I'm gradually getting on top of this aircraft, in particular landing it, especially with the help of FSI Panel.  

However in career mode, where I do most of my flying, if the flight plan involves a teardrop approach (and in the cargo missions I do that's most of them) I almost invariably have at best a hard landing and expensive repairs even with full insurance but worse still more often than not fail the mission.  

I have no problems with teardrop approaches with the other two aircraft I use, Cessna 172 and increasingly Cessna 400.  However, the 208 being much bigger I find much less responsive in pitch and roll, and also with the turbine engine the throttle response is poorer.  By the time I turn onto final following the teardrop pattern I'm too close to the runway to get the plane set up properly.  As I'm still learning I'm using the assists (ie blue rectangles) and following these also seems to be bring me onto final too high.

As others have written, the secret to getting a smooth landing in the 208 is to have a long approach, and in other approach types I'm able to do this and can reliably make smooth landings.  It appears to me with teardrops I have two options, both of which involve upsetting ATC:

1.  (simplest) extend downwind leg considerably so that I turn onto final much further away from the runway
2. (preferred) tell ATC to Golf Foxtrot Yankee and do my own straight in approach.

Would I lose reputation points for either of these?

Note that while in these types of missions I can select other approaches, they all end up as just variations on the teardrop.

I'm at my wit's end doing typical three hours career flights in this aircraft (which I cut down to c. two with time acceleration in the cruise phase) and failing in the last thirty seconds only when a teardrop approach is involved.

All assistance/advice gratefully received!

I'm not familiar with the career or mission but speed plays a big role on approach.  If you're too fast and trying to maneuver in a small area to get down (like mountainous regions) it won't work.

Try to slow into the white arc and put your flaps down almost all the way.  I'd save the last notch of flaps for 1-3 miles out

And while the automatic flightplan in Careermode does draw certain types of approaches you are by no means bound to fly them. You can fly any approach you want.

4 hours ago, Farlis said:

And while the automatic flightplan in Careermode does draw certain types of approaches you are by no means bound to fly them. You can fly any approach you want.

Thanks - that's what I was wanting to hear.

 

I fly the caravan quite a bit in the  sim not in RL.

I have sharpened the aileron sensitivty such that you get quite a bit of aileron for little wheel movement. It means that you can correct any deviations a lot quicker.

Same for the elevators. be gentle on them. Little movements are the go.

Landing, I use full flap & around 75 KTS or slightly more. For touchdown, I bring the throttle back slowly as I pass the end of the runway. and slightly flare. Then let it land itself. Don't force it down.

Don't  forget the visual clues, keep the far end of the runway at the same position during the approach, then at final move your eyes to the landing markers, not the runway piano keys, Resist the temptation to forcev it on to the gnd. Of  couse thia all depends on a  relatively stable approach.

Hope this helps