fsx is all about learning. So even if you land on the taxiway it's fine.. eventually you will get better. Most mistake people do is jump directly to the b737 or A320 without even trying the cessna out. Get the basics cleared then jump on the complex aircraft, as you will be able to manage it more efficiently once acquired the basic know hows.
wally12345na hope u don't fly the default airplanes.. Because they aren't even close enough to the real thing. One tip though: always add crosswind or any wind factor cause you won't find a single day with zero wind. You can check my vids on instagram too name is flight_sim_x_Landings.
Alron D'Abreo Yea I know they aren't. I need to look into purchasing better aircraft. I usually fly most of the default planes, but I do know that they certainly lack much realism.
Yes, I've done many many many actual real life ILS approaches, I did one just a few days ago, and the ILS has nothing to do with touching down on the centerline (unless it is a CAT III Autoland). I've explained it all before, but some people just plow on with a mystical belief that the ILS is something magical that will help you land on the centerline.
You want to touch down with your main wheels and you achieve that by raising the nose a little. It has to do with the angle-of-attack, which is wind relative to the wind. As long as it is below a certain angle (12-16 degrees depending on the wing), the airplane will fly, more than that it will stall. Different pilots will give you different answers about the flare, but basically you want to stop the descent momentarily a few feet above the runway and then let the plane settle down gently.
I had just learned this through my own observation after being similarly frustrated that I kept floating around on the runway and it was really cuz I didn't know where I was in relation to the central line. It was really taxiing that taught me that trying to stay on the yellow line that you want it coming right between your knees great advice thanks for doing this
thanks for the tips, to the untrained eye my landings probably look fine, but I really have been noticing how I am usually like 6 or 7 feet off of the centerline. I will incorporate these tips in my next flight!
I like the string thing. I sometimes use a thin whiteboard marker to make easily removable marks on the screen (also works very well for "legal cheating" in shooters that don't have a permanent crosshair - zoom into the optics of your sniper rifle and hold it steady, make a little cross on the center of the crosshair and you have a perfect crosshair to go close range without zooming in).
There is something called slow flight, it is one of the most important things a pilot should know. It deals with airspeed/altitude control of a plane when the plane is flying at slower speeds. Its boring, but essential in flying. I have a 3 part tutorial on it my Flight Simulator Tutorials Playlist. It is called "Slow Flight Tutorial" (3 videos). One of the first videos I ever did, and rather dull, but the information in those three videos is very valuable.
i trained myself first by adjusting my eye point to make sure its right in the middle between the rudders, now from there its easier to keep the runway and centerline between the legs all the time, and land it like real pilots do! , i used to always also overcorrect and end up messing my corrections on final, well i learned to be more patient with corrections by giving them time to work before re correcting, specially in jet liners
Keep in mind though for larger airplanes (haven't tested on smaller airplanes) that the center of the front wheel is slightly skewed relative to the indicator depending on where you sit in the cockpit, i.e. it's slightly skewed to the right in the captain's chair. But this only really matters when you're taxiing and/or taking off and want to line up properly. For approach, have the very center of the screen line up with the runway.
It is the middle marker (MM) which is usually at the ILS decision height, meaning that if you are on the ILS approach and if at that point you don't see the runway visually you execute a missed approach. Middle markers are slowly being phased out of service, I know that in the US, many of them are already gone.
That is the first time I hear of this being used in real life, but it does work, especially for students that tend to tilt their heads to one side or the other. That sight picture is so important, getting used to what you should be seeing outside. Thanks for the comment.
Thanks for the great video. In Flight Simulator, this is probably my biggest issue--in any airplane. I land to the left of the centerline constantly! I'm no doubt falling victim to the optical illusion you're talking about here. I'll try your string method and see how it goes.
usually i just use the instruments to get center line and line it up with my nutsack always thinking i was about 1-2feet off center but all this time i may have been spot on... no one ever told me about the optical illusions.. thanks man
Great tips, especially the string on the monitor. So simple but not intuitive. I'm using fishing line as it's not as distracting. On a Mac, the Camera On light is in the exact center of the monitor : ) Thanks!
I used the auto pilot as kind of a demonstrator. Pay close attention to how the plane lines itself up and holds the glide slope. Then turn it off and fly it manually. Also, you can use the built in glide slope visual aids by tuning your NAV radio to the right frequency and enabling the feature. You will see a yellow (or whatever color you've chosen) "highway in the sky" to guide you down.
When I land actual planes, it is so automatic I don't even think about it. But that comes with practice of actually AIMING for the CENTER LINE, not the runway, the center line. I've noticed it in my flight videos when I record my landings. The plane always hits that center line, and I didn't put any extra effort to make it land there, its just automatic and subconscious (unless there are crazy cross winds). Same thing in the flight sim, I'm just automatically making those adjustments
whenever you disconnect the AP, you need to be ready for immediate adjustment because the Ap has set the trim and rudder for you, so when you take it off it will go wild depending on how it's set. That's why there is a warning sound when you disconnect it. This scenario has been the cause of quite a few real accidents. There may be strong gusts out there, wind sheer. Autopilot is not to allow you to be lazy or inattentive.
Thank you for the tips, great advice! Just adding that one factor some may not consider - frame rate and stutters. It's hard enough landing properly, bad fps and/or stutter creates visual 'delay', making it vastly harder because you cannot react/correct yourself in real time, so make sure you have good flyable graphics!
No, ILS is designed to bring a pilot in withing a certain visual range where the pilot switches to a visual approach, usually to withing 1/4 of a mile of the runway and 200 feet AGL. The pilot must still make a visual landing at the end. Exception is the CAT III ILS, where certain planes that have CAT III capabilities can autoland. CAT III ILS is so precise that the autopilot will land the plane on that third middle of the runway. But most landings ever done are manual.
Thanks for the nice comment. The altitude callouts come automatically in planes, but you have to have a addon plane that will do that. The default planes in the flight simulator don't do that.
