Learn what counts as a good landing rate in FPM, with practical ranges for light aircraft and airliners, plus why the softest touchdown may be poor.
A good landing rate in Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane, Prepar3D and FSX is roughly 60–180 feet per minute for a light aircraft and 100–250 FPM for an airliner. Treat these as useful practice ranges, not pass-or-fail limits: aircraft type, runway condition, wind, touchdown point and vertical acceleration matter more than chasing the smallest number.
What landing rate is considered good?
For an ordinary runway landing, aim for a controlled touchdown below about 200 FPM in light aircraft or 250 FPM in an airliner. Landing tools may show descent as a negative number, such as -145 FPM; when comparing landings, use its magnitude of 145 FPM.
| Touchdown rate | Practical interpretation |
|---|---|
| Below 60 FPM | Exceptionally soft, but often produced by excessive floating rather than better technique. |
| 60–180 FPM | A good range for many light aeroplanes in normal conditions. |
| 100–250 FPM | A controlled, normal range for many airliner landings. |
| 250–400 FPM | A firm touchdown. It may be deliberate in gusts, crosswinds or on a wet runway, but review the approach. |
| Above 400 FPM | Investigate the flare, speed and bounce. Aircraft-specific limits determine whether it counts as a hard landing. |
These figures are coaching ranges, not structural limits. A 300 FPM touchdown might be reasonable for a large aircraft in difficult conditions but very rough in a light trainer. Carrier aircraft also touch down more firmly by design, so they should not be judged against ordinary landplane figures.
Is the lowest landing rate always best?
The lowest FPM score is not necessarily the best landing because a prolonged float can trade vertical speed for runway distance. A safe, accurate touchdown at 180 FPM is better than a 30 FPM “greaser” halfway down the runway.
Judge the complete landing using these criteria:
- The approach was stabilised at the correct speed and configuration.
- The main wheels touched down inside the intended touchdown zone.
- The aircraft remained aligned with the runway centreline.
- There was no serious bounce, tail strike or hard nose-wheel contact.
- Directional control and braking were maintained during the rollout.
A landing-rate logger may score only the first main-wheel contact, missing a slammed nose wheel or a harder second impact after a bounce. If the approach and flare are the underlying problem, our guide to building a stabilised approach and complete landing sequence covers those fundamentals.
Why does the vertical-speed indicator show a higher rate?
Landing rate is the aircraft’s vertical velocity at wheel contact, not the descent rate shown earlier on final approach. On a three-degree glide path, multiplying groundspeed by roughly five gives the expected descent rate: 120 knots is about 600 FPM before the flare, which should then reduce the sink before touchdown.
The cockpit vertical-speed indicator may lag, while landing-analysis tools sample the simulator at different intervals or calculate motion from different points on the aircraft. Runway slope, uneven scenery geometry and the exact contact event can also affect the result. Compare repeated landings using the same aircraft and tool rather than treating two add-ons’ figures as directly interchangeable; we explain the available methods in our guide to checking and interpreting landing rate in Microsoft Flight Simulator.
How can I improve my landing rate?
A better landing rate comes from controlling speed and sink before the wheels reach the runway, not from making a large last-second pitch movement.
- Stabilise the approach: establish the aircraft’s recommended approach speed, landing configuration and a steady descent well before the threshold.
- Watch the aiming point: if it moves up the windscreen, you are undershooting; if it moves down, you are likely to overshoot.
- Shift your vision: during the flare, look farther along the runway so height and sink are easier to judge.
- Raise the nose progressively: arrest the descent without ballooning. Use power only as appropriate for the aircraft and conditions.
- Accept a positive touchdown: do not keep floating solely to obtain a smaller FPM number, especially with limited runway remaining.
- Review consistently: record touchdown point, speed, wind and bounce as well as FPM so the number has context.
For targeted practice, use our flare, speed and sink-rate techniques for smoother landings rather than trying to force every arrival below an arbitrary figure.
When is a landing rate too high?
For a normal runway landing, a main-gear rate above roughly 400 FPM deserves analysis, but it is not a universal damage threshold. Hard-landing criteria vary with aircraft type, weight, landing-gear design and vertical acceleration, while some simulator aircraft model structural consequences more accurately than others.
Do not treat 600 FPM as a universal “crash” line or assume a low first-contact score proves the landing was safe. A large bounce, heavy second impact or forceful nose-wheel touchdown can be more significant than the initial FPM reading. Where a detailed add-on supplies aircraft-specific hard-landing logic or limits, use those instead of a generic scoring chart.