How do you fly a visual approach in a flight simulator?

To fly a visual approach in a flight simulator, identify the correct runway, arrange a normal circuit or stable final intercept, configure and trim for the published approach speed, descend on the proper visual geometry using PAPI/VASI and the aiming point, correct for wind, and go around if visual reference or stability is lost.

This Aviation & Real-World Flying answer separates the formal IFR meaning of a visual approach from the handling technique used by simulator pilots. The same principles apply across Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane, Prepar3D and comparable civil flight simulators, though aircraft procedures and ATC behaviour differ.

What is a visual approach?

A visual approach is flown primarily by external visual reference to the airport, runway or preceding aircraft rather than by following instrument guidance to minimums. Under IFR it can still be an ATC clearance: the flight remains IFR, and the pilot must maintain the visual reference required by the applicable rules and clearance.

For a VFR flight simmer, joining a visual circuit is not the same legal procedure as accepting an IFR visual approach, even though the base-to-final handling is similar. At an uncontrolled airport, the pilot normally joins the published or customary circuit, watches for traffic and makes position calls where appropriate; there may be no approach clearance at all.

An ILS may be monitored as a cross-check when available and permitted, but the PAPI does not transmit guidance to the aircraft. Exact ATC phraseology, separation responsibilities and visual-approach requirements vary by jurisdiction, so follow the rules being simulated rather than assuming one region’s procedures apply everywhere.

What approach geometry should you fly?

Fly approach geometry that leaves enough distance to become configured, on speed and established on the extended centreline before the stability gate. A normal visual circuit is usually safer than a rushed straight-in or a tight base leg.

Before descending, confirm the runway number and markings, landing direction, wind, threshold elevation, displaced threshold, runway length and slope, circuit direction, terrain and intended go-around route. Runway numbers are based on magnetic direction and are rounded, so do not expect the painted number to equal an exact heading.

Circuit altitude and spacing are airport- and aircraft-dependent. A light piston aircraft can fly a much tighter visual circuit than a transport jet; copying the same turn points in both creates either an oversized pattern or an unstable final. Our guide to setting downwind spacing and making a controlled base-to-final turn covers that preparation in detail.

If ATC vectors you towards the runway, seeing it is not a reason to descend immediately. First judge whether you can reach a normal final without diving, exceeding flap or gear limits, or making a steep low-altitude turn.

Visual approach step by step

The safest sequence removes excess height and speed early, leaving only small corrections on short final.

1. Identify the runway. Match the runway markings, approximate heading and airport layout with the assigned runway. At airports with parallel runways, verify left, centre or right rather than accepting the first strip you see.
2. Plan the intercept. Join downwind and base, or intercept the extended centreline far enough out to stabilise. Do not tighten an overshooting final turn with excessive bank close to the ground.
3. Set speed and configuration. Use the simulated aircraft’s checklist or operating data for flap, landing gear and target approach speed. Apply any wind correction only when the aircraft procedure calls for it.
4. Trim the aircraft. Establish the desired attitude and power, let the speed settle, then trim away sustained pitch pressure. Retrim after meaningful speed, flap or power changes.
5. Turn onto final. Look through the turn, lead it according to wind and roll out on the extended centreline. The runway may remain visually offset from the nose when a crosswind requires a crab.
6. Establish the descent. Use the aiming point, PAPI or VASI and altitude-distance checks to capture the intended path. Coordinate pitch and power instead of chasing one indication with abrupt control inputs.
7. Apply a stability gate. By the gate specified for the aircraft or operator, be correctly configured, aligned, on speed and descending at a controlled rate. For general simulator practice, 500 ft above ground in visual conditions is a useful benchmark, but it is not a universal rule.
8. Continue or go around. Continue only if small corrections will keep the approach stable. Once over the threshold, transition to the aircraft’s normal flare and touchdown technique; our advice on controlling speed, sight picture and flare timing covers that separate phase.

How do you judge a 3° visual approach?

Use a nearly stationary aiming point, the approach lights and a height-versus-distance check together. If the aiming point moves up the windscreen, the projected touchdown point is moving short; if it moves down, the aircraft will overshoot it.

A practical 3° estimate is about 300 ft above threshold elevation per nautical mile. At 6 NM, aim to be roughly 1,800 ft above the threshold; at 3 NM, roughly 900 ft. When the altimeter shows altitude above mean sea level, add the threshold elevation rather than comparing it directly with height above the runway.

Approximate descent rate by multiplying groundspeed by five: 90 kt is about 450 ft/min, 120 kt about 600 ft/min and 140 kt about 700 ft/min. Use these as initial settings, not fixed commands; wind changes the required vertical speed for the same path angle.

Runway perspective can be deceptive. A narrow or upsloping runway can make the aircraft appear higher than it is, encouraging a low approach, while a wide or downsloping runway can have the opposite effect. Darkness, featureless terrain and water create the classic black-hole illusion, making an unnecessarily low path especially easy to accept.

What do PAPI and VASI mean in aviation?

PAPI and VASI are visual glidepath systems that show whether the pilot’s eye is above, on or below the designed approach angle.

• PAPI — Precision Approach Path Indicator: two white and two red lights normally mean on path. More white means high; more red means low. Four white is well high and four red is well low.
• VASI — Visual Approach Slope Indicator: red over white normally means on path, white over white means high and red over red means low. The familiar aviation mnemonic is based on that red-over-white indication.
• No slope lights: combine the stationary aiming point, runway perspective, altimeter and distance checks. Do not rely on runway shape alone.