Jets and turboprops have some yaw and rolling issues in flight, the yaw dampener is used to reduce those rolls and yaws and make the plane more stable and the ride more comfortable for pasengers
really nice tip... its always hard to get it on the centerline, alllll theeee tiiimes... but the tip is great, and with practice things get easier oh and the ilusions you referred.... you're right.... at the beginning, they always got me hehe nice vid and post some more ideas
Rule for most airlines is you must be fully configured, at the approach speed +/-5kts, on the glideslope at 1000' AGL (around 2 miles from the airport). Most pilots have been taught to put the landing gear down at the Final Approach Fix (basically the point where you intercept the glideslope for the final descent, usually 5 to 6 miles from touchdown). So put your gear down when around 5 miles from the airport and around 2,500' AGL. If not then, the gear must be down while still above 1000' AGL
OK, couple of things. First, unless it is a ILS CAT III _ Autoland (which not every plane can do), the ILS does NOT help you land on the centerline. When flying manually, if you cant land on the centerline visually, you will not land on the centerline using the ILS. Second, crabbing into the wind is NOT a "flaw", it is an actual technique that has been used since the airplane got invented. When you are crabbing into the wind, you are actually flying parallel with the runway.
Its easy to land on the centerline in real life, but that is because I've been doing it for years and don't even think about it any more. When you are a student pilot you're just glad you touched down, LOL. But after flying for a while it happens automatically. Only time it is an issue is with strong crosswinds, but even in those situations most pilots will be only a few feet off and still in the middle 3rd of the runway.
PAPI is a valid way of "approaching' where your glideslope is and what I used when I started in FS9. However, you shouldn't be staring at it - you should be looking where you want to go. For a visual, I pick an aimpoint and keep that aimpoint the same distance from the horizon by moderating the amount of power. And if I do that, I know my descent is constant and I will flare at that point. In VFR, there is no need to use ILS - if you cant do it visual, you shouldn't do it IFR.
Awesome video! I've been using your visual cue of having the centerline run straight through my seat, and it works great! Thanks for the easy but very helpful tip! BTW... ever heard of a Lift Reserve Indicator? I have a friend who created one for MSFS if you're interested.
Nice tips, tks! Many civilian pilots wear glasses and some even have color-vision restrictions, so in the US it shouldn't be a problem unless you have a more serious problem.
ILS stands for Instrument Landing System, and is designed to help you stay on the correct flight path so that you can land the aircraft touchdown zone. It's used especially during bad weather landings as an aid when you can't really see outside.
Thank you, your videos are one of the best I have seen. You are a great pilot and an excellent teacher, so glad for people like you :D (sorry for being a geek lol)
One tip that was not covered but is invaluable - right click the screen, choose Axis Indicator and use any of the options (4 dots, small v, large v) to know exactly where the center of your screen is (I personally prefer small v). Yes, there's a red mass in the center of the screen but it's the most accurate way of knowing, and you don't have to create a new reference point for every aircraft.
I'm not an airline pilot, but I am a long time pilot. There is a big need for pilots in Asia right now, especially China and India. Any education will cost you money. Becoming a pilot is very expensive, but that is something you have to decide. I'm not sure how it is done in Europe, but in the US you pay for your own flight training. Anyone can do it provided they pass the medical exam. You will struggle financially for a while, but it is the price of wanting to be a airline pilot.
And then as a Training Captain you get an F/o your training as a Captain & they start landing off centre. :o) On the Aircraft I flew (Up to A300-600 Airbus) there was always a bolt on the top of the glare shield or some other object you could use to hit the centre line. I was often changing seats depending on who I was training so had a mark for each seat.
Nice video... FSX404, in fact always I'll guided by a "specific point on the plane panel" but never figured that the middle of the screen is an option too. Thank U :)
@tg23399 If one main wheel touches before the other one is not a big problem unless it is happening all the time. Try to keep your head straight and not tilt it, my first guess is that you probably tilt your head instinctively as you're lining up which can cause you to misjudge bank. If that is not it, we'll go into some other stuff.
@surbhisinghrockswi I mentioned small corrections, I believe that was my last tip. The glideslope is essential for good landings, but it is not really necessary for lining up with the centerline, most simmers can keep a glideslope better than lining up with the centerline anyway. One tip at a time, but what you have said is very important to a good overall landing. Thanks for the input.
@polak4lyf That's a different lesson. This was only about maintaining the centerline, once you get into maintaining a glideslope, that is a whole new can of worms that should be taught on t's own. But you are very correct in mentioning that glideslope (PAPI) is just as important. BTW, I do have a tutorial on maintaining and adjusting the glideslope, I believe it is in my "Slow Flight Tutorial Part 3" video.
During approach you are "switching" the way of controlling the airplane. You use the thrust to adapt the sinkrate and you use the pitch to controll the speed. Less thrust = increase of sinkrate due to lower speed resulting in lesser lift. pitch up reduces speed, pitch down increases it.
You have to adjust constantly. You won't be lined up with the runway all the time. Just make the adjustments until you are lined up, otherwise you do a go around and try again.
@FSX404 well it should put you roughly 1500 feet below the G/S, which gives you time to put out the last 2 stage of flaps (say you were at flaps 2 with the gear down), and then comfortably intercept from there
I do have a job I love, but I'm not an airline pilot. I have been flying (for real) since 1995 though, so I do have a lot of flying experience. I don't know how real NGX is, I haven't flown the it (in the sim), but I can tell you that my best friend who flies 747's does a lot of his pre-currency training on the PMDG 747. Mostly going over systems and procedures. As far as "the best job in the world," he once told me "the best thing about flying a 747 is telling people you fly a 747", LOL
This would have been a great comment without that last line, but that actually tells us more about you than anything else. Thanks for most of your comment.
Often missing in these 'perfect landing' videos is how important RUDDERS are to the lineup process on approach. This video again misses in mentioning that. Forget about hitting the center line until you master being parallel to the actual runway (de-crabbing). You have to use your rudders to orientate the nose to actual runway heading to ensure you are PARALLEL to the center line (de-crabbed). This is FIRST. Then use ailerons to align to the center line. Then fine-tune with ailerons left or right of center line for wind drift. All aileron adjustments are done while keeping heading true with rudder input. A truly perfect landing with normal winds (greater than 5 or 6 knots) should be a fairly decent workout on right or left rudder input. Worry about parallel landings FIRST and don't worry about putting the nose wheel on the line! Once this is mastered, then start practicing aileron input to adjust left or right while maintaining parallel. You will master this much quicker, and more importantly, be able to do it on demand rather than luck! Happy flying!
