Landing Characteristics
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I was surprised by this video on YouTube. The pilot approaches at 140 knots until about 100 feet AGL, then slowly backs off to idle by 60 feet. He just continues to trim back pressure and touches down at about 100 knots. I was unable to reproduce this higher speed throttle cutting maneuver we are all accustomed to in most aircraft. I ate up half the runway just waiting to settle, which didn't happen until just below 90 knots, although above the stall horn. To avoid dropping or floating, I find I must keep power/throttle up a tiny bit until I touchdown. This isn't bad and my landings are usually very good, but can this be tweaked or has the canard model made this impossible? Again, I love the overall flight characteristics of nearly all Black Square aircraft over some other popular developers, but I'm curious if the MSFS flight modelling prevented you from allowing cutting the throttle at ~50 feet? You either float or stall, depending on speed, and this video seems to indicate this isn't as difficult IRL. I found his landing to be very airliner-esque, with a power cut at threshold and nice glide onto the runway.
I know you said in V1's video that MS/Asobo didn't model/support canard aircraft.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ675phte58
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I was surprised by this video on YouTube. The pilot approaches at 140 knots until about 100 feet AGL, then slowly backs off to idle by 60 feet. He just continues to trim back pressure and touches down at about 100 knots. I was unable to reproduce this higher speed throttle cutting maneuver we are all accustomed to in most aircraft. I ate up half the runway just waiting to settle, which didn't happen until just below 90 knots, although above the stall horn. To avoid dropping or floating, I find I must keep power/throttle up a tiny bit until I touchdown. This isn't bad and my landings are usually very good, but can this be tweaked or has the canard model made this impossible? Again, I love the overall flight characteristics of nearly all Black Square aircraft over some other popular developers, but I'm curious if the MSFS flight modelling prevented you from allowing cutting the throttle at ~50 feet? You either float or stall, depending on speed, and this video seems to indicate this isn't as difficult IRL. I found his landing to be very airliner-esque, with a power cut at threshold and nice glide onto the runway.
I know you said in V1's video that MS/Asobo didn't model/support canard aircraft.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ675phte58
I typically initially approach the runway on glidepath at the 'blue line' (Vse) on the airspeed indicator, which is the best single engine climb speed in case of engine failure and the need to go around. About 1/4 of a mile or so from the threshold, I reduce speed to in between Vse (blue line) and Vmc (minimum single engine control speed). Crossing the threshold, landing assured, I reduce throttle to idle and flare just enough to facilitate a touchdown on the 1000ft marker (hopefully).
One can hold off the Starship like a little Cessna before touching down but that will result in a floating condition that will use up quite a bit of runway and risk the front wing stalling.
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The real aircraft's engines and flight-idle torque are very low - and chopping the power levers will result in quite a lot of drag.
First thing - make sure your flight Sim hardware is actually brining the power levers to flight-idle - you'll hear an audible sound and the levers graphically will settle into position.
Second - one of the limits of the very wrong Asobo/MSFS turboprop modelling means Nick has had to do a lot of adjustments behind-the-scenes to the best he could within very limited confines.
Unfortunately this means this engine modelling has quirks like a little too little drag in conditions like described above.
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@Aaron-Anderson This is exactly the technique that I use. You also don't want to hold a canard aircraft off in the flare like a Cessna, since the sudden loss of lift over the canard can cause your nose gear to come crashing down.
@Orlaam For whatever reason, I have found it not possible (or not reasonable to create a workaround for) MSFS's lack of propeller drag. I suspect this is more pronounced with Starship, just because the airframe itself has much less drag than your average aircraft. I've seen Caravans descend at 3,000-4,000 fpm while holding speed, but you're not going to achieve that at flight idle in MSFS either. I do the best I can without implementing "invisible spoilers", as this technique guarantees extreme ridicule in flight sim for some reason, regardless of the results.
https://youtu.be/x5tT0-_JnmQ?si=7vnv_xqg5w9Ojj3X&t=78 (5,000 fpm)
@plhought Right on the money.
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I've had success holding about 100 knots over the threshold and pulling the power back to idle around then. I feel like I settle into the runway nicely like that and the nose spends a minimal amount of time floating, at which point I'll start braking and/or reversing.
If that is unrealistic because the full drag is subject to sim limitations, I would be open to corrections.
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I was just curious if the physics preventing such a landing as seen in the video. Yes, I can land gracefully most of the time by doing what has been said: slow speed over the numbers, and personally keeping power in just a hair above idle will provide a soft touch if done correctly.
I was just surprised by the video I posted how different the technique he used happened to be. He held off at quite an altitude and didn't seem to slam down. The landing at Aspen on YouTube is a little closer to how we've been doing it in the sim I think. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ8kr7jd3wo
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@Aaron-Anderson This is exactly the technique that I use. You also don't want to hold a canard aircraft off in the flare like a Cessna, since the sudden loss of lift over the canard can cause your nose gear to come crashing down.
@Orlaam For whatever reason, I have found it not possible (or not reasonable to create a workaround for) MSFS's lack of propeller drag. I suspect this is more pronounced with Starship, just because the airframe itself has much less drag than your average aircraft. I've seen Caravans descend at 3,000-4,000 fpm while holding speed, but you're not going to achieve that at flight idle in MSFS either. I do the best I can without implementing "invisible spoilers", as this technique guarantees extreme ridicule in flight sim for some reason, regardless of the results.
https://youtu.be/x5tT0-_JnmQ?si=7vnv_xqg5w9Ojj3X&t=78 (5,000 fpm)
@plhought Right on the money.
@Black-Square said in Landing Characteristics:
@Orlaam For whatever reason, I have found it not possible (or not reasonable to create a workaround for) MSFS's lack of propeller drag. I suspect this is more pronounced with Starship, just because the airframe itself has much less drag than your average aircraft. I've seen Caravans descend at 3,000-4,000 fpm while holding speed, but you're not going to achieve that at flight idle in MSFS either. I do the best I can without implementing "invisible spoilers", as this technique guarantees extreme ridicule in flight sim for some reason, regardless of the results.
Does Starship produce more drag in the sim with props full forward?
