Dive bomb approach into KLAS...

[Dillon]

I don't know if this is just me but on final to KLAS (any runway) it seems the airport sinks away or is lower than it appears visually.  It's hard to explain but on an ILS approach to 25L for example things start off fine over the west end of Lake Mead.  About a mile out I notice I have to put my aircraft into a dive with 25% flaps (forget full flaps) with a speed of 140kts to maintain the ILS needles all the way down to the runway.  Visually everything looks fine but it's almost like the airport is sitting in a hidden hole or something.  Short final for me is best in any heavy using flaps 1 setting versus full flaps like normal.  It's like a constant dive down to the runway versus a gradual decent down to the runway like at any other airport.  This is unlike anything I've ever seen before and something I didn't notice as much before until really exploring this location thanks to FSDT's rendition.  This may be me although I have no third party mesh installed.  Like I said everything is fine a distance out, it's just on short final I notice the airport drops, drops, drops in relation to the aircraft yet the out the window view seems normal.  Very weird arrival into KLAS to say the least... 

[Cereal Eater]

Sounds like maybe you ate some psilocybin during the cruise phase of your flight?

[Dillon]

O.K. I take it no one else is seeing this, I will now dig into my setup and see what's the problem... 

[Cereal Eater]

I wish I could understand exactly what you've tried to describe but I'm not getting it.

Maybe you can post some screen shots? That would be very helpful.

[Dillon]

The out the window view looks normal... Flying the approach is another thing altogether.  I need a high decent rate a mile out from the runway to make a proper landing with a speed of 130kts or less (very weird)...  Like I said it's like the airport is lower than it appears.

[JFKpilot]

Dillon:

I use FSX and don't know if what I experience is what your describing. Didn't experience this at KLAS, but at some other airports: on approach to KDFW (forgot which runway) the descent rate is constant, then suddenly the plane starts ballooning like crazy until it's a nose-down approach. It sort of does feel like the airport is sinking, and I don't think it's weather-related or anything. Or on finals to runway 5 at LSGG, the approach is at a constant descent rate until, always at the same area, there's ballooning followed by excessive sink rate. Same thing happens on approach to KSNA runway 19R. It's always puzzled me but I never brought it up because no one else did (don't know if we're talking about the same thing though, different sim and all...)

EDIT: I just found out my "problem" is just some default fsx thermals on the approach path defined by the LC, not weather. It can be disabled along with turbulence or the LC file can be edited. Not sure if this is your problem though and you are using fs9 anyway... 

Regards
Ron 

[Dillon]

Ron sounds like we're talking about the same thing here.  Although I haven't experienced this at the airports you described it sounds like we're on the same page.  That being said thermals come and go but this problem is ever present for me at KLAS...

For what it's worth the weather program I use is ASV (Active Sky), an outstanding add-on for weather generation...

[Dillon]

Ron I stand corrected, I guess this does have to do with wind around the airport.  I flew last night and found the issue to be non-existent.  After checking the real world weather for the area I have to concede ASV realistic weather depiction can do some weird things depending on the weather conditions at a given location.  I'm glade to know this wasn't some rouge landclass file sitting somewhere affecting this area... 

[Eric Shank]

Yeah... I was going to say...

Sounds like you're trying to land with a nasty tailwind. Try landing into the wind.

[Dillon]

Yeah... I was going to say...

Sounds like you're trying to land with a nasty tailwind. Try landing into the wind.

Another thing I found thanks to this problem was the Feelthere A320's induced drag was set too low.  Various modifications I've already done to these birds like updated spoiler drag, custom sounds and resolving the high nose pitch at cruise issue; I found induced drag with a setting of 1.1 was way too low for this FDE.  I changed it to 1.5 and the bird lands as it should.  The problem was I couldn't loose enough speed on approach (KLAS 19R/25L) to properly make a landing.  More drag should have been placed on the aircraft when it was dirty but that wasn't the case.  Adjusting the 'Induced Drag' setting made all the difference...