Tutorial: How
to Fly Circuits in a Light Aircraft
Getting more out of Flight Sim
Intro / Disclaimer: This is a very basic
outline of what to do if you want to fly VFR circuits in
FS. I am not a real pilot. This material does not
translate to real-world procedures. Do not try this in a
real airplane. If you do, and make a big, smoking hole in
the ground, please don't complain to me. If you someday
want to become a real pilot, then it is up to you to
avoid acquiring bad habits that may carry over to your
training. If you already know how to fly a circuit, feel
free to skip this brief tutorial...
The Circuit:
A really good way to become familiar with FS is by flying
circuits. Flying FS circuits is also a good way to get
the feel of a new airplane, a nice way to relax when you
want to fly but don't have anything special in mind, and
a good way to get better at flying more precisely.
What is it?
 A FS circuit is a box-shaped
pattern around an airport. Here's how to fly one in a
Cessna. Remember, this is very basic:
Take off on Runway 36 and maintain about 70 - 80 kt in
the climb. Stay at full power and use pitch (the stick or
yoke) to hold your airspeed. The resulting climb should
be fairly steep. You can dial in some trim to remove the
stick or yoke pressure necessary to hold the plane at
your target airspeed. If it seems unclear to you how to
control a plane's airspeed using the stick, quit reading
this, and get out there and do some flying...!
Raise the gear if applicable, and flaps (you did use
flaps didn't you?). Raise the flaps one at a time.
Keep it at 70 - 80 kt until you reach 1,500 feet. You are
at about 900 feet above ground level at this time.
Start a right turn to 90 degrees. This is the crosswind
leg. The standard pattern is left-hand, but at
Meigs there are buildings to the west, so left-hand
circuits are not allowed on 36.
Keep climbing in the turn. When you reach 2,000, reduce
power a bit and level off. You will gain airspeed, but
don't be going faster than 120 kt in the Cessna or other
light airplane. As soon as you are stable on a 90-degree
heading, start a right turn to 180 degrees. Don't go out
too far, a mile is plenty. Don't go out five miles and
then turn downwind, you will then have departed the
control zone - it's just not the way it's done. Keep the
circuit rectangular (fly the corners square), and
resonably tight.
You are now in the downwind leg, level
at 2,000 feet, doing somewhere around, or less than 120
kt. At this point you may want to call Tower and tell
them you are downwind. Look out the window for other
airplanes, and get used to the way the airport looks as
you fly along parallel to the field. As you get used to
it, practice flying tighter patterns. Try flying some
real tight patterns, those are fun. If you are in
Multiplayer, tell Tower you want to keep it in tight...
When you get abeam the runway threshold (when it is
beside you as you look out the right window), drop a flap
and the gear. Slow to 100 - 110 kt. Stabilize the
airplane. Your next turn will put you 90 degrees from the
runway heading and is called the base turn.
When to turn base is mostly up to you, within reason.
Tower may ask you to extend the downwind leg, or keep it
tight, or may call the turn for you. If you're not
comfortable with a clearance, let them know.
If you go too far downwind, other aircraft behind you in
the circuit may cut in, not realizing you are staying in
the pattern, and you tend to lose your perspective on
where the airport is. A mile to a mile and a half past
the runway threshold is good, no more than a minute's
flying at 100 kt. Try turning when you are abeam the last
of the buildings along the shoreline (with scenery detail
at very dense). You can turn in closer, but things will
happen faster, so be ready for that. Try to do it the
same way every time so you can get used to the way the
airport looks. Check to see where other aircraft are in
the pattern, and don't cut somebody off.
Turn right to 270 degrees. Stabilize the airplane. Look
out the left window just in case somebody is making a
straight-in approach. Then look out the right front to
see where the airport is. A four-button joystick or yoke
is invaluable because you can program the buttons to
control all your views, and won't have to go to the
keyboard.
Your final turn is important because
this can make or break the approach, and a good landing
depends on a good approach. If you turn too soon or too
late, you will have to compensate and your final approach
will be sloppy. Again, using switches or buttons on the
stick or yoke will make it easy to quickly check the
runway while in the turn to see how you are doing.
Practice will help you visualize when to turn based on
how the airport looks.
When it looks good, call the Tower and report turning
final, then turn right until you are lined up with the
runway. Your heading should be somewhere around 360
degrees. Stabilize the airplane, and when you are stable
at 2,000 feet, drop another flap and start the descent
while slowing to about 80 kt. Save the last flap, you may
need it later.
