The 172 Skyhawk is the most-flown airplane in history and the default GA trainer in MSFS 2024. It's also the airframe most sim pilots learn 'landing' in, which means a lot of habits formed here propagate to bigger iron. Get the 172 right and the 737 makes more sense.
Landing technique
- Final approach speed: 60–65 KIAS short final, bleeding to 55 over the threshold (POH numbers for normal landing).
- Round-out at about 20 ft AGL — much later than a jet. Let the speed bleed off in ground effect.
- Hold the nose off after the mains touch — fly the nose-wheel onto the runway, don't plant it.
- Crosswind: wing-down + opposite rudder is fine on the 172. Touch the upwind main first, then the downwind, then nose.
- Don't use the wheel brakes until the nose wheel is firmly on the runway and you're tracking centerline.
Common mistakes
- Carrying too much speed into the flare — produces a long float, then a tail-low touchdown when the speed finally bleeds off.
- Trying to fly the nose wheel down before the mains have settled — bounces are mostly caused by this.
- Over-aggressive flare leading to balloon, then drop.
Aircraft data
- Manufacturer
- Cessna
- Model
- 172
- Variant
- Skyhawk G1000
- FAA approach category
- A
- MTOW
- 1157 kg (2551 lbs)
- Vref reference
- 65 kt
- MSFS source
- Default Std
- FLARE matches
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk G1000 · 172 Skyhawk G1000 · 172Skyhawk G1000
Related reading
- → How FLARE grades a landing — the composite formula behind every score
- → What "stabilized approach" actually means — the 1000-ft gate, four criteria, technique
- → Light Single-Engine GA scoring thresholds — per-category curves applied to this airframe
- → Full scoring methodology reference — complete breakdown in the help docs