How do I take off and land in a flight simulator?

To take off and land in a flight simulator, choose a light trainer, use its checklist and published speeds, accelerate straight, rotate smoothly, then fly a stable approach. On landing, hold the centreline, flare just above the runway, touch down on the main wheels and brake progressively; go around if unstable.

For readers in our Aviation & Real-World Flying section, this procedure assumes a conventional fixed-wing aeroplane with tricycle landing gear. The aerodynamic sequence applies in Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS), FSX, X-Plane and Prepar3D, although controller bindings, assistance features and aircraft-system depth differ.

What aircraft and conditions should a beginner choose?

A light piston trainer, calm weather and a long, wide runway provide the easiest introduction to flight simulator take-offs and landings.

• Choose a familiar trainer, such as a Cessna 172-class aeroplane, rather than a taildragger or fast jet.
• Start in daylight with little or no crosswind and good visibility.
• Use cockpit view with a consistent seat position so the runway perspective does not change between attempts.
• Check pitch, roll, rudder, throttle and brakes before taxiing. Remove duplicate axis assignments and correct any reversed controls.
• Use the selected aircraft's checklist, cockpit placards or operating handbook for speeds and configuration. Numbers from another model may be unsafe.
• Understand which assistance features are active. Automated rudder, trim, throttle or landing assistance can fight manual inputs or conceal an incorrect technique.

How do you take off in Microsoft Flight Simulator and other flight simulators?

Configure the aeroplane, accelerate on the centreline, rotate at the published speed and hold the recommended climb speed.

1. Complete the pre-take-off checks. Set trim and flaps as specified, verify fuel and flight controls, check engine indications and release the parking brake. Retractable-gear and variable-pitch-propeller aircraft have extra checklist items.
2. Line up straight. Put the nose on the runway centreline and straighten the nosewheel before applying substantial power.
3. Apply power smoothly. A basic piston trainer normally uses full take-off power unless its procedure says otherwise. Confirm that the engine is producing power and the indicated airspeed is increasing.
4. Maintain directional control. Use small rudder inputs to counter crosswind and propeller effects. Large, rapid corrections often start an increasing left-right swerve.
5. Rotate at the specified speed. At the published rotation or lift-off speed, apply gentle back-pressure and raise the nose to the normal climb attitude. Do not yank the aircraft airborne because the end of the runway looks close.
6. Establish the climb. Adjust pitch to hold the recommended initial climb speed. A nose attitude that is too high may produce a stall even with full power.
7. Clean up in sequence. Retract landing gear when the checklist calls for it after a positive climb, then retract flaps in stages at the specified speeds and heights. Removing all flap too early can cause a sudden sink.

Our expanded fixed-wing take-off lesson covers runway tracking, rotation, climb speeds and configuration in greater detail.

How do you retract landing gear in Microsoft Flight Simulator on Xbox?

On Xbox Series X|S, retract the gear in MSFS 2020 or MSFS 2024 by operating the cockpit gear lever or assigning the landing-gear toggle action to the active Xbox controller profile.

Controller presets and custom profiles differ, so relying on a supposed universal button can be misleading. Open the simulator's control settings, select the controller being used, search for Toggle Landing Gear, assign a convenient button if necessary and check for conflicting assignments. Our MSFS 2024-specific take-off guidance explains the wider setup and departure sequence.

• The aircraft must actually have retractable gear. Common trainer variants with fixed undercarriage have nothing to retract.
• Select gear up only when the aircraft checklist permits it, normally after confirming a positive climb.
• Remain within the published landing-gear operating speed.
• Verify the modelled gear-up indication rather than assuming the command worked.
• If the gear does not move, check the active control profile, duplicate bindings, electrical or hydraulic power, simulated failures and aircraft damage.

How do you set up and land in a flight simulator?

A successful flight simulator landing begins with a stable circuit and final approach, not with a last-second flare.

1. Climb to the appropriate circuit altitude. Use the published traffic-pattern or circuit information where available, and level off before becoming rushed on the downwind leg.
2. Control speed on downwind. Keep the runway in sight, maintain altitude and complete the landing checks. Confirm the fuel selection, mixture, propeller, lights and landing gear as applicable.
3. Reduce power and configure. Slow the aircraft before selecting flaps or landing gear, remaining below their limiting speeds. Trim away sustained control pressure without using trim to force the aircraft onto a flight path.
4. Turn base and final conservatively. Do not rescue an overshoot with a steep, low-altitude turn. Go around and try again if the runway cannot be intercepted safely.
5. Stabilise the final approach. Establish the published indicated airspeed, landing configuration, centreline alignment and a steady descent well before the threshold. The chosen aiming point should remain nearly stationary in the windscreen.
6. Make small corrections. Pitch and power work together. Pitch-for-speed and power-for-path is a useful training shorthand, but every change may require a small adjustment of the other control.
7. Transition into the flare. Near the surface, shift your gaze farther along the runway, reduce power as the procedure requires and raise the nose only enough to arrest the descent.
8. Touch down and decelerate. Land on the main wheels, maintain directional control with rudder, lower the nosewheel gently and apply progressive braking. Use spoilers or reverse thrust only on aircraft equipped and configured for them.

For approach planning, touchdown and rollout details, use our full fixed-wing landing procedure.

What approach speed and flare timing should you use?

There is no universal approach speed, touchdown speed or separate “speedflare” value; fly the published indicated approach speed, then let the aircraft decelerate naturally during the flare.

Flare height and timing depend on cockpit eye position, aircraft size, landing attitude and sink rate. A light trainer flares close to the surface; a transport aircraft begins its flare higher and follows type-specific guidance. Pulling too early creates a balloon, while pulling too late or too abruptly produces a hard landing.

If the aircraft floats, hold the landing attitude and assess the runway remaining; do not push the nose down. For repeated balloons, bounces or hard touchdowns, our practical smoother-landing techniques focus on sight picture, speed control and flare inputs.

When should you go around?

Go around whenever the approach is unstable or a safe touchdown within the usable runway is no longer assured.

• The aircraft is too fast, too slow, too high or descending excessively.
• Centreline alignment or crosswind control is not established.
• The landing gear or flap position is uncertain.
• The runway is occupied or an obstruction appears.
• The aircraft balloons substantially, porpoises or makes a severe or repeated bounce.
• Touchdown would occur too far along the runway.

Apply go-around power, control yaw, set the specified climb attitude and stop the descent. Retract flaps in stages and raise retractable landing gear only after establishing the required climb, following the aircraft checklist. Removing drag all at once can make the aircraft settle back towards the runway.

Why does the take-off or landing keep going wrong?

Repeated failures usually come from incorrect speed, excessive control movement, conflicting controller assignments or an aircraft configured too late.

What changes when operating a different plane or using advanced settings?

When operating a different plane, keep the same basic energy-management principles but replace every speed, configuration and system action with those specified for the new aircraft.

Advanced flight-model settings do not change the sequence, but realistic torque, wind, failures and control sensitivity make poor technique more obvious. Labels such as Advanced or EVO are not standard aviation categories: if they appear in an aircraft or simulator name, identify the exact model and use its supplied checklist rather than assuming trainer speeds or familiar control bindings still apply.