Master the Airbus A320 flare in MSFS: VAPP, 30 ft round-out, RETARD timing, touchdown technique, float fixes and go-around limits.
To flare and land the Airbus A320 in Microsoft Flight Simulator, arrive stabilised at the calculated VAPP, look towards the far end at about 30 ft, make a small, progressive aft-stick input, and move the thrust levers to IDLE at the RETARD callout. Let the main gear meet the runway; do not hold it off.
A320 flare and landing technique, step by step
A good A320 landing comes from preserving a stable approach and making one small round-out rather than trying to manufacture an exceptionally soft touchdown.
- Complete the landing set-up early. Select the planned flap configuration, lower the gear, arm the ground spoilers and set autobrake for the runway conditions. Aim to be on the correct lateral and vertical path, at the displayed approach target and with stable thrust by 1,000 ft AGL. Treat 500 ft AGL as the latest decision point rather than trying to rescue an unsettled approach below it.
- Disconnect the autopilot with time to settle. For manual practice, 500 to 1,000 ft AGL gives enough time to establish the sight picture without hand-flying the entire approach. Autothrust can remain engaged, with the levers normally in the CL detent, until the flare. Use small sidestick inputs and do not manually chase pitch trim while the aircraft is in Normal Law. For an autoland, leave the autopilot engaged and do not mix manual flare inputs into the automatic landing.
- Do not pre-flare at 50 ft. In a suitably modelled A320, the Normal Law flare logic begins around 50 ft radio altitude and progressively introduces a slight nose-down tendency. This encourages the pilot to make a deliberate flare input; it is not a cue for a large pull.
- Begin the flare at about 30 ft. Shift your gaze farther down the runway and apply gentle, progressive aft sidestick. Think of increasing pitch by roughly 2 to 3 degrees from the approach attitude, not reaching a fixed pitch number. The required input varies with sink rate, weight and wind.
- Move the thrust levers to IDLE at RETARD. The callout normally begins around 20 ft. Move the levers positively to IDLE rather than leaving approach thrust in through touchdown. If the aircraft does not provide the callout, use the same visual timing as the flare develops.
- Allow the main gear to touch. Hold the landing attitude without adding more and more back-pressure. Keep the centreline with rudder and avoid pushing the nose down after contact. A normal touchdown in the touchdown zone is better than floating for an artificially soft one.
- Lower the nose smoothly and complete the rollout. Progressively relax the aft input so the nose wheel comes down without being slammed onto the runway or held off for prolonged aerodynamic braking. Confirm ground-spoiler deployment, use reverse thrust and braking as planned, and maintain directional control with rudder before transitioning to nose-wheel steering at taxi speed.
If the difficulty begins before the flare, our complete A320 approach, landing and go-around flow covers the configuration and stabilised-approach work that should already be finished by short final.
What speed should the A320 cross the threshold at?
Use the VAPP calculated for that aircraft's landing weight, flap configuration and wind rather than copying a speed from another flight.
Many ordinary A320 landings fall broadly between the low 130s and mid-140s KIAS, but that range is only a reasonableness check. A light aircraft may be slower, while a heavy landing or CONF 3 approach may be faster. Adding arbitrary extra speed because it feels safer is one of the most common causes of a long float.
With managed speed and autothrust, the commanded target can sit above the entered VAPP because of the aircraft's wind-compensation logic. Follow a valid displayed target rather than forcing the speed tape to remain exactly at VAPP, and do not add another personal gust margin on top.
CONF FULL is usually the simplest configuration for landing practice because it provides more drag and normally produces a lower VAPP. CONF 3 is also a valid landing configuration when selected in the aircraft's performance set-up, but its higher speed and lower drag make excess energy more obvious. Fenix users can follow our explanation of finding the correct landing weight, configuration and VAPP.
How do you judge the A320 flare height in MSFS?
Use the runway sight picture and radio-altimeter callouts together, shifting your gaze from the aiming point towards the far end as the aircraft reaches about 30 ft.
Staring just over the nose makes the runway appear to rush upwards, which encourages a late, abrupt pull. Looking farther along the runway makes sink rate, alignment and the small pitch change easier to judge. Radio-altimeter callouts support that visual judgement; they should not replace it.
Camera position matters more in a simulator because depth perception and peripheral vision are limited. Use a consistent pilot eye point and moderate field of view, and avoid moving the viewpoint merely to expose more of the instrument panel. A runway that is unusually wide, narrow or sloped can also make the aircraft appear lower or higher than it is. Our guide to building the correct runway sight picture in a flight simulator covers those visual traps in more detail.
How should you flare the A320 in a crosswind?
Hold the crab on final, then use enough rudder during the flare to align the fuselage with the centreline while applying a small into-wind sidestick input to stop drift.
Do not make a large, early wing-low correction or chase every gust with alternating controls. The aim is aligned main-gear contact with minimal sideways movement and only the bank needed to prevent drift. For the full control sequence, see our simulator crosswind landing technique from final approach through rollout.
Why does the A320 float, balloon or land hard in MSFS?
Most poor A320 touchdowns come from excess speed, incorrect thrust timing, an oversized flare input or unsuitable controller calibration.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| Long float | Fast threshold crossing, thrust not at idle, tailwind or too much flare | Use the calculated target, confirm the throttle reaches IDLE and accept a normal touchdown in the touchdown zone |
| Balloon | Abrupt aft input, excess speed or an over-sensitive pitch axis | Stop increasing pitch; if the climb is significant or speed is decaying, go around |
| Firm touchdown | Late flare, low energy, excessive sink or thrust reduced too early | Stabilise the approach and start a small progressive flare around 30 ft instead of making a last-second pull |
| Bounce | High sink rate, forced touchdown or pushing forward after main-gear contact | For a light skip, retain the landing attitude and idle thrust; for a significant or repeated bounce, go around |
| Nose wheel slams down | Aft input released abruptly after touchdown | Relax the input progressively and fly the nose wheel onto the runway without prolonged hold-off |
| Ground spoilers do not deploy | Spoilers not armed, thrust lever not registering IDLE or add-on touchdown logic not satisfied | Brake and maintain control, then check spoiler arming, throttle calibration and duplicate control bindings after the landing |
The stock A320 and higher-fidelity add-ons do not reproduce flare law, ground effect and control response identically. If tiny sidestick movements produce a large pitch change, reduce pitch-axis sensitivity and check that no second controller is bound to the same axis. If the engines continue producing thrust with the hardware at idle, recalibrate the add-on's throttle detents before judging the flare model.
When should you go around instead of saving the landing?
Go around when the aircraft is no longer stable or cannot touch down safely within the touchdown zone without aggressive corrections.
- Unstable below the decision gate: speed, path, configuration or thrust still requires large corrections below about 500 ft AGL.
- Excess speed over the threshold: the aircraft is clearly going to float beyond the normal touchdown area.
- Large balloon: the flare turns into a climb, especially with speed decaying.
- Significant or repeated bounce: do not pull harder to soften the next contact because that increases tailstrike risk.
- Uncontrolled drift or misalignment: large last-second rudder and bank inputs are required to reach the runway.
- Unsafe landing configuration: a warning, missing landing item or system problem makes continuing the landing doubtful.
Select TOGA, establish the go-around flight path and follow the aircraft's guidance rather than making another attempt to force it onto the runway. A smooth touchdown is desirable, but correct speed, runway alignment and a safe touchdown point take priority.