Immersive Aircraft: Realistic Landing

Realistic Landing

Realistic Landing overhauls approach, flare, touchdown, runway rollout, and taxi behavior for Immersive Aircraft.

The system responds to aircraft speed, lift, mass, propulsion, passengers, cargo, sink rate, pitch, alignment, ground clearance, and runway surface. Approaching too fast causes float, low energy reduces control, and exceeding the available tire grip can cause skids or ground loops.

Required: This is an add-on. Immersive Aircraft must also be installed.

Features

• Aircraft-specific reference speed calculated from lift, mass, propulsion, passengers, and cargo
• Progressive low-energy control loss and stall behavior
• Excess-speed float during approach and flare
• Dynamic flare timing based on the current approach
• Natural touchdown settling without artificial rebound
• Progressive braking and speed-dependent steering
• Limited tire grip, wheel skids, and ground-loop behavior
• Surface-dependent rolling resistance and grip
• Detailed touchdown scoring and landing ratings
• Immediate release during a deliberate go-around

Landing sequence

The landing controller progresses through Approach, Flare, Touchdown, Rollout, and Taxi.

• Approach monitors speed, VREF, sink rate, angle of attack, alignment, payload, and ground clearance.
• Flare determines the correct timing window from height, speed, sink rate, and payload.
• Touchdown evaluates the aircraft at the moment of contact.
• Rollout controls braking, steering authority, tire grip, skids, and ground-loop risk.
• Taxi restores normal low-speed ground movement after rollout.

There is no automatic runway straightening. The pilot remains in control throughout the landing.

Touchdown scoring

Each landing receives a score from 0–100 and one of five ratings:

Smooth  •  Good  •  Firm  •  Hard  •  Severe

The result is based on sink rate, speed compared with VREF, sideways drift, and touchdown pitch.

Ground and surface handling

• Paved surfaces — predictable resistance, braking, and lateral grip
• Grass and dirt — increased resistance with reduced grip
• Sand, gravel, and mud — heavy rolling resistance
• Snow — increased resistance and reduced grip
• Ice — greatly reduced braking and steering grip

Five ground probes sample the terrain beneath the aircraft, allowing the system to detect slopes, surface changes, runway edges, rooftops, and elevated landing areas.

Modded runway blocks can be supported through paved, rough, and slippery block tags.

HUD and configuration

The configurable HUD can display:

• Landing stage
• Speed and calculated VREF
• Sink rate and height above ground
• Angle of attack
• Predicted time to contact
• Energy and flare guidance
• Warnings and touchdown results

Realistic Landing uses one simulation model without difficulty presets. Approach height, flare height, decision height, braking, throttle behavior, HUD placement, go-around threshold, and optional landing damage can be configured.

Configuration file: config/realistic-landing.properties

Existing 2.0 and 3.0 Alpha configurations migrate automatically where possible.

Compatibility

• Minecraft: 1.20.1, 1.21.1, and 1.21.11
• 1.20.1: Fabric and Forge
• 1.21.x: Fabric and NeoForge
• Java: Java 17 for 1.20.1; Java 21 or newer for 1.21.x
• Fabric: Fabric API required
• Multiplayer: install on both the client and server

Download the file matching your Minecraft version and mod loader.

Compatible aircraft using the shared Immersive Aircraft airplane system also receive adaptive landing and rollout behavior.

Realistic Takeoff

Realistic Landing and Realistic Takeoff can be installed together. Realistic Takeoff handles runway acceleration, rotation, liftoff, and initial climb. Realistic Landing handles approach, flare, touchdown, rollout, and taxi.

Other Immersive Aircraft add-ons

Modpacks and servers

Realistic Landing may be included in public or private modpacks and servers with credit.

Bug reports

Include your Minecraft version, loader, Immersive Aircraft version, aircraft, payload, landing surface, displayed speed and VREF, touchdown result, and relevant configuration changes.

Discord: crabban1337

Credits

Created by Crabb4n.

Special thanks to the Immersive Aircraft team for the original mod.

View all Crabb4n projects