Flight simulator software for landing.

2 Answers

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   Richard Eastman on Jul 18, 2020

   First, I am not familiar with X-Plane so much that I can tell whether X-plane depicts flares too low. But in my experience in working with student pilots in early phase of learning … that have also used either X-Plane or Microsoft Flight Simulator while learning in real airplanes is …

   1. Most home simulator implementations DO NOT have rudder controls implemented. The result is that students that try to train on flight simulators at home end up using ailerons for directional control in slow flight and/or during short approach. This becomes a “habit” and as a result, students that have self-taught themselves this way need to UNLEARN that aileron-steering habit … PARTICULARLY during crosswind landings. Even when rudders are used with home-based simulators, they are not typically representative of the real rudder use in an airplane. This guideline is not true of the more expensive and fully-implemented flight simulators used in flight schools.

   2. With respect to your <> comment — this suggests that you are flaring without a valid measurable guideline … either visually or using your artificial horizon. The transition from descent (be it a power-off glide or a powered-approach) to level power-off flight above the ground can take place at an altitude of 5 to 15 feet above the ground. It will vary on many things … experience, flight-instructor guidance, personal perspectives, wind conditions on the runway, etc. The point is that the airplane has transitioned from descent to staying at the same height-above the ground. In a constant power state (i.e. power-off or even as much as 1100 or 1300 rpm), if the airplane stops descending and enters a level state of flight — it MUST slow down! Andy state of flight is a function of pitch and power. If your state of flight is descending and slightly nose down — then the act of leveling the pitch of the nose (i.e. pulling it up so that the wings are level with the horizon to the side … and/or the nose of the airplane is level with the ground … starts a necessary slow-down. The act of stopping the descent and flying level with the ground is called by many, the “round-out”. When you round-out, you begin to slow down. If you do not keep pulling back on the elevator, you will begin to descend again … except with the nose level with the runway rather than pointed down slight at the runway. Thus, from the round-out, it is necessary to transition into the “flare”. If you’re fast, you can slow down during the round-out to the speed that you want for touchdown. As you approach that airspeed, you will need to flare. the way to judge the flare is to continue to pull back on the elevator to the point where the nose-of-the-airplane just barely blocks the far-end of the runway. This will put you in a nose-high pitch attitude. IF you go higher than the far-end of the runway, you will increase your sink rate. If you do not pitch all the way to the far-end of the runway, you will also increase your sink rate. That far-end of the runway turns out to be the pitch-attitude you want for touchdown. As you maintain that pitch-attitude, the airplane will slow itself down with a minimal sink rate (i.e. it is a power-off slow-flight attitude that gives you a reduced sink rate. Pitch too high … you could stall onto the runway (which is generally OK at that altitude except for the “bump” you get from dropping in from a few feet high. Pitch too little, you will almost always get a bounce … sometimes, enough of a bounce that you will need to go around. You get the bounce because the airplane was going too fast when the main gear stopped going down in the descent but the tail didn’t … which at that increased airspeed, the lower tail generated enough lift that the airplane literally flew again. The key in pitch control is blocking the far-end-of-the-runway (or horizon) throughout the flare. That attitude is roughly 7 1/2 degrees of nose-up attitude. If you were flying the instruments … it will be 7 1/2 degrees nose up attitude on the artificial horizon. There are some aerodynamic reasons why 7 1/2 degrees nose-up seems to work (most related to the airplane’s designed critical angle-of-attack … which in most airplanes is between 15 and 18 degrees nose up pitch — but wind and ground-effect play a roll as well). The point of this discussion being — if you fly any trainer-type airplane to these criteria … either the real-thing or the X-plane (or Microsoft Flight) simulator(s) — you should get the same results. And if you fly to these criteria … you won’t be saying <> … because you will be flying to the same standard in both environments.

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   Craig on Jul 19, 2020

   Agree with the previous response. The default aircraft don’t do a very good job of simulating how a crosswind affects takeoffs or landings, even if you have a decent set of sim rudder pedals.

   You don’t really get a sense of the depth perception needed to judge the timing of the flare\level off, pitch, etc for real life landings. Not sure if it’s different using VR.

   I had a presolo student who was doing pretty well w his real life landings before the COVID shutdown. He practiced his landings w Xplane 11 during the shutdown. When we finally started flying again; he always came in nose low/ flat. I told him to stop practicing sim landings. Took a while to break his nose low landings habit.

   However; I do feel the sim can be useful for other flight training maneuvers.

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