PAPI and VASI show the path of the pilot’s eye, not the wheels, which matters in aircraft with a large eye-to-wheel distance. They also do not guarantee obstacle clearance when viewed far outside their intended range or sector. Close to the runway, avoid trying to recover a large deviation by pitching sharply just to change the colours.

Why can PAPI be difficult to read in VR?

VR PAPI lights can be hard to distinguish because each lamp occupies very few rendered pixels, while glare, exposure effects, headset resolution and scenery quality can blur red and white together. Reset the normal seated eye position first; an unusually high or low cockpit viewpoint changes the apparent relationship between the aircraft and the light path.

If the simulator permits it, reduce excessive bloom or glare and raise visual resolution only as far as performance allows. Never make a low-level correction from an uncertain VR PAPI indication alone. Cross-check the aiming point and the 300-ft-per-NM rule, and suspect a scenery placement problem if the lights disagree consistently with known runway geometry.

How should you use trim in Flight Simulator?

Use trim to remove sustained control pressure after establishing the desired attitude and speed, not as the primary control for chasing the glidepath. Pitch to correct the flight path, adjust power as required, allow the aircraft to respond, then make a small trim change.

A mistake we see constantly is repeated trim input before the previous change has taken effect. This produces alternating fast and slow conditions or a pronounced pitch oscillation. Poorly calibrated trim axes and duplicate controller bindings can cause the same behaviour, so check for unwanted inputs if the aircraft keeps retrimming itself.

Autopilots often command pitch trim. Do not fight that movement with manual trim while the autopilot is engaged, and be ready for the control forces after disconnection. Trim also does not replace the flare: use the flight controls for the landing transition rather than winding in large nose-up trim near the ground.

What does de-crab mean on a crosswind approach?

To de-crab is to align the aircraft’s longitudinal axis with the runway before touchdown after using a crab angle to counter crosswind on final. Apply rudder towards runway alignment while adding enough into-wind aileron to prevent sideways drift.

Many light aircraft can use a wing-low sideslip through much of final. Larger aircraft often remain crabbed until the flare and then de-crab, although permitted technique and touchdown crab limits vary by type. Rudder alone points the nose along the runway but does not stop drift; aileron is still needed to control lateral movement.

If the required correction exceeds the aircraft’s demonstrated or procedural capability, or the aircraft will not remain over the centreline, go around. Simulator auto-rudder and assistance options can mask this coordination, so disable them when practising realistic crosswind control.

Can you fly a visual approach in Flight Simulator 2020 low IFR conditions?

No visual approach should be continued in low IFR conditions unless the required runway, airport or preceding-aircraft reference has been acquired and can be maintained. That principle applies in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 on PC and Xbox just as it does in real-world procedure.

If cloud or visibility hides the runway, remain on the cleared instrument procedure, respect its minimums and missed-approach instructions, or ask ATC for another clearance. Our step-by-step explanation of intercepting and flying an ILS is the appropriate alternative where one is available.

Seeing runway lights briefly through a cloud gap is not enough if they are immediately lost again. Do not descend below the applicable minimum altitude merely because the simulator’s external camera can see the airport. If visual reference is lost after accepting an IFR visual approach, tell ATC and follow its instructions; simulator ATC may be simplified, but the safe response is still to climb and reposition.

Can the autopilot fly a visual procedure?

An autopilot can assist with a visual approach, but it cannot accept responsibility for visual reference, traffic, terrain, speed or landing clearance. Heading or track mode can establish the final intercept, while vertical-speed or flight-path-angle mode can create a controlled descent.

Some avionics generate advisory lateral and vertical guidance to a selected runway. That visual procedure is not automatically an authorised instrument approach, and pressing the approach button does not make the autopilot capture PAPI or VASI lights because those lights transmit no radio signal. Check the active and armed mode annunciations rather than assuming the aircraft will descend.

If an installation displays a name such as AVisual Pro, treat it as a product-specific function rather than a standard aviation clearance or approach category. Likewise, JA is not a universal abbreviation for a visual approach; interpret unexplained labels from the relevant avionics or chart legend.

Disconnect early enough to assess the aircraft’s trim and control response before the flare. A last-second handover while fast, out of trim or drifting is one of the easiest ways to spoil an otherwise acceptable approach.

Which mistakes spoil a visual approach?

Most failed visual approaches begin with poor energy management, bad circuit spacing or an unstable final turn rather than with the flare.

When should you go around from a visual approach?

Go around when required visual reference is lost, the aircraft is unstable at the chosen gate, safe alignment cannot be recovered, or the runway is occupied or unsuitable. Excessive speed, an abnormal sink rate, repeated large PAPI corrections and a steep attempt to regain the centreline are clear warnings.

Do not continue simply because the wheels are nearly over the airport boundary. A go-around is also appropriate after a severe bounce, significant lateral drift or any approach that now demands aggressive control inputs.

Under IFR, a visual approach normally does not give you permission to fly the missed approach from an unrelated instrument procedure. Advise ATC and follow the issued instructions, subject to the applicable rules and immediate terrain clearance needs. If simulator ATC fails to respond sensibly, establish a safe climb first; our guide to power, pitch and configuration during a simulator go-around explains the correct control sequence.