How to land smoothly in MSFS and X-Plane

Smooth landings are decided long before the runway. In our experience, almost every hard landing, bounce or float in the sim traces back to one of three things: an unstable approach, the wrong speed, or a flare that was too big, too early or too late. Fix those and the landing rate takes care of itself.

This is technique for flying in Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS), X-Plane and other simulators. If you want to know what number to aim for, read what counts as a good landing rate first.

Start with a stable approach

You can't flare well from a messy approach. By the time you are a few hundred feet above the runway, you want everything settled so the last 30 seconds are only small corrections.

This is where the approach and final phases of flight matter most. A stable approach means:

• On speed. At your aircraft's approach speed for its weight and flap setting, not 20 knots fast.
• On path. On a steady glide path, usually around 3 degrees, with your descent rate roughly constant.
• Configured. Gear down and landing flap set early, so nothing changes late.
• Trimmed. The aircraft holds its attitude with no pressure on the controls.
• Lined up. Wings level and on the extended centreline.

If you're not stable by about 500 feet above the runway, go around. A missed approach in the sim costs you five minutes; forcing a bad approach costs you the landing.

Use the aiming point

Pick a spot on the runway (the touchdown zone markings work well) and watch where it sits in your windscreen. If it moves up, you are getting low and will land short. If it moves down, you are getting high and will land long. Small pitch and power changes keep it still. This works in every aircraft and doesn't depend on the instruments.

Get the speed right

Too much speed is the main cause of floating. Every extra knot over the threshold has to be bled off in the flare before the aircraft will settle, and it does that by floating down the runway. Check your aircraft's approach speed for your landing weight (a flight planning tool or the aircraft's own performance pages will give it) and fly it precisely.

The flare, step by step

The flare turns your approach descent rate (often 600 to 800 fpm in an airliner) into a gentle touchdown. It is a small movement, done smoothly, at the right height.

1. Know your flare height. In a light aircraft, start the flare only a few feet above the runway. In an airliner, start around 20 to 30 feet, cued by the radio altimeter callouts.
2. Look down the runway. Shift your eyes from the aiming point to the far end of the runway as you start the flare. It is much easier to judge height and sink when you look ahead.
3. Raise the nose a little. Only a few degrees in most airliners. Think of it as slowing the descent, not stopping it.
4. Bring the power back. Close the throttles smoothly as you flare, at the point your aircraft's procedures call for it. Power left on makes the aircraft float.
5. Hold the attitude and let it settle. Once the descent is slowed, keep the attitude and let the aircraft touch down. Don't keep pulling: we aim for -100 to -200 fpm, not zero.
6. Fly it onto the ground. Lower the nose gently once the main wheels are down, and stay on the centreline with the rudder.

Too big, too early or too late

Simulator settings that make a difference

In our experience, a few control settings changes help more than hours of practice.

• Reduce control sensitivity. Default sensitivity curves can make small yoke or stick movements produce large pitch changes. Soften the curve near the centre so the flare is a fine adjustment.
• Check your dead zones and calibration. A stick that doesn't centre cleanly makes holding a steady attitude difficult.
• Use real hardware if you can. A yoke or joystick gives far finer pitch control than a keyboard or gamepad. Throttle levers help with smooth power changes.
• Keep the frame rate steady. Stutters on short final make it hard to judge sink. Lower your graphics settings for landing practice if you need to.
• Use a consistent view. Pick a cockpit view where you can see the runway ahead clearly over the glareshield and use it every time, so your eye learns the picture.
• Be careful with ground effect. Simulators model the extra lift close to the runway differently. If your aircraft tends to float in one sim, flare a touch later and smaller.

Bounces, floats and crosswinds

Why you bounce

A bounce usually comes from touching down with too much descent rate or too much speed, or from pulling back sharply at the moment of contact. If you bounce, hold the attitude rather than pushing the nose down, and if the bounce is big, go around. Pushing forward after a bounce often leads to a nose-wheel-first second touchdown.

Why you float

Floating is extra energy: too much speed, power still on, or a flare started too high. The cure is on the approach, not in the flare. A float also eats runway, which is why we don't treat the softest landings as the best ones.

Crosswind landings

In a crosswind you will be crabbed on the approach (nose pointed into the wind). Moments before touchdown, use rudder to line the nose up with the runway and a little aileron into the wind to stop drifting. Don't hold the aircraft off for longer than usual: the longer you float, the further the wind pushes you sideways.

How to practise

• Fly circuits. Takeoff, a short pattern and a landing, repeated. Ten landings in an hour teach you more than one long flight.
• Use the same aircraft and airport. Remove variables until the picture becomes familiar.
• Review your landings. A landing-rate tool or ACARS client that records your final approach shows you exactly where it went wrong.
• Hand-fly the last 1,000 feet. Autopilot to short final is fine while you learn, but disconnect early enough to settle into the approach before you flare.

Frequently asked questions

What is a butter landing?

A butter landing is a very soft touchdown, often softer than -100 fpm. It looks great on video, but we rate a firm landing in the touchdown zone above one far down the runway, and our default bands score anything softer than -100 fpm lower because it usually means a float.

Why are landings harder in a simulator than real life?

You can't feel the aircraft in a sim. Real pilots sense sink rate through the seat, and in the sim you only have the picture on screen, often with a narrower field of view. Steady visual habits make up for most of it.

Should I use autoland in the sim?

Use it if your aircraft has it and your virtual airline (VA) allows it, but it won't teach you to land. If smooth landings are the goal, we'd recommend hand-flying at least the final part of the approach and the flare.

How do I stop floating down the runway?

Fly the correct approach speed, bring the power back as you start the flare, and make the flare smaller. If you are still floating, you are probably flaring too high.

How do I check my landing rate?

Run an ACARS client or landing-rate tool alongside your simulator. It records your touchdown and shows the rate after you land. Here's how an ACARS client works.

Where Stratos fits

Stratos records every landing and the Landing Analyser plugin scores it on landing rate, approach stability, g-force, bounces, rollout and fuel, with a frame-by-frame replay of the final second you can step through. By default it also checks your approach at 50 feet against a stabilised-approach gate (sink rate, speed over your reference speed, and bank), so you can see whether the problem started before the flare. The landing score guide lists every category and band.