In real life floating happens an all landings (except short field) because of ground effect. Its more prominent on low wing planes, but high wing planes experience it too. That is why planes always seem to settle for a sec or two above the runway before touchdown. Here, I was 5 kts too fast and bleed off the speed before a touchdown. In any case, you always want that sec or two of floating before touchdown because it lets the plane touch down when it is ready, otherwise you can easily bounce it
my general flight instructor in real life actually out a piece of string in front of my view to help me line up with the runway, look at me now i land exactly on the center line even with crosswinds in real life as well as in FSX
@rninanusa The best way to do it is practice, start the flare at 30-40 feet and reduce the power completely at 20. Make sure your approach speed is on the mark, 135 kts when the plane is at half full, and 150 kts when it is fully loaded. Whatever you do just make sure that your inputs are smooth. I have another video called "Landing Practice Tip (MSFS)" just do a search for it on youtube and it should be the first video that pops up, that goes over a little "trick" on getting better landings
Can you believe they let someone like me fly? Me neither, LOL Get going man, do you know how many times I've seen pilots get their wings when they are 55, 60 years old? And there is only one thing they say, "I should have done it sooner".
@LeetKrew090 Whether landing for real or in the flight simulator the trick is to try to land yourself (your butt) on the centerline. Over time it really becomes second nature so that you do it without thinking about it. It takes a lot of practice using correct procedures, because if you teach yourself how to do something the wrong way you'll never do it right, but a lot of practice using correct procedures will make it able for everyone to land within a few feet of the centerline every time.
@airsoftman6481 That depends, VFR, IFR, the plane, airport location, airport elevation, traffic pattern altitude (if applicable), suggested glideslope angle etc etc etc, there is no one good answer, each airport has their own depending on all and more than factors I mentioned above. Now that I am done with my lawyer answer, at an average airport at 2 miles from the runway you should be 600-800 feet above the ground (on average), at 5 miles you should be at 1500-1600 feet above the ground
I don't fly jets in FSX, but opt for smaller prop planes. IMO, I personally don't use any of these visual tricks - no lining the centerline with a string or lining it with a button in the cockpit. (not that they are not valid ways of lining up). What I do is I look as far down the runway as possible. You should be able to make out if you are on center if the rwy geometry forms an isoceles triangle. When you get more exp, you won't even need to think about it, and you'll adjust by feel.
That is hard to explain. When you are in that plane, you don't even think about lining up or the centerline. It is something that is done automatically. Has to do with staying ahead of the plane. There is a lag between reaction time and correction, so as a pilot you have to be a step ahead of the plane. At least a couple of seconds in an airliner. It is something that comes with practice.
Pretty much all payware airlines have callouts unless you get some classic planes. You can also use the PM Sounds program which is free to add these callouts to the default planes. :D
@rninanusa It should be your final approach speed, whatever that is for your plane, and it really hast to be exact otherwise you better have a perfect flare. As far as the speeds, you'll have to look them up for your plane, check the manual of the plane, and make sure you have the correct weight, because it changes with the weight of the plane. I know for a fact that the MD-80 final approach speeds can be between 125-150 kts, depending on the weight of the plane.
When I was doing my instrument training, I brought along a GPS tethered to my tablet. After the flights you could distinctly see where I was flying under IMC and when I broke out of the layer. Under IMC I was on track, but it was a little back and forth across the course. As soon as I'd break out, that ground track straightened right up and was almost like I had an autopilot flying. Certainly prefer to be visual instead on hand-flying an ILS.
the way I discovered and learned over time is that when ever I have runway in sight I always tend to keep it RIGHT in the centre of the screen, in another words I can imagine where the string is, if it makes sense
@TheHarjaap It is automatic in some planes, the default planes in FS2004 and FSX don't have that, but a lot of add-on planes do have altitude call-outs. Just get a plane that has it.
@immortalisblog You could land a 737 with 90% fuel, as long as the total weight of the 737 is at or below the max landing weight, which is around 145,000 lbs or close to this (I’m going off my memory, so I could be way off). The reason I said 10-20% is because for IFR flight you need to have enough fuel to get you to your airport, plus alternate airport plus another 1 hour of flight on top of that.
fsx has the red 4 dots or triamgle etc you can switch on to use as refrence, so you all know where the centre of your a/c wheels are pointing, line that up with the centre line. For a real novice though might be best to just switch on the FSX triangles in the SKY that you fly through to line you up.
Captain Sim, Wilco, PMDG, Flight1, and few others that have airliners have the altitude call-out feature. I believe some freeware planes have it too, but I don't know which. There are forums where you can find out, just google it. I can recommend my favorites, but tell me which planes you are interested in and I'll let you know what I prefer.
I 'm not sure what the problem is. Sounds like its out of trim, or perhaps your plane software is somehow corrupted. I suggest you don't use autopilot at all unless you are at your altitude and in cruise. And you do the whole approach manually. If nothing else take off the plane from autopilot at around 3000 to 5000 feet. If the plane is out of trim, it would give you plenty of time to recover. I don't think that a King Air has autoland.
For carrier landings you have to be able not only to land on the centerline, but on the exact spot you pick (3rd wire on a carrier). For that you have to be an expert at "slow flight" and short field approach. "Slow Flight" (control reversal) is an essential skill every pilot needs to know, otherwise you can NEVER be a pilot in real life. "Slow Flight" teaches you the proper way to control your plane's vertical speed using your power settings, and control your speed using your pitch.
I personally have the Wilco Airbus Evolution Series 1 and Series 2, and have used them a lot for my Extreme Airport series videos. I also have a Aerosoft Airbus X (for FSX) but I've had trouble with it because it has/had some glitches with the engines. I know its fixable but I never had patience or time to go tweak with it to get it working, so I could not vouch for its quality. Others say that Airbus X is better than Wilco, and maybe it is. Personally, I find Wilco quite good and satisfying.
Ill give you a cool tip a pilot a gave me, I fly in c-130's as enlisted crew, and i was asking the pilot one day when we were taxiing the aircraft how do you stay centerline, and he said put the line between your legs when your sitting in the pilot's seat, and honestly thats as true as it gets. Since he said that I've noticed it every time.
Its not a software, it is the plane itself. The default planes in flight sim don't have it, so you need to get a plane that does in order to have the altitude callouts.
