Need advice on landings

[Vengeanze]

Read that someone thought landings and T/O are easy in Clod. Myself I find em pretty challenging, especially landings.
I follow the routine but the plane becomes so unstable at 90-100 mph and I wiggle back and forth and if I manage to get close to the strip I overcompensate the diving nose with bouncy bounce as a result.
3-point landing? More like a 6-point including wingtips and nose.

I'll make a track later tonite if someone cares to have a look.
Or perhaps someone could post a track of a perfect landing for me to watch in slow motion.
Or was the track thingy bugged?

Any tip is appreciated.

[335th_GRAthos]

I am very bad with tracks but I will try when I have time (usually I fly until I run out of ammo (and then I die...) )

Just a couple of things though...

Did you lower your flaps? (just checking)
(without landing flaps your wing has good aerodynamic = difficult to lose altitude)

IF you start wiggling this means you are too slow - be faster next time!
IF you bounce on the runway then you came too fast down = you were too slow, falling like a stone so, - be faster next time!

The whole trick is:
- start reasonably high, use a continous drop of altitude in order to keep your speed stable (drop of altitude compensates for the low engine power and keeps your speed constant)
- aim for the beginning of the runway
- 30m above the runway cut the throttle (remember you have fighter with a big engine - engine torque may cause your plane to roll - you may have to compensate with the stick), pull the stick a little to have the nose up AND WAIT (the scary moment...).
The plane will fly for an eternity, you see nothing (nose is up), it will gradually lose its speed and altitude and drop on the runway.

(do not do this at 100m, it will lose altitude and drop like a stone...)

Hope it helps...

The next technik will be to learn "side-slipping" (combination of rudder and ailerons (to the other direction)) the best way to lose speed, altitude and keep a nice field of view towards where you are going. Also this is the way they used to land the F4U Corsairs (because they had a huge nose, prohibiting any forward view when landing on the aircraft carriers).
Side-slipping will make your landing much faster and more controllable but it is the next step...

I hope it helps.

PS. Th Bf109 is the most difficult airplane to land because of its too narrow wheelbase so, if you have problems, learn landing using something else first and gradually switch.
In the IL2FB days we would first learn flying P-39 Aircobras (nice front field of view) and front wheel and then start the Bf109s.

[No601_Swallow]

What a great and generous reply.

S! Grathos!

[Vengeanze]

Thanks Grathos.
Had some runs just now and think it was my carrier landings from PF that messed things up. I was too low and slow and aimed at end of runway.

Now on the baseleg I'm at 1500mts and open canopy, gear and flaps down. Turn into final at 1000mts with apx. 2200rpm and alot of trim(both). Speed just above 100mph.
Aim at beginning of runway. Throttle down to 1800rpm when I cross fence and sliiiiiddeeeee in with nose up for 3-point and cut at touchdown.

Btw, I'm practicing with the Spit mkI. Plane is much more stable with some more speed.

Can't see myself eating popcorn while landing for a long time.

I just made a track but the track feature is still so much buggy that it is not worthwhile watching.

This is how I land a Spit (version I don't care here):

I go at least into one half circuit if I want to make sure of a very good landing. It helps a lot to position and align oneself with the runway. I do this at about 1500 ft. I fly parallel to the runway a bit set aside (more than a turn diameter my machine is capable of at low speeds) in the opposite direction I intent do land with (for instance if I want to land pointing my nose west I go east at this part).

When the end of the runway (which would be the beginning when I am about to land) is at my 8 o'clock (or 4 o'clock) I start to make the turn for my final approach, checking that my speed is sufficiently low to drop the gear and the flaps and do just this if the speed test is positive. In this turn I already initiate the decent having slightly cut down my throttle, and finally I align myself with the runway and start the decent, cutting strongly back and keeping the speed at about 100 to 120 mph. Shortly before I flare out I cut down completely and fly almost at grastop height parallel to the ground until my speed drops just before stall. Here I pull on the stick to get my nose up. With a bit of exercise you can get your 3 point landing which is not that difficult at all.

There are two things that I respect: I plan my decent such that I will have approximately a decent angle of 30° (I estimate the height and the distance from the beginning of the runway and draw an imaginary line that should make about 30° with respect to the ground).

I constantly retrim the aircraft and in the final approach before the flare I trim it tail heavy.

Here's the crude track with two landings, the first one being slightly suboptimal. During take off I forgot to retract the flaps. There are some bugs in the track recording software piece though. The engine is running wild with no impact on flight performance in the track and after the take-off the gear takes too much time to retract. The second landing is better.

http://www.file-upload.net/download-...ndung.trk.html

[Rattlehead]

The posts above have covered it, so all I need to add is to make sure your prop pitch is set to fine.
It's not essential, but if it looks like the landing is going to be botched, you'll need instant response and acceleration to go around for another try.

[Vengeanze]

Thanks Stormcrow and Rattlehead.

@Stormcrow: It's called downwind when u fly parallell to the strip in opposite direction.

I think I got it ok now. Just need to practice more.
When I lower the flaps the noselift is brutal and I must tip the plane shortly so I don't gain too much height. How do u guys conteract the flaplift?

I've noticed that aligning is vital or I have to adjust with rudder which will make the hole approach ugly and dangerous.

That's easy. I drop my gear first (speed <= 160 mph) which pulls my nose down, then I drop flaps (speed <= 140 mph) it is then less severe. I don't force the nose anyhow and do the correction with constantly trimming. Trimming is imho the most important aspect apart from aligning and well judging height in getting a good landing.

[Vengeanze]

Originally Posted by 41Sqn_Stormcrow

That's easy. I drop my gear first (speed <= 160 mph) which pulls my nose down, then I drop flaps (speed <= 140 mph) it is then less severe. I don't force the nose anyhow and do the correction with constantly trimming. Trimming is imho the most important aspect apart from aligning and well judging height in getting a good landing.

Good tip.
Glad to read I'm not the only one tapping trim with frenecy!!
Almost full right rudder trim actually.

Trimming is why I'm looking at a throttle with trimwheels. Right now I've got up/down and left/right arrow keys for that.

[TomcatViP]

Originally Posted by Vengeanze

Thanks Grathos.
Had some runs just now and think it was my carrier landings from PF that messed things up. I was too low and slow and aimed at end of runway.

Now on the baseleg I'm at 1500mts and open canopy, gear and flaps down. Turn into final at 1000mts with apx. 2200rpm and alot of trim(both). Speed just above 100mph.
Aim at beginning of runway. Throttle down to 1800rpm when I cross fence and sliiiiiddeeeee in with nose up for 3-point and cut at touchdown.

Btw, I'm practicing with the Spit mkI. Plane is much more stable with some more speed.

Can't see myself eating popcorn while landing for a long time.

Hi Veng,

IMHO you are starting your circuit much too high. Try to not to have more than 500/600m height above field upon base. Otherwise your gliding slope wld be too abrupt with inherent difficulties when correcting speed.

~S