Ask Captain Lim ~ All about Aviation

Hello Captain Lim,

My name is David and I am 15 years old. I want to have flying lessons in the future. At the moment, I am enjoying the flying using the Flight Simulator on my computer.

Could you please answer this question for me? I have tried to land the plane on autopilot but not sure if I am doing it correctly. Could you explain to me how you would do this on a real flight?

If you can land the plane on autopilot, does it line itself up with the runway correctly? At what point does the pilot have to intervene?

Thanks.

David

Hi David,

The flight simulator is a very good equipment for introducing one to the real world of flying. It is fun because it appears to feel and sound like the real thing. If only it were available when I first started my flying many years ago, it would have made my life so much easier. You can learn a lot of basic maneuvers (which also shorten your flying lessons) with the simulator but when it comes to actually landing the plane, it must be learned on the real plane!

Yes, the plane or the simulator will line up with the runway correctly on the autopilot if it is accurately programmed. I use the PSS-Boeing 777 on my MSFS 2002. Sometimes it doesn*t fly well because of some glitches on my software but I know others (for example Srihari) can do it better. So I cannot guide you on the basic procedures on how to fly the simulator well except on a real plane (try to follow Srihari*s technique if you can).

On the actual Boeing 777, I normally disconnect the autopilot between 500 to 800 feet above ground level. If I were doing an actual auto landing, it would land the plane perfectly on the runway centerline and I would not disconnect the autopilot until the airplane has landed and slowed down to a safe taxi speed.

I have covered the landing procedures in my past answers. Please read more about this topic in my site.