How do I land a jet airliner in a flight simulator?

To land a jet airliner in a flight simulator, establish a stabilised approach on the correct path and VREF-based speed with gear and landing flap set. Cross the threshold aligned, make a small flare, retard thrust to idle, touch down on the main gear, then deploy spoilers and use braking and reverse thrust as required.

In our Aviation & Real-World Flying guidance, no single flap setting, landing speed or flare height fits every jet. The fundamentals apply in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024 and other simulators, but the aircraft's checklist, performance calculation and flight-mode annunciator take precedence.

What is an approach, and which type should I fly?

An approach is the phase that positions and configures the aircraft for landing while providing lateral guidance, vertical guidance or both.

Loading an approach into the flight-management system does not necessarily tune the radios, change the navigation source or arm approach mode. For the full sequence, use our guide to setting up, capturing and monitoring an ILS approach.

How do you land a plane in Flight Simulator step by step?

A good jet landing is created before the flare by controlling height, speed and configuration early.

1. Calculate the landing: Confirm runway, wind, weather, landing weight, flap setting and available distance. Obtain the correct VREF or VAPP from the simulated aircraft's performance system or documentation.
2. Brief the approach: Set the runway, approach, minimums, navigation source and missed-approach procedure. For an ILS, check the frequency, identifier and inbound course rather than trusting an automatically populated value.
3. Manage the energy: Start slowing early enough to extend flaps and landing gear within their placarded limits. Speedbrakes can correct a modest excess of height or speed, but they should not be the standard way to rescue every descent.
4. Intercept final: Join the centreline or localiser with a shallow intercept angle. Capture an ILS glideslope from below unless the aircraft's documented procedure specifically says otherwise.
5. Configure for landing: Select gear down, landing flap and the target speed. Arm the speedbrakes, set autobrake if required and complete the landing checklist.
6. Confirm a stabilised approach: The aircraft should be on the intended lateral and vertical path, at its target speed, fully configured and using a sensible thrust setting. Gates around 1,000 feet in instrument conditions and 500 feet in visual conditions are common training references, but use the procedure supplied with the aircraft.
7. Fly the final path: Use pitch primarily to control the flight path and thrust to manage energy, while recognising that the two interact. On a three-degree path, groundspeed × 5 gives a useful initial descent rate: 140 knots groundspeed is roughly 700 feet per minute.
8. Flare and touch down: Shift your view towards the far end of the runway, make a small type-appropriate pitch increase and retard thrust at the correct cue. Let the main gear touch within the touchdown zone; do not hold the jet off like a light aeroplane.
9. Complete the rollout: Verify spoiler deployment, lower the nosewheel under control and apply reverse thrust and braking as planned. Use rudder to maintain the centreline at speed, then transition to nosewheel steering as the aircraft slows.

What speed should a jet airliner land at?

Use the calculated VREF or VAPP for the actual landing weight and flap setting, not a memorised speed from a previous flight.

VREF is the reference landing speed used by many aircraft, while the commanded approach speed may include a wind additive. Airbus simulations commonly calculate a managed VAPP; Boeing-style procedures often derive a target from VREF plus a defined correction. Do not add an arbitrary five or ten knots if the aircraft has already included the correction.

Hold indicated airspeed on final. Groundspeed is useful for estimating descent rate, but it is not the speed target. Excess speed produces float and consumes runway; insufficient speed increases pitch and thrust demand and reduces the margin above the minimum safe speed.

When should I flare an airliner?

Many narrow-body jets begin a gentle flare at roughly 20–30 feet radio altitude, but cockpit height, gear geometry, landing weight and sink rate make the correct cue aircraft-specific.

The flare should reduce the descent rate without making the aircraft climb. Retarding thrust too early can cause a hard arrival as lift decays; leaving thrust on can create a long float. In many Airbus simulations, the RETARD callout reminds the pilot to move the thrust levers to idle, while other jets use different cues.

Do not chase an exceptionally soft touchdown. A controlled, positive touchdown in the touchdown zone is safer than floating towards the far end of the runway. Heavy jets also need type-specific sight-picture and flare technique; our Boeing 747 landing example explains how this changes in a large aircraft.

How do I stay on the runway centreline in a crosswind?

Maintain a crab on final, then use the aircraft's approved combination of rudder and into-wind aileron to align the fuselage for touchdown.

Avoid a large last-second rudder input, which can start an unwanted roll or side-load the landing gear. Some airliners permit limited touchdown crab, while others call for more complete de-crabbing; observe the simulated aircraft's limits, especially where excessive bank risks an engine-pod or wingtip strike.

During rollout, look well down the runway and make small corrections. If the aircraft veers despite neutral controls, check for asymmetric braking, rudder trim, assistance features or duplicate axis assignments. Our centreline technique and control-troubleshooting guide covers this problem in more detail.

Should I use autopilot or autoland?

Use the autopilot to reduce workload if desired, but treat autoland as a separate capability that must be correctly configured and annunciated.

An autopilot following the localiser and glideslope is not automatically set up to land. Depending on the aircraft, autoland may require the correct ILS, suitable runway equipment, multiple autopilot channels and a specific landing-capability indication. Monitor the flight-mode annunciator rather than assuming that pressing APP guarantees capture or autoland.

For a manual landing, disconnect early enough to settle into hand flying before the flare. Autothrottle handling differs by type: some systems remain engaged into the flare, while others are disconnected earlier. Follow the aircraft procedure rather than copying another jet.

Why does the aircraft float, bounce or refuse to slow?

These problems usually trace back to excess energy, an incorrect flare or landing systems that were not armed before touchdown.

A mistake we see constantly in flight simulators is assigning the same function to a joystick, throttle quadrant and controller at once. Unwanted brake, rudder, throttle or speedbrake inputs can then appear only during landing. Assistance features such as automatic rudder or assisted landing can cause similar conflicts when learning to fly manually.

When should an airliner go around?

Go around whenever the approach is unstable, the runway path cannot be maintained or a safe touchdown in the touchdown zone is no longer assured.

• The aircraft is not stable by the applicable approach gate.
• Airspeed, sink rate or bank angle exceeds the aircraft's safe criteria.
• The runway or required visual reference is lost below minimums.
• A windshear warning occurs or the crosswind cannot be controlled.
• The aircraft floats beyond the planned touchdown zone.
• A significant or repeated bounce occurs before reverse thrust is selected.

Select take-off/go-around thrust, follow the commanded pitch or flight director, establish a positive climb, retract the gear and retract flap on the aircraft's published schedule. Once reverse thrust has been selected, the normal action is to continue stopping rather than attempt a late go-around.