I was thinking Tivat for some reason when I made the intro screen and didn't realize I had blundered for a few weeks till someone else pointed it out. There is an annotation that tries to fix that, but the editing file in Premier Pro (program I use to edit these videos) is long gone. I'd have to recreate the whole thing and it's too much work to do for one typo. Drives Croatians crazy and Montenegro-ans happy, but its just a typo after all :)
@immortalisblog Using only the trim is OK, makes the landings a lot easier, but you should also use a little bit of the yoke, and I'm talking very small adjustments because if you concentrate on using only your trim, you can get into trouble really quick.
Just to address the first part of the comment, my touchdown speed is low, but that is because I bleed it off during the flare (many people comment that I float sometimes), my approach speed is usually right on the mark or 5 knots above.
Obviously you're thinking out of the box so you're not a phony. And sure, any reference to the center of the screen will work. I just used an example of a string.
Hello, I've been using a joy stick for 20 years, and just went to a yoke (Honeycomb), and its a whole different world, and all of it ain't good. I could land the 777 pretty well on FS95 with the joy stick. Then I got FSX, not nearly as easy, as the AP and autoland are stepped up and kind of combined even. But doable. Very difficult to understand, but so was FS4, 95 etc. But I have not mastered the autoland system for the FSX777 combination yet, and must hand land. I usually cut out the autoland system at about 500 feet anyway, but I find lining up with the yoke almost impossible. It is totally different than the joy stick. For now, I am back at Meigs Field in Chicago with the Cessna to try to get the feel of this thing, which cost more than ally my fs put together. I am still glad I got it, and it is very different.gs Any pointers? Also, thanks for the videos. Your insight and advice are priceless and I am sure many younger guys will appreciate your guidance as they get pilots licenses or step into the aviation field.
It takes time to get used to the yoke, its just different and there is nothing for it but to fly only with it until it becomes natural. Stick has a faster reaction with smaller movement, yoke needs more movement and because of slower reaction you need to "think ahead." As far as landing, I would not use autoland or ILS until I mastered the visual landings. Sure one wants to play and do a flight, but it takes years before pilots get into a 737 or 777. If you really want to do it correctly, you may need to start at the beginning, not necessarily a Cessna, but flight mechanics and flight dynamics. Slow flight practice, visual approaches practice, etc. Understand what happens to a plane when landing, speed is controlled by pitch, altitude by power, etc. Look at some slow flight tutorials, see what I mean.
@@FSX404 Thank a lot for your response. I really appreciate it. I am back with the Cessna at Meigs if I can find it, just to get a grip on it. The yoke is very different and you seem to have more control in unexpected ways and in unexpected places. With the Cessna, I am starting to appreciate it, with the 777, it just threw me way off. Meigs is where I learned to land and take off, which I did for years, and by the time I got FSX, which was a gift from my brother, I was hand landing the 777 at Detroit City, sometimes on rwy's 7 or 25, (4000ft. or so, nice challenge.) There is a parallel there because I didn't just jump into the larger jets. I think I went from the Cessna, way back FS2004 to the F14 then to 737. I never got into ILS till I got into the lager passenger jets, and never looked back. I'm like, wow, you can get these thing to land themselves - cool! But I have never had a complete all the way to the ground auto land. Don't know if I real pilots don't, or FS just makes crappy auto lands. But I love the automation. One time my brother was over while it was on, and I was punching in numbers, taking notes, adjusting dials, and he says, ~you just write stuff down, and I said yeah, that's about it. One more thing, i have been hearing, "think ahead" since I got into this, but with this you have to think way ahead, and that might take some getting use to. One thing I remember from one of your videos is to have everything set by the time you are 1/4 mile out. Oh boy, everything I have done in that 1/4 mile let to crap, so will try to put that in practice for sure. I may also print out SPEED is controlled by PITCH, and ALTITUDE by POWER. Thanks again and I have a Facebook page for Detroit City Airport, know as Coleman Young Airport, and it's on it last legs, with the city trying to find any and every excuse to shut it down. It's a good airport, they just can't find anyone to run it properly. If you got a minute or can get a minute----> facebook.com/Friends-of-Coleman-Young-International-Airport-157617787699650
@CA477544 No problem, you'll find out how important it is to aim yourself (your butt) for the centerline when you start flying in the right seat (instructor or copilot training). If you get a chance to fly again try it out, but make sure that you have another pilot in the left seat just in case because it is very different.
Every pilot has their things that annoy them, and mine is to come in too slow for landing I used to stay quiet when flying with friend, but not anymore after a friend stalled the plane 15 feet above the runway. That was NOT fun Unless it's a short runway, there is no need to be at or below short field approach speed. As pilots get over the runway they forget to look at the speed and get too slow. If you are too slow and mess up the flare, you're in trouble Keep that speed up, that's my advice
@TeamLeftmatch777 Aside from looking very unprofessional, it can cause a lot of problems once you hit narrow runways or heavy crosswinds. You always need to put the plane as close as you can to your aiming point on the runway. When I go up flying with my friends (one of them actually a 747 pilot) just to play around, we always pick an exact point on the runway and do 3 landings each to see who can land the plane closest to that point, so its a point of pride or embarrassment too.
13 years later and still helping people. Thank you
fsx is all about learning. So even if you land on the taxiway it's fine.. eventually you will get better.
Most mistake people do is jump directly to the b737 or A320 without even trying the cessna out. Get the basics cleared then jump on the complex aircraft, as you will be able to manage it more efficiently once acquired the basic know hows.
Alron D'Abreo very true
wally12345na hope u don't fly the default airplanes.. Because they aren't even close enough to the real thing.
One tip though: always add crosswind or any wind factor cause you won't find a single day with zero wind. You can check my vids on instagram too name is flight_sim_x_Landings.
Alron D'Abreo Yea I know they aren't. I need to look into purchasing better aircraft. I usually fly most of the default planes, but I do know that they certainly lack much realism.
wally12345na yes! Enjoy flying! 😊👍
If you wanna land on the taxiway, that’s ok. Just ask Air Canada!
Yes, I've done many many many actual real life ILS approaches, I did one just a few days ago, and the ILS has nothing to do with touching down on the centerline (unless it is a CAT III Autoland).
I've explained it all before, but some people just plow on with a mystical belief that the ILS is something magical that will help you land on the centerline.
It just takes practice to get it right, and even with years of experience we mess it up occasionally.
