Airbus A320-321 flare technique

[basilis_besios 0]

Well, experts in Airbus, gather and help.

The situation is as follows:

Approach: -700 f / m, Vapp = Vls + 5 knts, pitch attitude 5 degrees .. at 50 ft preparing for flare, 30 ft iddle, 20 ft flare (which basically means to prevent the Airbus lower the nose of the 5 degrees, which makes the fly by wire when enters flare mode).

My question is, do i flare too late???

-700 F / m is a lot vert. speed below 200 feet and requires pre-flare;;;

My landings are about 200-450 f/m at touchdown and i want to reduce this rate to 100-200 f/m..

Please,every answer is welcome..

Thanks in advance..

[SK10 42]

Here is what I do in the real A320 Simulator. 700fpm is pretty normal, so is the landing speed,but 5 degree nose up is to much, it should between 0 and 2,5 at 65000kg with flaps full.

Fly down till 40 and start lifting the nose a bit, at 30-20 retard to idle, do not wait for the retard call, then you are late, as it is a reminder you dont have selected idle thrust already.

Then continously pull the joystick little by little, you dont even feel the touchdown. (remember keep holding the joystick on backpressure)

As a rule of thumb, your Groundspeed divided by 2 + a zero at the end is your rate of descend.( e.g. GS is 140/2 = 70 +0 at the end is 700 fpm)

I dont fly the Aerosoft Airbus, so I dont know how it flies, but if you have 5 degrees nose up at landing config all the time, the flightmodel is not accurate in this regard, which makes it a little harder, but

its not a 15 mio. Level D Simulator ;-)

Hope this helps a bit and good luck.

[738 756]

I think your landings are pretty much spot on, nothing wrong imo with a greased landing from time to time though!

[basilis_besios 0]

Here is what I do in the real A320 Simulator. 700fpm is pretty normal, so is the landing speed,but 5 degree nose up is to much, it should between 0 and 2,5 at 65000kg with flaps full.

Fly down till 40 and start lifting the nose a bit, at 30-20 retard to idle, do not wait for the retard call, then you are late, as it is a reminder you dont have selected idle thrust already.

Then continously pull the joystick little by little, you dont even feel the touchdown. (remember keep holding the joystick on backpressure)

As a rule of thumb, your Groundspeed divided by 2 + a zero at the end is your rate of descend.( e.g. GS is 140/2 = 70 +0 at the end is 700 fpm)

I dont fly the Aerosoft Airbus, so I dont know how it flies, but if you have 5 degrees nose up at landing config all the time, the flightmodel is not accurate in this regard, which makes it a little harder, but

its not a 15 mio. Level D Simulator ;-)

Hope this helps a bit and good luck.

Thank ou very much SK10..i will try my pitch attitude, but i have a question on this..if i lower the nose to 2-2.5 degs attitude during the approach the v/s is above 800-900 fpm and even more..how can i descent with Vapp=135 (approx.), pitch 2 degs and Vert.Speed= -700 fpm?

That means my Vapp is low, so i should try increase it to maintain -700 fpm with +2 degrees pitch..

[basilis_besios 0]

I think your landings are pretty much spot on, nothing wrong imo with a greased landing from time to time though!

Thank you 738, i know that -250 fpm is a nice landing,but i want to improve my landings with the help of some experts..

And my 100-200 fpm landings are fewer than the hard ones..

[SK10 42]

Thank ou very much SK10..i will try my pitch attitude, but i have a question on this..if i lower the nose to 2-2.5 degs attitude during the approach the v/s is above 800-900 fpm and even more..how can i descent with Vapp=135 (approx.), pitch 2 degs and Vert.Speed= -700 fpm?

That means my Vapp is low, so i should try increase it to maintain -700 fpm with +2 degrees pitch..

