MiG-29 landing impossible to perform

[Frey]

Please write honestly if anyone has succeeded in landing? I've been flying for 25 years since the beginning on Flanker 2.0 and LOMAC and I can't understand something like this!
Aerodynamics at the landing seems to me strip probably intentionally distorted and AP non-functional. etc.  And what do you guys think about it? :-[

Edited February 4 by Frey

[razo+r]

There are plenty of people who can land and fly it without issues. Feel free to browse youtube, plenty of videos around of people landing the DCS MiG-29.

If you want to report an issue, you'll need to provide more details.

Even better is a track so people can actually see if something is wrong or if you are doing something wrong, and will provide lots of feedback for you. But we need more details for that other than "it doesn't work".

[Rudel_chw]

37 minutes ago, Frey said:

Please write honestly if anyone has succeeded in landing?

 

I didnt have any trouble the last time I flew it, but I did was running on fumes so the descent was steep and I lost one engine to fuel starvation while taxing  

 

 

 

[Supernova-III]

48 minutes ago, Frey said:

Please write honestly if anyone has succeeded in landing? I've been flying for 25 years since the beginning on Flanker 2.0 and LOMAC and I can't understand something like this!
Money spent and the add-on is UNOPERATIVE!!! Aerodynamics at the landing strip probably intentionally distorted, AP non-functional. etc.  And what do you guys think about it? :-[

You are not alone. MiG-29 is really hard to land it without proper training. It doesn't forgive mistakes when you try to land it. There are some points to consider when you passed inner beacon:

• start flaring at 8-10 m AGL, the airspeed should be 280-290 km/h
• you should reach 0 m/s vertical speed at 0.5-1 m AGL
• once your vertical speed is zero, set throttles to idle
• once idle, pull the stick to set the AoA to 11 deg (not bigger than that, to avoid tailstrike), stick movement is quite wide at the speed about 270 km/h, don't be afraid of that.
• the airplane will start losing the speed and lift, slowly descending to the touchdown point

It's very hard to train properly. On the beginning it will seem that things happen too fast to consider that amount information at such short period of time (several seconds). But keeping trying you will ace it. Good luck!

You can believe me, it's possible to land it. Some airplanes require more dedication, more time to spend training. Avoid jumping from one module to another if you want to have best results.

Edited February 4 by Supernova-III

[Supernova-III]

typical problems when landing the MiG-29 are:

• overspeeding during touchdown, which causes bouncing
• too high and too slow when flaring, which causes the opposite effect -- crushing down to the runway

Both problems are due to there are basically no space for errors (in terms of flight parameters), you have to do it precisely.

When flaring and after setting throttles to idle, you have to keep looking to the left forward so that you can observe how you descend

Edited February 4 by Supernova-III

[Supernova-III]

your attention should be distributed in the following way when you are flaring: airspeed, AGL, vertical velocity (repeat until you finish flaring). When you have finished flaring, it should be like this: AoA, vertical speed, left forward (repeat until you are done).

 

Probably it's not the best algorithm, but you have the idea

Edited February 4 by Supernova-III

[Frey]

Thank you for your answer, it seems convincing to me, so I corrected my original post a little. will keep practicing.

[SAM77]

It seems to me that it used to be easier before the latest update. I feel like ED are making changes to the FM but not announcing it in the update notes. Anyway, one thing I keep in mind is to reduce focus on hitting the numbers and just fly the plane. For me the 260-270 km/h touchdown speed is for a low fuel aircraft. In the Mig29A final approach instant action for the Caucasus the aircraft has 3000kgs of fuel. I've attached a track I did today from that mission. Constant trimming and power adjustments are required but it is possible to do extremely smooth landings in favourable conditions. Crosswind landings are a bitch though. Rudder authority is so strong.  

MiG29land.trk

[Weta43]

I don't know from your post - what exactly is it about landing you're having trouble with?

[Esac_mirmidon]

And please dont try landing at max weight.

One legendary error almost everybody does is try landing directly from a fresh editor mission with a Mig-29 full of fuel and weapons.

Please take a second to set the Fulcrum at the correct Max landing weight or less.

Edited February 7 by Esac_mirmidon

[buceador]

All of the above advice is good, it's also very important to land absolutely level, the tyres are made from recycled crisp packets and will burst if one of the wheels touches before the other!

In stark contrast the SU-27 almost lands itself!

[Ironhand]

15 hours ago, Supernova-III said:

…you should reach 0 m/s vertical speed at 0.5-1 m AGL…

This is probably the most important aspect of landing the MiG-29. While everything, obviously, plays a roll in setting you up for a smooth landing, your height above the ground as you make that final speed reduction defines your landing speed. The closer your wheels are to the ground, the slower your landing speed can be (within reason). It’s also one of the most difficult things to judge in the sim.

The MiG-29 is the least forgiving a/c in this regard. Most others let you “cheat” a lot more.