You want to touch down with your main wheels and you achieve that by raising the nose a little. It has to do with the angle-of-attack, which is wind relative to the wind. As long as it is below a certain angle (12-16 degrees depending on the wing), the airplane will fly, more than that it will stall.
Different pilots will give you different answers about the flare, but basically you want to stop the descent momentarily a few feet above the runway and then let the plane settle down gently.
I had just learned this through my own observation after being similarly frustrated that I kept floating around on the runway and it was really cuz I didn't know where I was in relation to the central line. It was really taxiing that taught me that trying to stay on the yellow line that you want it coming right between your knees great advice thanks for doing this
thanks for the tips, to the untrained eye my landings probably look fine, but I really have been noticing how I am usually like 6 or 7 feet off of the centerline. I will incorporate these tips in my next flight!
I like the string thing. I sometimes use a thin whiteboard marker to make easily removable marks on the screen (also works very well for "legal cheating" in shooters that don't have a permanent crosshair - zoom into the optics of your sniper rifle and hold it steady, make a little cross on the center of the crosshair and you have a perfect crosshair to go close range without zooming in).
There is something called slow flight, it is one of the most important things a pilot should know. It deals with airspeed/altitude control of a plane when the plane is flying at slower speeds. Its boring, but essential in flying.
I have a 3 part tutorial on it my Flight Simulator Tutorials Playlist. It is called "Slow Flight Tutorial" (3 videos). One of the first videos I ever did, and rather dull, but the information in those three videos is very valuable.
Thanks so much for this! I'm much better at landings now! And i checked outside on a replay to make sure it was on the centreline! Thank you!
i trained myself first by adjusting my eye point to make sure its right in the middle between the rudders, now from there its easier to keep the runway and centerline between the legs all the time, and land it like real pilots do! , i used to always also overcorrect and end up messing my corrections on final, well i learned to be more patient with corrections by giving them time to work before re correcting, specially in jet liners
Keep in mind though for larger airplanes (haven't tested on smaller airplanes) that the center of the front wheel is slightly skewed relative to the indicator depending on where you sit in the cockpit, i.e. it's slightly skewed to the right in the captain's chair. But this only really matters when you're taxiing and/or taking off and want to line up properly. For approach, have the very center of the screen line up with the runway.
It is the middle marker (MM) which is usually at the ILS decision height, meaning that if you are on the ILS approach and if at that point you don't see the runway visually you execute a missed approach.
Middle markers are slowly being phased out of service, I know that in the US, many of them are already gone.
That is the first time I hear of this being used in real life, but it does work, especially for students that tend to tilt their heads to one side or the other. That sight picture is so important, getting used to what you should be seeing outside.
Thanks for the comment.
Thanks for the great video. In Flight Simulator, this is probably my biggest issue--in any airplane. I land to the left of the centerline constantly! I'm no doubt falling victim to the optical illusion you're talking about here. I'll try your string method and see how it goes.
usually i just use the instruments to get center line and line it up with my nutsack always thinking i was about 1-2feet off center but all this time i may have been spot on... no one ever told me about the optical illusions.. thanks man
wow the landing at the begging is smoooooooooooooooth
Nomem Tube ikr
Been flying FSX for over 5 years now, I never knew...........thanks!
Thank you so much !!!! i always land on the centre line now !
Great tips, especially the string on the monitor. So simple but not intuitive. I'm using fishing line as it's not as distracting. On a Mac, the Camera On light is in the exact center of the monitor : ) Thanks!
I used the auto pilot as kind of a demonstrator. Pay close attention to how the plane lines itself up and holds the glide slope. Then turn it off and fly it manually. Also, you can use the built in glide slope visual aids by tuning your NAV radio to the right frequency and enabling the feature. You will see a yellow (or whatever color you've chosen) "highway in the sky" to guide you down.
Great video! I just got FSX Steam for Christmas and am having trouble with this. I can't wait to try out your tips!!! Thanks!!!
When I land actual planes, it is so automatic I don't even think about it. But that comes with practice of actually AIMING for the CENTER LINE, not the runway, the center line.
I've noticed it in my flight videos when I record my landings. The plane always hits that center line, and I didn't put any extra effort to make it land there, its just automatic and subconscious (unless there are crazy cross winds).
Same thing in the flight sim, I'm just automatically making those adjustments
First minute of this video: best advice I have gotten !
whenever you disconnect the AP, you need to be ready for immediate adjustment because the Ap has set the trim and rudder for you, so when you take it off it will go wild depending on how it's set. That's why there is a warning sound when you disconnect it. This scenario has been the cause of quite a few real accidents. There may be strong gusts out there, wind sheer. Autopilot is not to allow you to be lazy or inattentive.
Thank you for the tips, great advice!
Just adding that one factor some may not consider - frame rate and stutters. It's hard enough landing properly, bad fps and/or stutter creates visual 'delay', making it vastly harder because you cannot react/correct yourself in real time, so make sure you have good flyable graphics!
No, ILS is designed to bring a pilot in withing a certain visual range where the pilot switches to a visual approach, usually to withing 1/4 of a mile of the runway and 200 feet AGL. The pilot must still make a visual landing at the end.
Exception is the CAT III ILS, where certain planes that have CAT III capabilities can autoland. CAT III ILS is so precise that the autopilot will land the plane on that third middle of the runway. But most landings ever done are manual.
Man, i can land with anything (crosswind, engine failure) whatever
But this tutorial was sooooooo helpful :)
Thanks a lot
Thanks for the nice comment.
The altitude callouts come automatically in planes, but you have to have a addon plane that will do that. The default planes in the flight simulator don't do that.
Jets and turboprops have some yaw and rolling issues in flight, the yaw dampener is used to reduce those rolls and yaws and make the plane more stable and the ride more comfortable for pasengers
really nice tip... its always hard to get it on the centerline, alllll theeee tiiimes... but the tip is great, and with practice things get easier
oh and the ilusions you referred.... you're right.... at the beginning, they always got me hehe
nice vid and post some more ideas
Rule for most airlines is you must be fully configured, at the approach speed +/-5kts, on the glideslope at 1000' AGL (around 2 miles from the airport).
Most pilots have been taught to put the landing gear down at the Final Approach Fix (basically the point where you intercept the glideslope for the final descent, usually 5 to 6 miles from touchdown).
So put your gear down when around 5 miles from the airport and around 2,500' AGL. If not then, the gear must be down while still above 1000' AGL
OK, couple of things.
