might be a tad slow,

and the AOA a bit high. If the speed starts getting too low, keep some power on until touchdown.

Will make for a smoother landing. But with the right approach speeds, you should be able to go

to idle at around 10 ft or so, and fly it onto the runway.

Practice makes nearly perfect..

 

BTW, I'm not a real pilot, so take what I say with a grain of salt. But I almost never have a truly

bad landing with the NGX. It's better to land firm, than to float 1/4 of the way down the runway trying

to hold off for a greaser. That's bad practice in a modern Boeing jet and will earn you a spanking by your

artificial instructors.   lol

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[leftseatguy 0]

Dave and Matt

 

Many thanks for your responses. Having watched a couple of youtube videos, I am now trying to use the string fixed to the screen technique (actually a piece of red cotton!) and I think that might eventually get me there.

At the moment, My biggest problem seems to be maintaining the centre line as I get nearer to the touch down, I think I tend to over-correct and end up going too far to one side and then to far to the other, so that when I do touch down I am nowhere near the centre line!

 

I just know I will crack it one day, so I will just have to keep trying. . .

 

Dennis

[DavidEekan 0]

As Captain Joe says, Practice, Practice, Practice, nothing to it but to do it. :)

Also, try finding a spot near the lower part of the cockpit window that usually works for you. A great thing to consider is using WCA, to correct for the wind drift and stay on the same track.