Anyway I wanted to see exactly what speed I should be flying on final and what I should use for my take off speed. Both of those are based on a plane's stall speed with a margin above for safety and some maneuverability.

So I loaded the VTOL up as heavy as I could 13,648kg (30,089lb) and did a simple stall series to see what numbers I came up with in the game. Here's the results. The stalls were all done straight and level, landing configuration (gear down and flaps 2) at as close to 13,648kg as I could get. I even topped off at the tanker before doing the stalls. The speed was what was read when the first HUD indication of a stall went off.

• At 20,000ft (6,096m) the plane stalled at 210 kts (108 m/s, 389 km/h).

• At 1,000ft (305m) the plane stalled at 157 kts (79 m/s, 283 km/h).

The reason the speeds are different is because the HUD shows us the true airspeed. Using a calculator to go from TAS to indicated, the plane stalled at about 155 KIAS at both altitudes.

Then I did it at the lightest weight I could get. Completely slick VTOL with 500L of fuel (could have gone lighter but didn't want to run out of gas!), came out to about 8,000kg (17,636lb). Again, landing configuration and straight and level flight.

• At 20,000ft (6,096m) the plane stalled at 155 kts (80 m/s, 287 km/h).

• At 1,000ft (305m) the plane stalled at 115 kts (59 m/s, 213 km/h).

Again, different speeds because the game displays TAS. Calculated indicated speed is 113 KIAS at both altitudes.

The FAA uses a 30% margin above stall speed to certify airplanes. Lucky for us all of the landing spots are at sea level, so I'll just use the 1,000ft numbers.

• At heaviest weight, your approach speed should be 200 knots (103 m/s, 370 km/h)

• At lightest weight, your approach speed should be 147 knots (76 m/s, 272 km/h)

Edit - For takeoff speeds, which are a 10% margin above stall:

• At heaviest weight, your takeoff speed should be 170 knots (87 m/s, 315 km/h)

• At lightest weight, your takeoff speed should be 124 knots (64 m/s, 230 km/h)

Since we can only see true air speed in the game, we have to increase these numbers by ~20% per 1,000ft (305m) if you want to land at higher altitudes.

These speeds give you a safe margin above stall with good controlability on final.

Or you can just land in VTOL mode, but I like doing the carrier traps. : )