First, unless it is a ILS CAT III _ Autoland (which not every plane can do), the ILS does NOT help you land on the centerline. When flying manually, if you cant land on the centerline visually, you will not land on the centerline using the ILS.
Second, crabbing into the wind is NOT a "flaw", it is an actual technique that has been used since the airplane got invented. When you are crabbing into the wind, you are actually flying parallel with the runway.
@FSX404 thanks, these all were very useful tips. Keep these videos coming, please.
Its easy to land on the centerline in real life, but that is because I've been doing it for years and don't even think about it any more. When you are a student pilot you're just glad you touched down, LOL. But after flying for a while it happens automatically.
Only time it is an issue is with strong crosswinds, but even in those situations most pilots will be only a few feet off and still in the middle 3rd of the runway.
PAPI is a valid way of "approaching' where your glideslope is and what I used when I started in FS9. However, you shouldn't be staring at it - you should be looking where you want to go. For a visual, I pick an aimpoint and keep that aimpoint the same distance from the horizon by moderating the amount of power. And if I do that, I know my descent is constant and I will flare at that point. In VFR, there is no need to use ILS - if you cant do it visual, you shouldn't do it IFR.
Awesome video! I've been using your visual cue of having the centerline run straight through my seat, and it works great! Thanks for the easy but very helpful tip!
BTW... ever heard of a Lift Reserve Indicator? I have a friend who created one for MSFS if you're interested.
good to know about the centerline and instructive how the graphics has changed since then
Nice tips, tks! Many civilian pilots wear glasses and some even have color-vision restrictions, so in the US it shouldn't be a problem unless you have a more serious problem.
Informative and well-narrated video. There are lessons in it for the real pilots. Many thanks.
ILS stands for Instrument Landing System, and is designed to help you stay on the correct flight path so that you can land the aircraft touchdown zone. It's used especially during bad weather landings as an aid when you can't really see outside.
Thank you, your videos are one of the best I have seen. You are a great pilot and an excellent teacher, so glad for people like you :D (sorry for being a geek lol)
One tip that was not covered but is invaluable - right click the screen, choose Axis Indicator and use any of the options (4 dots, small v, large v) to know exactly where the center of your screen is (I personally prefer small v). Yes, there's a red mass in the center of the screen but it's the most accurate way of knowing, and you don't have to create a new reference point for every aircraft.
I'm not an airline pilot, but I am a long time pilot. There is a big need for pilots in Asia right now, especially China and India.
Any education will cost you money. Becoming a pilot is very expensive, but that is something you have to decide. I'm not sure how it is done in Europe, but in the US you pay for your own flight training. Anyone can do it provided they pass the medical exam.
You will struggle financially for a while, but it is the price of wanting to be a airline pilot.
Thanks, FSX404 for showing how to land on the centerline. Great video. I should do one on my FSX channel too. Great job!
And then as a Training Captain you get an F/o your training as a Captain & they start landing off centre. :o)
On the Aircraft I flew (Up to A300-600 Airbus) there was always a bolt on the top of the glare shield or some other object you could use to hit the centre line.
I was often changing seats depending on who I was training so had a mark for each seat.
Nice video... FSX404, in fact always I'll guided by a "specific point on the plane panel" but never figured that the middle of the screen is an option too. Thank U :)
@tg23399
If one main wheel touches before the other one is not a big problem unless it is happening all the time.
Try to keep your head straight and not tilt it, my first guess is that you probably tilt your head instinctively as you're lining up which can cause you to misjudge bank. If that is not it, we'll go into some other stuff.
@surbhisinghrockswi
I mentioned small corrections, I believe that was my last tip. The glideslope is essential for good landings, but it is not really necessary for lining up with the centerline, most simmers can keep a glideslope better than lining up with the centerline anyway. One tip at a time, but what you have said is very important to a good overall landing. Thanks for the input.
Thanks for the comment.
The Aer Lingus livery was downloaded from the Wilco website, it is a part of the Wilco Airbus Volume 2 addons.
@polak4lyf
That's a different lesson. This was only about maintaining the centerline, once you get into maintaining a glideslope, that is a whole new can of worms that should be taught on t's own. But you are very correct in mentioning that glideslope (PAPI) is just as important.
BTW, I do have a tutorial on maintaining and adjusting the glideslope, I believe it is in my "Slow Flight Tutorial Part 3" video.
During approach you are "switching" the way of controlling the airplane. You use the thrust to adapt the sinkrate and you use the pitch to controll the speed. Less thrust = increase of sinkrate due to lower speed resulting in lesser lift. pitch up reduces speed, pitch down increases it.
nice tip, glad for this handful tips... subbed and liked
at last... it helps me a lot, now am start with dividing my screen into 2 part :D
thanks a lot bro, been looking for this big little tips
You have to adjust constantly. You won't be lined up with the runway all the time. Just make the adjustments until you are lined up, otherwise you do a go around and try again.
@FSX404
well it should put you roughly 1500 feet below the G/S, which gives you time to put out the last 2 stage of flaps (say you were at flaps 2 with the gear down), and then comfortably intercept from there
Excellent flying tips .......... keep them coming!!
I do have a job I love, but I'm not an airline pilot. I have been flying (for real) since 1995 though, so I do have a lot of flying experience.
I don't know how real NGX is, I haven't flown the it (in the sim), but I can tell you that my best friend who flies 747's does a lot of his pre-currency training on the PMDG 747. Mostly going over systems and procedures.
As far as "the best job in the world," he once told me "the best thing about flying a 747 is telling people you fly a 747", LOL
This would have been a great comment without that last line, but that actually tells us more about you than anything else.
Thanks for most of your comment.
Often missing in these 'perfect landing' videos is how important RUDDERS are to the lineup process on approach. This video again misses in mentioning that. Forget about hitting the center line until you master being parallel to the actual runway (de-crabbing). You have to use your rudders to orientate the nose to actual runway heading to ensure you are PARALLEL to the center line (de-crabbed). This is FIRST. Then use ailerons to align to the center line. Then fine-tune with ailerons left or right of center line for wind drift. All aileron adjustments are done while keeping heading true with rudder input. A truly perfect landing with normal winds (greater than 5 or 6 knots) should be a fairly decent workout on right or left rudder input. Worry about parallel landings FIRST and don't worry about putting the nose wheel on the line! Once this is mastered, then start practicing aileron input to adjust left or right while maintaining parallel. You will master this much quicker, and more importantly, be able to do it on demand rather than luck! Happy flying!
