Real life vs. MSFS PAPI lights.

[Snuffleupagus 316]

It’s common to land long when following them in real life too. Most of my co workers will come in with 3 red 1 white to better hit the 1,000’ zone. 

[hansb57 470]

on my set up Papi lights are visible between 5 and 6 NM, daytime, as they should be.

No idea what night time vis is.

 

[jrw4 538]

I seem to recall that the PAPI is calibrated to bring the largest aircraft commonly used at the airport onto the tarmac at the aiming point correctly. So if you're landing at KSFO in a C172 your eye is going to be at least three stories above the touchdown zone exactly like that of a 747's captain when that aircraft's landing gear first contacts the ground. The 172's wheels will still be at least 25 feet in the air at that point.

If you're landing at a small GA airport, the PAPI should be positioned differently with a lower pilot view in mind. Whether this is replicated in MSFS, I have no idea, but it might explain at least some of the discrepancy observed in the sim. For me, at least, the PAPI plays a much more important role in the sim than IRL, because I don't have three dimensional cues in establishing the visual glide path in the sim. In any case, I was always taught to establish a relatively steep path on final approach in a single engine plane, just to provide additional leeway in the event of a power loss close to the ground. Maybe that is considered poor practice these days, but I would be fine with an approach that started with four white lights 3 miles out and three or four red lights close to the end of the runway, so long as the descent rate was relatively constant. How I ever passed that check ride is beyond me....