No, what I mean is, that with config full and you on target approach speed,the nose shouldn't be at 5 degrees, it should be between 0 and 2.5 degrees. If the Airbus X is on GS and fully configured at 5 degrees, then u must fly it that way,

it is just not realistic. You should have around 6 degrees on landing, so you must then have around 8-10 degrees, which is quite nose high. At 50 feet you can have the fpm at around 500, that is perfectly fine.

[Patrick1246 353]

adjust your VAPP

VAPP = VLS plus 1/3 of the tower headwind component.

The value of VAPP is limited so that it is never less than VLS + 5 or more than VLS +15.

[basilis_besios 0]

Thank you all for your answers.. I will add 1/3 or 1/2 of the wind speed on my Vapp..

And SK10, i think you are right about the realism of the pitch attitude,from random videos of A320s landing..

[iamniceify 1]

I flare at 30ft idle. Gave me a nice 0~200fpm.

[basilis_besios 0]

After many touch and go's the result is "slightly higher Vapp than the computed one from the FMC"
I added about 1/3-1/2 of the headwind speed and the approach pitch attitude was 2.5 degs with -700 fpm.

So for flare i could pull back on the stick to 5 degs and no one could feel the touch-down..

Thank you all very much, apprciate it..

P.S. i would like some information on crosswind and tailwind landings..how much speed do we add on the Vapp?

[avi8tor 5]

Hi Basilis,

you are for sure one of the more serious guys in the community! Guess you Need a Simulator ride to learn all what you Need,...

Basically you add to the FMC computed VLS, 1/3 of HEADwind, but max 15kts, plus 5kts if A/THR is used, (however it is common practice to add the 5kts even A/THR is off).

So in CROSSwind situations you have to calculate the existing HEADwind component (there are also graphical Solutions in the handbooks). Tailwind is never added on the VLS.

Example:

Runway 27 (270°), Wind 240/10,

Formula I use: 110-WA = % of headwind, WA= wind angle between runway and wind direction (in this example 30°)

that means: 110-30°=80% of 10kts = 8kts Headwind, now take 1/3 (one third) = approx. 3kts

Let us assume the VLS in the Computer is 132KTS: 132 + 5 + 3 = 140kts Vapp

BUT:

IF you use MANAGED Speed mode during Approach AND entered the wind/Temperature and QNH on the FMC Approach Page: FMC calculates ist own managed Vapp as a so called "Ground Speed mini function" (GSmini). In short, you then carry enough energy whatever the actual wind conditions are. However Keep in mind: This is only used in NORMAL operating conditions, i.e. WITHOUT any failures!!!

Try getting a flight Crew Training Manual of the A320 (FCTM) on the internet , that could become your bible ;-)

regards busdriver

[basilis_besios 0]

Thank you very much, avi8tor.. I'm just trying to make it "as real as it gets" and i don't mean only the graphics in the FSX.. I read and i practice on the a320 seriously beceause my hobby is virtual captain and not a gamer..Thanks again..

And i would be very happy if i had the chance to experience a 3-axis A320 simulator..

Thanks for the crooswind landing advice, i'll use it..

[avi8tor 5]

Hi Basilis,

you are welcome any time!

[1FD2 17]

General landing techniques vary from person to person. Because there are too many variables (weather, atmospheric conditions, wind, weights etc etc). Less is more from my experience, the flyby wire will hold the aircraft in trim against atmospheric conditions, I always used to make the mistake of over controlling the aircraft, especially on the final approach stage.

The most difficult part is at 50ft when the flight control laws blend into flare mode. But I always try to maintain a slight attitude pitch when in my flare of around 4 degrees. Cut the power at around 20ft, and just let the aircraft kiss the tarmac.

[avi8tor 5]

Hey 1FD2,

sounds like a plan!

As we all can learn from the Hamburg storm landing incident, the flight control laws were not even completedly explained in the real manuals. Especially aligning the nose with the centerline using the rudder is tricky, because the foward moving wing will come up. Even Airbus allows now 5° of crab angle, when touching down. So I agree, less is sometimes more...

regards busdriver