This
page is
mainly for Flight simulator pilots without a real PPL license. I have several
times received questions about how to join and fly the traffic circuit. I hope
this question will be answered here.
To begin
with, I fly single engine light aircraft in the real life as private pilot. I also fly
the CAP-10, which is an aerobatic plane. This plane has a tail wheel, so landing
with it is different compared to the Cessna and PA28s. I have some experience
on both heavy and soft landings with these planes. I also use FS2002, but only
with the single engine type, since I use FS2002 as a training tool, and not as a
game. So, I have no idea how to fly the other planes as real as possible, even
if I can manage to fly and land them as well (usually), but I suppose, in a real
plane it would be more difficult to land a 737 than in FS2002.
It is
important to point out that my answer concerns visual approach and landing.
Instrument approaches are different from visual, even if the last part is the
same.
Here is
a simple drawing on a visual traffic circuit pattern:
It is
important, that when you join the traffic circuit, you have the right altitude
and speed to be able to fly the traffic circuit correctly and to arrive to the
Final at correct altitude and speed. The downwind altitude is usually 800 feet
above the runway altitude, and the speed is 80 kt for the Cessna and 80-95 kt
for the PA28 (depending on the type). Set first flap as soon as you reach the
correct flap speed and trim the plane. Keep a constant speed and altitude for
the downwind. Make small adjustments, but correct deviations as soon as you
detect them. Don’t make counteracting actions. For example, if you want to
reduce speed, don’t reduce the throttle and drop the nose at the same time.
Lowering the nose will increase the speed again, counteracting your initial
intentions. To reduce speed, reduce throttle and keep the nose attitude. To
increase the speed, either increase the throttle or lower the nose, whichever is
the most suitable for the situation. On short final, lowering the nose might not
only increase your speed, but also decrease your altitude so much that you may
not make the runway. So in that situation, adding power is more suitable than
lowering the nose. At the same time, you have to watch out, if you add power,
you may gain altitude. This you have to correct with lowering the nose. So the
whole final is a constant play with the throttle and the elevator control. That
is why you keep left hand on the yoke and right hand on the throttle all the way
until the end of landing roll. Also because you might need to abort your
landing, and in that case you are well prepared, just push the throttle and go.
Usually,
you start to turn base when you have the runway threshold marker at your 8
o'clock. This is tricky in FS2002 unless you have several screens, but with
practice you'll get better every time. If you are practicing touch and go, try
to find a landmark for your turn. Do not start descending before you completed
the turn. Start to descend as soon as you are on the base leg. You should
descend with a vertical speed of approx. 300 ft/min. It is time for the second
flap after the turn. Do not forget to reduce the power, otherwise your airspeed
will increase. Trim for the descend and keep 80 kt (Cessna) during base leg.
If you
flew the downwind part at the right distance from the runway, you should be at
approx. 500 feet over the runway altitude when you completed the turn to the
final. If you have the runway in front of you after the turn (not always the
case, as you probably already know), continue the descend with 300 ft/min, but
hopefully not more than 400 ft/min and successfully reduce the speed to 60 kt,
and out with the third flap. Trim again. Aim all the time 1-200 meters (300-600
feet) in front of the desired setting point.
Arriving
over the threshold hopefully approx. 50 feet over it, begins the short final.
Reduce power, to decrease the IAS (Indicated Air Speed), but keep the same
vertical speed. Begin the flare (start to raise the nose and aim at the end of
the runway) at around 10-15 feet over the runway. Reduce power slowly to idle.
If you reduce the power too fast, a real Cessna 172R will fall like a brick. The
PA28 will keep on flying. I am not an expert on aerodynamics, maybe the ground
effect keeps the PA28 longer, but it is a fact that they are different.
In FS2002,
you will lose the runway from your sight, if you flew the flare correctly. This
is OK, just don't panic and don't turn. If you flew the final correctly, and you
had the runway center line just under you when started the flare, you will land
on it unless there is a crosswind to take into account. Just watch out for
gaining altitude again (remember, you supposed to land). If that happens, lower
the nose a bit to correct, but watch your air speed. Not too much, just as to
counteract the climb. Remember, during all that time, you have to loose air
speed and altitude at the same time, but not too fast.
Continue
to keep the nose up even after the main gear touched the runway. Don't use the
breaks, your nose wheel will come down, because you are losing the lift
produced. Usually, with the Cessna on most runways I don't use the breaks at all
before arriving to the parking, unless of course I have to stop and give way for
crossing traffic. All (or at least most) speed will and should be lost during
the runway run.
So, back to the question of descend rate, at touchdown, ideally the rate of descend is 0 (zero) ft/min, on final and during the flare 3-400 ft/min. If your rate of descend is too low during flare, you will land on all tree wheels. The landing may be smooth, and to an amateur look and feel good, but in the real it is a very dangerous situation. Your speed is still too high when the wheels touch the ground. This can result in bouncing and you'll get airborne again, but to actually fly, the speed is too low, you may stall and fall off the sky, hitting the runway hard (in the best case) or crashing, with risk for a serious accident. In a good landing, land always the main wheels first, stay off the ground with the nose wheel as long as possible, if you have runway in front of you. Short field landing is an other subject.
If your
air speed is too high, you'll bounce back again, and start to bounce as a rubber
ball. If you try to land at this stage, you might hit the runway with your nose
wheel and crash. If you bounce, don’t hesitate, since you should have your
right hand on the throttle, just push forward, abort landing, take off again and
make a new try. To try to correct bouncing is not recommended for beginners. It
might end up in a pilot induced oscillated bouncing, eventually ending in a
catastrophe. Swallow your pride, announce your intentions to the tower and just
carry on. Air traffic controllers are happier to see you fly an other circuit
and regain control than to have to call the Fire department and report an
accident. Of course crashing in FS2002 is not very serious, so you can always take
chances and survive, but if you practice for real, do it as if you were sitting
in a real plane.
There are special techniques to loose altitude more rapidly then 3-400 ft/min without gaining air speed, it is called side slipping. I will not explain how to do that here. There is just one way to make repeated nice landings, and that is through a lot of practice and bad landings. Hopefully no landings will result in mechanical damage. Landings are difficult without an instructor beside you. But, crashing flying FS2002, and all the other simulators is ALWAYS survivable, which is why it is a good practice tool.
Download
the above Traffic_Circuit.doc in Word
format.
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