Edited February 5 by Ironhand

[Pavlin_33]

DO NOT look at VSI when landing!

Flare is a visual maneuver and VSI lags and does not show you anything usefull. Look outside when flaring. If you don't have the correct speed on aporoach, better go around than to try and make it work.

[Ironhand]

Finally had a chance to fly and figured I’d add a short video of how I do it.

Assuming you’re not landing heavy—here I’m landing with roughly 35% (1,100 kg) fuel and 6 R-73s—try to keep the tach in the 77-79% range as you descend toward the runway. Ideally you’re crossing the inner marker at a height of 50-60 meters with a speed in the 300-310 km/hr range. If you’re a little high, shift your aim point to just short of the runway for a bit to flatten out the descent. Then refocus on your original aim point.

Your speed crossing the runway threshold should be in the 280-290 range. As the left edge of the runway comes into view, look left and forward, rather than straight ahead, to better judge your height above the surface.

FWIW, I seldom pay attention to the AoA. Rather I keep an eye on the HUD pitch scale (notice that, when I shift my focus left and forward, I keep the scale in view). Do not let it go higher than 10 degrees. At 10, there is no chance of your tail or engine nacelles hitting the ground. Add a bit of throttle if it’s approaching 10 with no desire to stop. If you hold it at 10 at this point by adjusting the throttle, the proper landing speed (and AoA) will sort themselves out. Throttle to idle, when you feel you’re just above the runway and settle to the ground.

 

 

[AeriaGloria]

18 hours ago, Pavlin_33 said:

DO NOT look at VSI when landing!

Flare is a visual maneuver and VSI lags and does not show you anything usefull. Look outside when flaring. If you don't have the correct speed on aporoach, better go around than to try and make it work.

Yes completely agree, I look at VSI until just before flare. But then look left and forward, very good reason most Soviet landing lights point left! 
 

As long as you have enough airspeed, it becomes infinitely easier to both line up and flare at the right altitude for gentle touch when your looking at the ground to the side 

[Yo-Yo]

I think that most pilots who have mastered landing the MiG-29 do this intuitively, but it's important to remember that the aircraft requires quick and precise corrections to maintain the landing attitude in the final few meters. However, beginners should be aware that the plane tends to reduce its angle of attack just before touchdown, so they must anticipate and compensate for this tendency.

[AeriaGloria]

It’s a delicate dance, you need to pull stick to your stomach right before touch down to stop sudden AOA decrease, but not too much or too fast that you ballon and go up

[kotor633]

Maybe this is helpful.

 

[Supernova-III]

On 2/7/2025 at 3:21 PM, Ironhand said:

Finally had a chance to fly and figured I’d add a short video of how I do it.

Assuming you’re not landing heavy—here I’m landing with roughly 35% (1,100 kg) fuel and 6 R-73s—try to keep the tach in the 77-79% range as you descend toward the runway. Ideally you’re crossing the inner marker at a height of 50-60 meters with a speed in the 300-310 km/hr range. If you’re a little high, shift your aim point to just short of the runway for a bit to flatten out the descent. Then refocus on your original aim point.

Your speed crossing the runway threshold should be in the 280-290 range. As the left edge of the runway comes into view, look left and forward, rather than straight ahead, to better judge your height above the surface.

FWIW, I seldom pay attention to the AoA. Rather I keep an eye on the HUD pitch scale (notice that, when I shift my focus left and forward, I keep the scale in view). Do not let it go higher than 10 degrees. At 10, there is no chance of your tail or engine nacelles hitting the ground. Add a bit of throttle if it’s approaching 10 with no desire to stop. If you hold it at 10 at this point by adjusting the throttle, the proper landing speed (and AoA) will sort themselves out. Throttle to idle, when you feel you’re just above the runway and settle to the ground.

 

 

speed is ok, but it's too high on the glide path. It should be around 50m over the inner beacon, so you get very smooth transitioning to the flaring stage.

[Ironhand]

3 hours ago, Supernova-III said:

speed is ok, but it's too high on the glide path. It should be around 50m over the inner beacon, so you get very smooth transitioning to the flaring stage.

Thank you for your critique. Though I’m not sure 1 meter over 50 was worth mentioning, when the manual gives a range of 50-60 m.

Edited February 10 by Ironhand

[Bob_Petuss]

We urgently need a Mig-29K to safely drop it on the runway.

[SAM77]

20 hours ago, Bob_Petuss said:

We urgently need a Mig-29K to safely drop it on the runway.

I'd be happy with a MiG29S first. Damn it, if they can do an F35 they can damn well give us a MiG29 with some actives.

Btw I'm going crazy. It seems like every update ED does there is a change in the FM of the MiG29. Before the latest update muscle memory wasn't working when it came to doing smooth landings now it is much easier. 

Edited March 27 by SAM77