Learn how to perform a touch-and-go in a flight simulator, with Cessna 152 and A320 procedures, safety decisions and common fixes.
In a general flight simulator, fly a stabilised approach, touch down on the main wheels, keep straight with rudder, select the aircraft’s approved take-off flap, apply take-off power, then rotate at the specified speed. Go around before touchdown if unstable; after a late or poor landing, stop rather than force the departure.
What is a touch-and-go (タッチアンドゴー) flight?
A touch-and-go combines a landing and another take-off without bringing the aircraft to a stop. The Japanese term タッチアンドゴー means the same manoeuvre.
A go-around normally begins before the wheels touch, although a bounced or rejected landing may turn into a go-around after contact. A stop-and-go requires the aircraft to stop on the runway before departing again. “Touch flight” is not a standard aviation term; it usually refers to touch-and-go circuit practice.
Touch-and-go procedure step by step
The safest method treats the landing and second take-off as separate phases joined by a brief, pre-planned reconfiguration.
- Prepare the simulator and aircraft. Choose a long, dry runway and calm weather while learning. Check the throttle, rudder, brakes and flap controls for duplicate bindings, and disable any assistance that will operate those controls unexpectedly.
- Brief the manoeuvre. Know the approach speed, landing flap, take-off configuration, rotation speed and go-around procedure. Pick a touchdown limit: if the wheels are not down before that point, go around while airborne or make a full stop after landing. Remaining runway is measured from the actual touchdown point, not from the threshold.
- Fly a stabilised approach. Establish the correct speed, descent path, flap setting and centreline alignment early. If you use MSFS, our practical landing guidance for Microsoft Flight Simulator covers approach control, flare and runway alignment. Go around if the aircraft is high, fast, drifting or still requiring large corrections near touchdown.
- Touch down normally. Land on the main wheels and lower the nosewheel under control. Keep looking along the runway and steer with rudder; do not become distracted by the flap lever or instruments. Avoid wheel braking, reverse thrust and manually selected speedbrakes when another take-off is planned.
- Select the approved take-off configuration. Set the prescribed flap, carburettor heat, trim, propeller and mixture controls for that aircraft. Do not retract all landing flap automatically: dumping flap at low speed can remove lift abruptly, load the nosewheel and produce a long, unstable ground roll.
- Apply take-off power. Advance the throttle smoothly and positively while holding the centreline. Confirm normal engine response and no take-off configuration warning. If power is low, a brake is dragging or the aircraft cannot be kept straight, close the throttle and stop.
- Accelerate and rotate. Wait for the specified rotation speed rather than pulling back as soon as power is applied. Rotate smoothly into the normal climb attitude. Our guide to centreline control, rotation and initial climb explains this part in more detail.
- Establish the climb. Confirm a positive rate before retracting the landing gear, then retract the remaining flap on the normal schedule. Trim for the climb and check that the aircraft has entered the expected flight-guidance or navigation mode.
There is no universal minimum runway length. Aircraft weight, wind, elevation, runway surface, touchdown point and modelled performance all matter. If the aircraft documentation provides no touch-and-go performance or procedure, use generous runway margins or make a full-stop landing.
Can you tap on a GA aircraft to make it take off?
No, not in a conventional flight simulator: GA means general aviation, and the “touch” in touch-and-go refers to the wheels touching the runway rather than tapping the aircraft on a screen.
If an on-screen task says “tap on GA aircraft to make them take off”, it is describing that programme’s traffic-management or simplified touchscreen interface. Follow its prompt to dispatch the AI aircraft. A pilot-controlled GA aeroplane still requires throttle, directional control, rotation and climb inputs.
Touch-and-go procedure in a Cessna 152 (C-152)
A Cessna 152 is an excellent touch-and-go trainer because it has fixed landing gear, a fixed-pitch propeller and relatively simple systems.
Fly the approach using the figures supplied with the simulated C-152. Common POH figures are 55–65 KIAS on final with flaps down, while normal take-off rotation is commonly around 50 KIAS, but the exact variant, loading and checklist take precedence.
- Land on the main wheels and maintain the centreline with rudder while lowering the nosewheel gently.
- Set carburettor heat cold before applying full power.
- Move the flaps to the approved setting. A normal C152 take-off commonly uses flaps up; some training procedures retain 10 degrees initially. Use the checklist supplied with the particular model rather than copying another school’s sequence.
- Check trim and mixture. Avoid excessive nose-up landing trim, and set mixture for the field elevation and conditions instead of assuming full rich is correct at every high-altitude airport.