Note that in the real world, patterns are often flown at
1,000 feet above ground level, which would equal about 1,600
feet at Meigs in FS. In Flight Sim, I really recommend an
extra few hundred feet of altitude - it lets you get a
better view of the airport. Also, in the real world,
descents are usually started when abeam the runway
threshold. Not really recommended with Flight Sim, see
below.
Can't see over the panel?
Make sure that the view window goes only as low as the
top of your panel and no lower. Slide the panel out of
the way by dragging with the mouse, and resize the window
by dragging it up from the bottom, so that the bottom of
the window comes up to the top of the instrument panel.
If your outside view takes up your whole screen, you will
never be able to see over the panel.
Depending on what panel you are using, you still may have
to slide the panel down a bit by dragging it down with
your mouse. It's better than panning your view down (shift-enter),
although panning down briefly is sometimes useful. If you
still can't see the runway over the top of the panel, you
may be flying at an angle of attack that is preventing
this - the nose of your airplane is too high relative to
your flight path.
Why might your angle of attack be too great? You may be
flying too slowly for the type of airplane you are
flying, or for the way your airplane is configured. For
example, you may not be using the proper flap setting for
landing - not enough flap and the aircraft will need a
higher approach speed than normal. If instead you fly the
approach at a slower airspeed, you will need to keep the
nose well up to stay in the air, at an angle of attack
that is approaching the stall. In this condition, it is
naturally going to be hard to see over the panel.
Remember that in some aircraft, a full flap setting
produces excess drag and could make the aircraft
difficult to handle during a missed approach - try a
setting of less than full flaps and see how it handles.
Remember also that many aircraft have a maximum landing
weight, and are actually over that limit when full of gas.
Trying to land an aircraft in Flight Sim that is full, or
nearly full of fuel, is more difficult, because at
heavier weights, airplanes use higher approach speeds.
Basically, if you are flying at an approach speed that is
too slow for the way the aircraft is configured, it can
make it harder to see over the panel. Try flying the
approach a little hotter and see if that helps...
To summarize, don't fly the approach too slow, don't
descend too early, and don't fly a flat approach. Try an
approach that seems steep to you, it will probably be
about right.
If you still can't see over the panel, just get a
different one. A friend who has about 500 hours on
Cessnas, and flies FS regularly, says he only has this
problem in the simulator, not in the real plane.
The Approach
If you are stable in the approach at the proper airspeed,
it is easy to use power to adjust your rate of descent.
If you are not stable, save the flight a mile or more
back from the runway and practice getting stable. But
don't do it in Multiplayer, please...
Use pitch to get the airplane at the proper airspeed, and
the nose where you want it. Then adjust power to keep it
there. Fly the descent at 80 kt. Rate of descent should
be around 700 feet per minute. As above, keep the runway
visible at the top of the panel. If the button of the
runway (the threshold) disappears below the panel, you
may be high on the approach. Reduce power somewhat, then
add a bit. Lower the nose if you want, but it is best to
avoid playing with pitch too much once you are
established. If the runway slides up the screen, you may
be getting low on the approach. Add some power, but avoid
flattening out the approach. It is very difficult to
salvage a FS approach where you are low, too slow, and
flat. Catch deviations early.
If you have trouble with approaches, try saving a stable
approach, then experiment with power, hands-off the stick.
Bring it up to full throttle and see what it does. Cut
power and watch what happens. You will learn faster that
way, and you can't damage the engine on a simulator.
Don't fly long, straight-in approaches VFR (Visual Flight
Rules). It's too hard to judge perspective, distance and
altitude that way. Remember, you shouldn't be looking at
the dials and gauges when you are VFR, but should be
looking out the window most of the time. It is possible
to fly a nice, long approach power-off, right down to the
runway, but on a real airplane that could cause the
engine to get too cool, which would cause damage. That
type of approach is just not recommended for VFR flight.
Landing
When you are close to the airport, add the last flap if
required and let the airplane slow to 70 kt. Use trim (a
wheel on the stick or the page up / page down key) to
make fine pitch adjustments. The plane should almost land
itself. As you get close to the ground, begin to slow
down your rate of descent by adding back stick. Continue
to pull until you are flying more or less straight and
level a foot or so above the ground. Hold it there, then
let the plane settle while adding more stick. If the
stall horn goes off just as you touch the ground, great.
If you flare 20 feet above the runway, you may stall and
your arrival will be abrupt. If you don't flare soon
enough, you will hit the runway too hard. Either way you
will probably crash...
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