Brett_Henderson

And..... aside from what shortcomings FSX does have.. it DOES do a good job of rewarding proper piloting,, and punishing poor piloting.

When you get right down to it.. the main difference between; climbing, cruising, and descending, is the power setting. Pitch control is just for airspeed.. even when climbing.. you PITCH for best climb AIRSPEED.You've got a firm grasp on it all.. the kind of understanding that makes flying the bigger/faster stuff, easier .. The theories are all the same..

I just viewed those videos... Hafta say, those are picture-perfect approaches.. the definition of a stabilized approach, more-or-less, waiting on the runway to come to you :( Especially if that's the default Baron (it has unrealistically twitchy, pitch-control) .. (I have a modified cfg file, if you're interested)All I'd say (if asked for a critique), is that you could slow it down a little on short-final, so that your flare puts you right on the edge of stalling. You're "greasing it in", which isn't all bad, and gives you margin for error if the wind shifts.. but ideally, you want the wheels on the ground because the airplane stopped flying. You're planting them while still with enough airspeed to initiate a climb.FSX's flight dynamics are real enough to show you just how much runway can be eaten up floating, when you carry an extra 15 knots down to the flare. Next time.. when you transition into the flare.. keep holding her off, just above the runway.. gradually adding more and more back-pressure, until she just won't fly any longer, and see where you touch down .. Then try the approach when you're right at (maybe a little under) 100kias, over the numbers. The difference in used runway is amazing (and quite realistic).***holding the FSX Baron in ground-effect is tough, with the default cfg file.. the elevator is just too sensitive***

That's a good point. If the approach is stable.. it can indeed be flown by trim ! Guiding a big jet down to the numbers by subtle trim and slight throttle changes, means you ARE nailing it.And just placing it on the runway means little, if it were in a manner that would have your virtual passengers swearing off air-travel (and the FCC wanting to know where in the heck you got your license)(and the maintanence crew saying, "This plane musta been landed by "you know who".. :(

Paul J's adice is sound.. but it just scratches the surface. The trick to landing an airplane, is to use the classic technique without even having to think about it. You control your airspeed by pitch, and you control your rate of descent by power. -If you're coming in high, but at the proper speed, you FIRST reduce power and THEN pitch to keep the airspeed nailed. -If you're coming in low, but at the proper airspeed, you FIRST add power, and THEN pitch to keep the airspeed nailed.-If you're coming in at the proper altitude, but going too fast, you FIRST pitch up to reduce the airspeed, THEN adjust power for the rate of descent.-If you're coming in at the proper altitude, but the airspeed is too low, you FIRST pitch down to increase airspeed, THEN adjust power for the rate of descent.As you can imagine, it's always a mix of the two, and sometimes you make pitch/power adjustments simultaneously, always keeping in mind that counter-intuitive rule, "Control your airspeed withe the yoke, and control your rate of descent with the throttle"NOW.. the tricky thing is that it all gets blurred a little with turbo-props or jets (especially big jets), because thrust changes happen slowly compared to piston aircraft. These aircraft require that the approach be much more stabilzed, much further out. Airspeeds have to be nailed... and flaps have to be used properly. In a piston-powered airplane, you can get away with using flaps like speed-brakes.. whereas with a jet, they're just a required step in the approach process. Their use isn't as flexible, but more rigid.Obviously, the only way to master this stuff is by practice, practice, practice. And you're much better served mastering things like nailed airspeeds and stabilized approaches in smaller, slower, more forgiving aircraft. Most sim pilots will have none of this.. they're bound and determined to be, "Instant Airline Captains".. but all you'll really accomplish by force-learning some sort of technique that will get you on the runway in a jet, is to reinforce BAD, unrealistic habits.You should be able to consistantly put a C172 onto a runway, and to a complete stop, in no more 800' of runway, before moving on to a bigger/faster airplane. Ideally working your way up the size/speed/complexity ladder logically (i.e. not jumping right into jets). Flying a textbook traffic pattern in a C172 (keeping the altitude perfect), and flying touch-n-goes, works as well in a sim, as it does in real flying, for strengthening your piloting instincts. Eventually, things like the runway image, and the airplane's attitude, and that altimeter reading, will all spell out to you a perfectly sensible message.. and you'll know just how to reply.As you're learning.. there aint no fun nor challenge to letting the autopilot fly your approaches.. might as well be a passenger. :(