Set up landing practice in any flight simulator with the right aircraft, runway, weather, starting point and a reliable way to repeat approaches.
To set up landing practice in any flight simulator, choose a stable training aircraft, a long familiar runway, daylight, calm weather and a normal fuel load. Start with circuits or a six-mile straight-in approach, save a repeatable starting state, and remove traffic or failures that interrupt each attempt.
This general method applies to Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane, Prepar3D, FSX and similar civilian simulators. Menu names differ, but the aircraft, environment and starting-position choices are the same.
What is the best landing practice setup?
The best beginner setup is a light, predictable aircraft at a familiar airport, with every variable except the landing itself held constant.
- Choose one training aircraft. A default light single-engine aeroplane with fixed landing gear is ideal because it has low approach speeds and little systems workload. Keep using the same aircraft until your approaches are consistent; changing models also changes sight picture, inertia and flare timing.
- Select an uncomplicated runway. Use a runway comfortably longer than the aircraft requires, with clear markings, a mostly level surface and no difficult terrain near final. Record its magnetic direction and elevation because both matter when creating an airborne start.
- Fix the weather and time. Begin in daylight with good visibility, a dry runway and calm wind or a light headwind. Turn off live weather, gusts, turbulence, icing and random failures. Disable or reduce traffic if it repeatedly occupies the runway.
- Use a repeatable load. Set moderate fuel, a normal payload and a centre of gravity safely within limits. A heavily loaded aircraft needs more speed and flare energy than a lightly loaded one, so do not change weight between attempts.
- Choose the starting point. Depart from the runway and fly a circuit when learning the complete pattern. For concentrated approach practice, place the aircraft six to eight nautical miles from the threshold, aligned with the centreline and at an appropriate height above the runway.
- Check the cockpit after spawning. Verify trim, throttle, propeller and mixture controls, landing gear, flaps, spoilers, parking brake and autopilot state. Set normal simulation speed and confirm that the altimeter uses the correct pressure. Repositioning and saved flights can restore some controls differently from the position shown by physical hardware.
- Create a clean reset point. Once established wings-level, on heading and properly trimmed, save the flight or scenario if the simulator supports it. Exit slew or repositioning mode and allow the aircraft to settle before saving.
Should I practise circuits or straight-in approaches?
Use circuits to learn the complete landing sequence; use straight-in starts when you need concentrated practice with speed control, alignment, flare or touchdown.
| Practice format | Best for | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Full circuit | Departure, spacing, checks, turns and approach planning | Fewer landings per session |
| Six- to eight-mile final | Stabilising the approach and correcting speed or centreline errors | Does not teach circuit positioning |
| Two- to three-mile short final | Flare and touchdown experiments | Too little time to correct a poor setup; unsuitable as the main training method |
Circuits reveal mistakes earlier because the downwind and base legs determine whether final begins too high, low, close or fast. If runway selection and final alignment are the problem, our guide to setting up and flying a visual approach covers that part without repeating the whole landing exercise.
How far from the runway should I start?
A light trainer should usually start about six to eight nautical miles from the threshold, giving enough time to establish the descent without turning the exercise into a long flight.
A three-degree descent requires roughly 300 feet of height above the runway for each nautical mile remaining. A useful setup calculation is starting altitude ≈ runway elevation + (distance in NM × 300 ft). At six miles, that is about 1,800 feet above the runway; at eight miles, about 2,400 feet.
These are approximate visual-practice figures, not substitutes for a published instrument procedure. Faster turboprops and jets need a longer starting distance, often ten nautical miles or more, because configuration and speed reduction take longer.
For flare-only practice, start already in the landing configuration and near the aircraft's documented final approach speed. To practise configuration management as well, begin farther out with the gear or later flap stages still to be selected. Avoid spawning high, fast and only two miles from the runway—the resulting steep dive rehearses a bad approach rather than a landing.
How can I repeat each landing without restarting?
Use touch-and-go circuits for continuous practice, or reload a saved airborne state when every attempt must begin from exactly the same position.
A proper touch-and-go landing sequence gives more repetitions while preserving the circuit, but it adds workload after touchdown. Stop-and-go landings are a better alternative when the runway is long enough and you need time to reset trim, flaps and power.
Saved states are quicker for testing one specific problem, although complex add-on aircraft may not restore every system, panel or automation mode correctly. After each reload, inspect gear, flap, trim, autopilot, throttle, weather and simulation-rate settings before continuing.
Which setup mistakes spoil landing practice?
The most common setup errors make every approach different or leave too little time to stabilise the aircraft.
- Confusing altitude above sea level with height above the runway. Add the airport elevation when positioning the aircraft by indicated altitude.
- Accepting a tailwind runway. Check the wind rather than trusting the runway selected by an automatic preset.
- Starting too close or too fast. If the aircraft needs large pitch, power or flap changes immediately after spawning, move the starting point farther out.
- Changing several variables together. Keep aircraft, weight, runway and weather fixed while correcting one problem at a time.
- Allowing hardware to overwrite the saved state. Physical throttles, flap levers and trim wheels may command their real positions as soon as the flight loads.
- Using excessive assistance. Visual landing paths can help with initial geometry, but automatic rudder, braking or flare assistance may hide the control error you are trying to correct.
By about 500 feet above the runway in ordinary visual conditions, aim to be aligned, configured, near the correct approach speed and following a controlled descent. Go around if large corrections are still required. Our advice on building consistent, smoother landings explains what to monitor once the practice flight itself is repeatable.
When should I add wind and harder conditions?
Add wind only after calm-weather approaches are consistently stable, then change one condition at a time.
Begin with a light headwind, introduce a small crosswind, and increase it gradually while keeping the same aircraft and runway. Leave gusts, reduced visibility, wet surfaces, short runways and system failures until ordinary circuits no longer consume all your attention. For the next step, use a structured crosswind landing practice progression rather than switching straight to severe weather.