- Apply full throttle, counter the left-turning tendency with rudder, accelerate and rotate at the specified speed.
A mistake we see constantly is retracting flap while looking down, followed by applying power after the aircraft has already wandered off the centreline. Bind the flap control somewhere easy to identify by feel and keep most of your attention outside.
A320 touch-and-go procedure: what changes?
An A320 touch-and-go requires a dedicated aircraft or operator training procedure; it should not be improvised from a Cessna checklist.
Before the approach, brief the planned touchdown area, remaining runway, calculated speeds, take-off flap, thrust setting, pitch-trim handling, autobrake and ground-spoiler configuration, flight-mode indications and rejected-manoeuvre plan. Transport-category touch-and-goes divide tasks between the flying and monitoring pilots, which makes the sequence much more demanding for a solo simmer.
- Complete a stabilised landing approach in the documented landing configuration. Do not assume an autoland will transition correctly into a touch-and-go.
- Touch down normally with the thrust levers at idle and maintain directional control. Do not select reverse thrust.
- Apply the prescribed take-off thrust, normally TOGA when required by the training procedure. Confirm the expected thrust and flight-mode indications.
- Select the documented take-off flap and verify the expected spoiler and autobrake state. The exact configuration varies, so copying a generic instruction such as “set flap 2” is unsafe unless the aircraft’s own procedure calls for it.
- Rotate at the calculated target, establish a positive climb, retract the gear and follow the normal acceleration and flap-retraction schedule.
Do not make last-second MCDU entries or invent a pitch-trim reset during the ground roll. Detailed A320 add-ons differ in how they model flight-phase sequencing, warnings and guidance after touchdown. If the add-on manual supplies no touch-and-go procedure, make a full stop and set up another take-off.
When should you abandon a touch-and-go?
Abandon the touch-and-go whenever the approach is unstable, the touchdown is late, directional control is poor, the aircraft is incorrectly configured or normal take-off performance is doubtful.
| Situation | Correct decision |
|---|---|
| High, fast or badly aligned before touchdown | Go around without trying to force the aircraft onto the runway. |
| Floating beyond the planned touchdown limit | Go around while still airborne. If already settled on the runway, make a full stop. |
| Serious bounce or porpoise | Use the aircraft’s balked-landing procedure if safely airborne and controllable; otherwise reduce power and stop without forcing the nosewheel down. |
| Aircraft departing the centreline | Reject the manoeuvre and stop rather than adding more power to a developing loss of control. |
| Unexpected braking, reverse thrust or system warning | Commit to a full stop unless the aircraft’s documented procedure explicitly permits continuation. |
| Abnormal engine acceleration | Close the thrust and stop. Do not attempt to diagnose the problem while accelerating. |
Once power is applied for the second take-off, do not reject casually at high speed. The point of the touchdown limit and configuration briefing is to make the decision early, while there is still ample runway available.
Why does the aircraft veer, sink or refuse to accelerate?
Veering usually comes from delayed rudder input or a crosswind, while sinking is commonly caused by retracting too much flap before the aircraft has accelerated.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft swings away from the centreline | Propeller effects, crosswind, nosewheel steering sensitivity or duplicate rudder bindings | Look outside, apply power smoothly, anticipate rudder and check the control assignments. |
| Nose rises immediately | Excessive nose-up landing trim or premature back-pressure | Set the approved trim and wait for rotation speed. |
| Aircraft settles after flap selection | Landing flap removed too quickly at low speed | Select the approved intermediate or take-off setting, then retract the rest during the climb. |
| Acceleration is poor | Parking brake, noisy toe-brake axis, partial throttle, carburettor heat, excessive flap or an incorrect propeller setting | Verify the controls and configuration; stop if expected performance is unavailable. |
| Throttle moves back by itself | Assistance, autothrottle or conflicting hardware axes | Identify which system has control before attempting another circuit. |
Practise in calm conditions first. When the basic sequence is reliable, add the aileron and rudder inputs needed for a crosswind touchdown and rollout.
What happens after the touch-and-go take-off?
After take-off, establish the climb, complete the gear and flap schedule, trim the aircraft and fly another normal circuit.
Maintain runway heading to the appropriate turn point, then fly crosswind, downwind, base and final while rebuilding safe spacing for the next approach. Our traffic-pattern guide explains circuit spacing and configuration changes without duplicating them here.
At a controlled airport, request a touch-and-go and confirm that the clearance includes the subsequent take-off. Built-in simulator ATC does not always recognise repeated circuits correctly, so continue checking the runway and traffic instead of assuming its instructions guarantee separation.