Landing the BF-109

[Romanator21]

Quick question: Why do you unlock your tail wheel prior to landing? I have always kept it locked in every sim to minimize the chance of a sideways skid on the ground. I unlock it when I need to turn off onto the taxi way.

For some reason, the "float" over the runway seems better than X-Plane. In X-Plane you can float forever in seems.

I also notice none of you seem to raise flaps on touch down. I was taught to raise flaps to reduce lift and put more weight on the wheels for breaking and steering. Does leaving them down give an advantage in reducing speed by drag?

I lock the tail-wheel for take-off (as everyone should do). Whether you unlock it for landing is up to you. Il-2 doesn't model cross-winds to the degree that you will need it.

I kept the flaps down because I had ample runway, and I didn't feel bothered to raise them at that time. If it was a short field landing, I would have raised them and started braking sooner. I should mention that I had full back pressure on the stick once I touched down. Relaxing after touchdown may cause your tail to rise even without the use of brakes.

Landing with a nose-wheel is similar in a sense, but for a different reason. You keep back pressure to prevent the nose gear from coming down too hard, or from sticking in the mud.