Guide
How to read an approach profile and glide path
The approach profile shows how the aircraft came to the runway in altitude, speed and configuration. Once you can read it, it becomes clear why the touchdown was soft or hard.
What a glide path and approach profile are
The glide path is the descent path to the runway that brings the aircraft to the touchdown point. The approach profile is broader: it covers not only altitude but also speed, configuration and engine settings all the way to the threshold.
What an approach profile is made of
The profile is built from several values, each responsible for its part of the landing. It helps to look at them separately, then together.
Vertical profile
This is altitude over time or distance to the runway. It shows whether the descent was stable or oscillating.
Approach speed
Speed in the landing configuration should be stable. Excess speed at the threshold stretches the hold-off; too little risks an early touchdown.
Glide path: instrument and visual
The instrument glide path gives the reference angle, the visual one ties you to the runway. A mismatch shows up in the profile as a departure from the reference path.
Configuration (flaps, gear)
Configuration should be set before the approach stabilises and then left unchanged at low altitude without good reason.
Where to see your approach profile in Flare
In the flight debrief the approach profile is shown as altitude and speed together with the glide path. Touchdown metrics sit next to it, so the link between the approach and the result on the runway is immediate.
Signs of an unstable approach
Speed wanders, altitude drifts off the glide path, engine settings change abruptly, or the configuration is not set by the reference altitude. Any of these means the approach should be rebuilt or flown again.
Using the profile to improve your landings
Compare profiles across several approaches to the same runway: where the divergence starts, which speed spoils the flare, how early or late descent shows up at touchdown. This fixes the cause, not just the outcome.
FAQ
How does an approach profile differ from a glide path?
The glide path is the descent trajectory; the approach profile covers it more broadly: altitude, speed, configuration and engine settings.
What is a stabilised approach?
An approach where speed, configuration and path are set by the reference altitude and the controls need no abrupt inputs.
Why read the profile when there is a score?
The score tells you what happened; the profile explains why. Together they show what to fix in the approach.
Can the profile be judged without a debrief?
Partly: altitude and speed show stability, but objective touchdown metrics are easier to read in the debrief.
Ready to debrief your landing?
Flare reads a completed MSFS 2024 flight and shows a 0–100 score with a touchdown breakdown.