In real life floating happens an all landings (except short field) because of ground effect. Its more prominent on low wing planes, but high wing planes experience it too. That is why planes always seem to settle for a sec or two above the runway before touchdown.
Here, I was 5 kts too fast and bleed off the speed before a touchdown. In any case, you always want that sec or two of floating before touchdown because it lets the plane touch down when it is ready, otherwise you can easily bounce it
my general flight instructor in real life actually out a piece of string in front of my view to help me line up with the runway, look at me now i land exactly on the center line even with crosswinds in real life as well as in FSX
@rninanusa
The best way to do it is practice, start the flare at 30-40 feet and reduce the power completely at 20. Make sure your approach speed is on the mark, 135 kts when the plane is at half full, and 150 kts when it is fully loaded. Whatever you do just make sure that your inputs are smooth. I have another video called "Landing Practice Tip (MSFS)" just do a search for it on youtube and it should be the first video that pops up, that goes over a little "trick" on getting better landings
Can you believe they let someone like me fly?
Me neither, LOL
Get going man, do you know how many times I've seen pilots get their wings when they are 55, 60 years old? And there is only one thing they say, "I should have done it sooner".
@LeetKrew090
Whether landing for real or in the flight simulator the trick is to try to land yourself (your butt) on the centerline. Over time it really becomes second nature so that you do it without thinking about it.
It takes a lot of practice using correct procedures, because if you teach yourself how to do something the wrong way you'll never do it right, but a lot of practice using correct procedures will make it able for everyone to land within a few feet of the centerline every time.
Another really useful posting... You should host your own website.
@airsoftman6481
That depends, VFR, IFR, the plane, airport location, airport elevation, traffic pattern altitude (if applicable), suggested glideslope angle etc etc etc, there is no one good answer, each airport has their own depending on all and more than factors I mentioned above.
Now that I am done with my lawyer answer, at an average airport at 2 miles from the runway you should be 600-800 feet above the ground (on average), at 5 miles you should be at 1500-1600 feet above the ground
I don't fly jets in FSX, but opt for smaller prop planes. IMO, I personally don't use any of these visual tricks - no lining the centerline with a string or lining it with a button in the cockpit. (not that they are not valid ways of lining up). What I do is I look as far down the runway as possible. You should be able to make out if you are on center if the rwy geometry forms an isoceles triangle. When you get more exp, you won't even need to think about it, and you'll adjust by feel.
That is hard to explain. When you are in that plane, you don't even think about lining up or the centerline. It is something that is done automatically.
Has to do with staying ahead of the plane. There is a lag between reaction time and correction, so as a pilot you have to be a step ahead of the plane. At least a couple of seconds in an airliner.
It is something that comes with practice.
Pretty much all payware airlines have callouts unless you get some classic planes. You can also use the PM Sounds program which is free to add these callouts to the default planes. :D
@rninanusa
It should be your final approach speed, whatever that is for your plane, and it really hast to be exact otherwise you better have a perfect flare.
As far as the speeds, you'll have to look them up for your plane, check the manual of the plane, and make sure you have the correct weight, because it changes with the weight of the plane.
I know for a fact that the MD-80 final approach speeds can be between 125-150 kts, depending on the weight of the plane.
When I was doing my instrument training, I brought along a GPS tethered to my tablet. After the flights you could distinctly see where I was flying under IMC and when I broke out of the layer. Under IMC I was on track, but it was a little back and forth across the course. As soon as I'd break out, that ground track straightened right up and was almost like I had an autopilot flying.
Certainly prefer to be visual instead on hand-flying an ILS.
the way I discovered and learned over time is that when ever I have runway in sight I always tend to keep it RIGHT in the centre of the screen, in another words I can imagine where the string is, if it makes sense
You make very good videos. Keep it up!
@TheHarjaap
It is automatic in some planes, the default planes in FS2004 and FSX don't have that, but a lot of add-on planes do have altitude call-outs. Just get a plane that has it.
Great Video... Excelent explanation.
an awesome video!>...welldone
@immortalisblog
You could land a 737 with 90% fuel, as long as the total weight of the 737 is at or below the max landing weight, which is around 145,000 lbs or close to this (I’m going off my memory, so I could be way off). The reason I said 10-20% is because for IFR flight you need to have enough fuel to get you to your airport, plus alternate airport plus another 1 hour of flight on top of that.
fsx has the red 4 dots or triamgle etc you can switch on to use as refrence, so you all know where the centre of your a/c wheels are pointing, line that up with the centre line.
For a real novice though might be best to just switch on the FSX triangles in the SKY that you fly through to line you up.
Captain Sim, Wilco, PMDG, Flight1, and few others that have airliners have the altitude call-out feature.
I believe some freeware planes have it too, but I don't know which. There are forums where you can find out, just google it.
I can recommend my favorites, but tell me which planes you are interested in and I'll let you know what I prefer.
I 'm not sure what the problem is. Sounds like its out of trim, or perhaps your plane software is somehow corrupted.
I suggest you don't use autopilot at all unless you are at your altitude and in cruise. And you do the whole approach manually. If nothing else take off the plane from autopilot at around 3000 to 5000 feet. If the plane is out of trim, it would give you plenty of time to recover.
I don't think that a King Air has autoland.
For carrier landings you have to be able not only to land on the centerline, but on the exact spot you pick (3rd wire on a carrier). For that you have to be an expert at "slow flight" and short field approach.
"Slow Flight" (control reversal) is an essential skill every pilot needs to know, otherwise you can NEVER be a pilot in real life. "Slow Flight" teaches you the proper way to control your plane's vertical speed using your power settings, and control your speed using your pitch.
I personally have the Wilco Airbus Evolution Series 1 and Series 2, and have used them a lot for my Extreme Airport series videos.
I also have a Aerosoft Airbus X (for FSX) but I've had trouble with it because it has/had some glitches with the engines. I know its fixable but I never had patience or time to go tweak with it to get it working, so I could not vouch for its quality. Others say that Airbus X is better than Wilco, and maybe it is.
Personally, I find Wilco quite good and satisfying.
