help with landing my plane.....

[october]

I mainly fly the Spit IX while I'm getting to grips here - and I know it's a bit embarrasing, but am still having trouble landing.  I'm mainly trying to learn air combat tactics - but it would be nice to be able to get back on the ground as well.

Are there any generic (or specific) tips?

I've tried all speeds from 120 to 200, with shollow approach angles, and steep agles with a bit of a flare, and every degree of throttle there is.  I always use flaps (there only seems to be one setting on the spit).
I've recorded and played back but thatb isn't telling me how to do it right.  Even though I'm often getting the thing on the ground - it's a bit messy, and I often break the engine.
I have, and use, pedals.
(Maybe someone has an AH movie of a 'good' landing)

As a side note - can anyone tell me how you get better scores (apart from the obvious of killing more poeople and dying less)?  I'm new to the game (and flight sims really), but even though I have about 20 kills and 10 assists - I'm always at the bottom of the roster.  Score isn't everything but maybe I should be doing something in the game that I'm not?

Thanks

Steve

[straffo]

You have to watch your sink rate who should be IMO to high.

Btw instead of using a slow approach you can use cross control to slow you plane (by cross control I mean using a left aileron and right rudder to counter act the induced roll)

To make a good landing you should be near stall speed just a moment before touch down.
(not before or you will be transformed in "heat and ligtht" quickly   )

If you fly between 21:30 and 00:00 CET ask just me (my Arena handle is smurtz) and I will help you in the Training Arena.

Concerning score and killing well ... not this month I'm in a bad period the only sure kill I have are my plane and me  

[ 08-13-2001: Message edited by: straffo ]

[Eagler]

best way to a better overall score is just to be diversified. Fly/drive them all from the ship guns to the gv's to the planes (frt/bmbr - attack/fighter)...

...oh yeah, don't die alot  

[-ammo-]

Hiya, landing you airplane cna be mastered in a short period of time with a little practice.

WHen approaching the field, start slowing down when you see the field and start your descent. pick the runway you want to land on and circle the field to drain off your speed and get to the appropriate altitude, about 1000 ft. once under 180 IAS then you cna activate your flaps and landing gear. You should be looking down the runway at this point. Now use your throttle to control the pitch of your AC; Not so much your stick. keep your speed at 120 IAS or so. This differs a little between the types of AC. gently descend and aim for the close end of the ruway. Once your wheel are down, then apply brakes, which is the spacebar.

If you would like some 1 on 1 training email me and we can go to the TA.

[ft]

A good real life piece of advise to achieve a stable approach is that while keeping the right attitude the runway should remain in the same spot on your windscreen and looking the same - just getting bigger. If it's rising, more power. If it's sinking, decrease power and/or slip it a bit to kill airspeed. Might sound obvious but it does help. Then flare as you cross the field boundary, ideally reaching stall speed at a foot or two AGL... Tricky to judge IMO.

It seems to me that coming in fast in the AH planes is a certain way to bounce high and wild. I guess that with the mains ahead of the CoG touching down in anything far from a three-pointer will increase the AoA enough to lift off again... I really have to find some taildragger pilots for a chat.   Sure makes the approach speed critical, wouldn't wanna plant the tail first either in mid-flare. Ouch!

Cheers,
  /ft

[SpitLead]

and practice, practice, practice.

I usually chop the throttle over the runway threshold and gently ease back on the stick until I hear the stall warning buzzer start to go.  For F4Us I turn OFF the engine all together (that could just be me) because it has a nasty groundloop.

[raven 8]

flaps all the way down, chop the throttle if needed use the throttle to keep the nose level.

probably better ways but this is what i do and i usually land ok.

whatever u do dont use the joystick to dip the nose.

messiah1

[wells]

Approach about 140 ias with rate of descent about 1500 fpm.  Use whatever power you have to in order to maintain that.  You will have the right glide path if your gunsight is pointed at the near end of the runway.  If the gunsight is above the field, you are too high, cut power to lose height, don't just push the stick forward.  When you are about 50', level off and cut power all the while slowly raising the nose as the speed drops.  You should hear the stall horn just as the wheels touch the ground.  The nose will be high and you won't be able to see much, just like at the start of the takeoff run.

[mrfish]

Originally posted by ft:
A good real life piece of advise to achieve a stable approach is that while keeping the right attitude the runway should remain in the same spot on your windscreen and looking the same - just getting bigger. If it's rising, more power. If it's sinking, decrease power and/or slip it a bit to kill airspeed.

that's probably the best advice. my instructor in r/l had similar advice - just use this technique to aim for the spot of the runway where the numbers would be. get your speed as low as you can - i usually land at 100 to 110 with full flaps in the 109. don't flare too early and just drive it right onto the runway.

also, the runways in aces high are friggin huge so don't worry about sticking it too early, instead concentrate on a nice soft sink rate; you can float forever in here... good luck.