Ill give you a cool tip a pilot a gave me, I fly in c-130's as enlisted crew, and i was asking the pilot one day when we were taxiing the aircraft how do you stay centerline, and he said put the line between your legs when your sitting in the pilot's seat, and honestly thats as true as it gets. Since he said that I've noticed it every time.
+Ryan Sanders Thanks, it is actually one of the first things I mention in this video.
+GVad The Pilot (FSX404) Yeah, did he have the volume turned down or something!?
Its not a software, it is the plane itself. The default planes in flight sim don't have it, so you need to get a plane that does in order to have the altitude callouts.
To my best knowledge the yaw dampener is on after liftoff, and off prior to landing.
I was thinking Tivat for some reason when I made the intro screen and didn't realize I had blundered for a few weeks till someone else pointed it out. There is an annotation that tries to fix that, but the editing file in Premier Pro (program I use to edit these videos) is long gone.
I'd have to recreate the whole thing and it's too much work to do for one typo.
Drives Croatians crazy and Montenegro-ans happy, but its just a typo after all :)
@immortalisblog
Using only the trim is OK, makes the landings a lot easier, but you should also use a little bit of the yoke, and I'm talking very small adjustments because if you concentrate on using only your trim, you can get into trouble really quick.
hold . for the brakes, / for the spoilers/speed brakes and if your plane has reversers - hold F2 to decrease the throttle into the reverse position
Just to address the first part of the comment, my touchdown speed is low, but that is because I bleed it off during the flare (many people comment that I float sometimes), my approach speed is usually right on the mark or 5 knots above.
No, your heading is at an angle to the runway into the wind, you are flying (your track)parallel with the runway.
Great tips - thanks!
You don't set it, if the plane that you downloaded has that capability it will do it automatically. You cant set it.
@hairybearz
You're supposed to have between 10-20% depending on the plane.
Obviously you're thinking out of the box so you're not a phony. And sure, any reference to the center of the screen will work. I just used an example of a string.
Hello, I've been using a joy stick for 20 years, and just went to a yoke (Honeycomb), and its a whole different world, and all of it ain't good. I could land the 777 pretty well on FS95 with the joy stick. Then I got FSX, not nearly as easy, as the AP and autoland are stepped up and kind of combined even. But doable. Very difficult to understand, but so was FS4, 95 etc. But I have not mastered the autoland system for the FSX777 combination yet, and must hand land. I usually cut out the autoland system at about 500 feet anyway, but I find lining up with the yoke almost impossible. It is totally different than the joy stick. For now, I am back at Meigs Field in Chicago with the Cessna to try to get the feel of this thing, which cost more than ally my fs put together. I am still glad I got it, and it is very different.gs Any pointers? Also, thanks for the videos. Your insight and advice are priceless and I am sure many younger guys will appreciate your guidance as they get pilots licenses or step into the aviation field.
It takes time to get used to the yoke, its just different and there is nothing for it but to fly only with it until it becomes natural. Stick has a faster reaction with smaller movement, yoke needs more movement and because of slower reaction you need to "think ahead."
As far as landing, I would not use autoland or ILS until I mastered the visual landings. Sure one wants to play and do a flight, but it takes years before pilots get into a 737 or 777. If you really want to do it correctly, you may need to start at the beginning, not necessarily a Cessna, but flight mechanics and flight dynamics. Slow flight practice, visual approaches practice, etc. Understand what happens to a plane when landing, speed is controlled by pitch, altitude by power, etc. Look at some slow flight tutorials, see what I mean.
@@FSX404 Thank a lot for your response. I really appreciate it. I am back with the Cessna at Meigs if I can find it, just to get a grip on it. The yoke is very different and you seem to have more control in unexpected ways and in unexpected places. With the Cessna, I am starting to appreciate it, with the 777, it just threw me way off. Meigs is where I learned to land and take off, which I did for years, and by the time I got FSX, which was a gift from my brother, I was hand landing the 777 at Detroit City, sometimes on rwy's 7 or 25, (4000ft. or so, nice challenge.) There is a parallel there because I didn't just jump into the larger jets. I think I went from the Cessna, way back FS2004 to the F14 then to 737.
I never got into ILS till I got into the lager passenger jets, and never looked back. I'm like, wow, you can get these thing to land themselves - cool! But I have never had a complete all the way to the ground auto land. Don't know if I real pilots don't, or FS just makes crappy auto lands. But I love the automation. One time my brother was over while it was on, and I was punching in numbers, taking notes, adjusting dials, and he says, ~you just write stuff down, and I said yeah, that's about it. One more thing, i have been hearing, "think ahead" since I got into this, but with this you have to think way ahead, and that might take some getting use to. One thing I remember from one of your videos is to have everything set by the time you are 1/4 mile out. Oh boy, everything I have done in that 1/4 mile let to crap, so will try to put that in practice for sure. I may also print out SPEED is controlled by PITCH, and ALTITUDE by POWER. Thanks again and I have a Facebook page for Detroit City Airport, know as Coleman Young Airport, and it's on it last legs, with the city trying to find any and every excuse to shut it down. It's a good airport, they just can't find anyone to run it properly. If you got a minute or can get a minute----> facebook.com/Friends-of-Coleman-Young-International-Airport-157617787699650
@CA477544
No problem, you'll find out how important it is to aim yourself (your butt) for the centerline when you start flying in the right seat (instructor or copilot training). If you get a chance to fly again try it out, but make sure that you have another pilot in the left seat just in case because it is very different.
Every pilot has their things that annoy them, and mine is to come in too slow for landing
I used to stay quiet when flying with friend, but not anymore after a friend stalled the plane 15 feet above the runway. That was NOT fun
Unless it's a short runway, there is no need to be at or below short field approach speed. As pilots get over the runway they forget to look at the speed and get too slow. If you are too slow and mess up the flare, you're in trouble
Keep that speed up, that's my advice
I have a list of planes I fly and have flown on my channel. But the biggest one I have flown is a Piper Seminole.
@TeamLeftmatch777
Aside from looking very unprofessional, it can cause a lot of problems once you hit narrow runways or heavy crosswinds. You always need to put the plane as close as you can to your aiming point on the runway.
When I go up flying with my friends (one of them actually a 747 pilot) just to play around, we always pick an exact point on the runway and do 3 landings each to see who can land the plane closest to that point, so its a point of pride or embarrassment too.