Landing takes a long time

[Zlorax]

Hi guys.
I'm a bit new at this but why takes landing on a planet so much time. I arrive with light speed and then super cruise. In super cruise I'm getting in to orbit and stay there for almost 20 minutes? If I take a direct path then I need to push boost around 50 times and is takes 35 minutes to get at the planet station. If I try to use super cruise on the planet surface then I get send in to orbit again and had to start all-over again? What am I doing wrong, can someone point me in the right direction?

Greetings,
Z

 

[lotusexcelle]

You are definitely doing it wrong. There should be some tutorials on Youtube that can help. The summary is to glide down.

 

[DrinkyBird]

If you use Supercruise Assist on a planet, or a location on the planet, it will just begin automatically orbiting the planet upon approaching it. You'll need to approach your destination in supercruise manually at an angle; first entering Orbital Cruise before getting close enough to enter Glide.
This video tutorial is six years old but still helpful; there's probably a tutorial on this in-game as well.

 

[OutofSpace]

Approach planet at full supercruise speed until timer is at 7 seconds then drop speed to middle of blue. Continue towards planet surface with speed in middle of blue. When entering orbit pull up to clear too steep red. Enter glide and then auto exit glide. Drop to under 500mtrs (watch descent speed, not too fast), deploy landing gear, zero speed and auto land.
That's what i do.

 

[Bottom Hat]

Yup your angle is wrong. Check out the video above by drinky and you'll see the difference. Don't despair, as soon as you have it once, it all makes sense.

 

[Frags]

I adjust my position to the destination in SC before I'm entering orbital cruise the way I approach the destination point at 50-55 degrees and keep my throttle in position that I'm within 8-10 seconds. So, basically, there's no difference between SC and OC, just keep the angle at 50 and speed to be within 10sec until you enter gliding. This allows fastest descent.
I just measured my time spent between entering OC and gliding - ~30 sec.

 

[Tenshi]

Don't use Super Cruise Assist is the first tip.
Also there are a lot of videos on youtube that will teach you what to do when approaching a planet. Like an above poster mentioned 30 seconds top to land on a planet.

 

[JetsonRING]

What am I doing wrong, can someone point me in the right direction

Ask 100 CMDRs and likely get 100 answers but I can tell you how I do it (wall o' text version):

When I enter the destination system I find the destination planet and head for it at full (100%) throttle. As I approach the planet I keep an eye on the countdown timer that accompanies my destination/target marker in the HUD. When that countdown to destination timer reaches 7 LS (seven light-seconds) I immediately set my throttle to 75%. I have a button specially bound for setting 75% throttle. 75% throttle is an "auto-throttle" setting, automatically adjusting my ship's speed relative to my designated destination. This will keep me from overshooting the planet at high speed.

As my ship approaches the planet and the planet gets large in the window I will usually reduce my ship's speed again, to 50% throttle (I have a button bound for setting 50% throttle) to slow things down and give myself more time. I maneuver my ship so the planet is "down" relative to my ship (as if I am very high up in an airplane) and try to approach the planet so that my destination is coming over the horizon straight in front of my ship and will pass under my ship if I maintain an orbit. Pitch down a bit to get the ship under the (blue) OC line so the HUD changes and the pitch ladder appears. Note I also have a button bound to 25% throttle (and one for 0% throttle) in case things are still moving too fast.

When the HUD pitch ladder appears, If I am just trying to get down to the ground I can simply pitch down and fly downwards, so long as the ship's flight path does not go into the high or low "Red Zones" in the HUD where the ship is too steep or too shallow to achieve GLIDE. Ship's maximum GLIDE angles are variable but usually between 50 and 60 degrees pitch (just stay out of the "red" zones in the HUD!). On the right side of the HUD is a tape showing the relative altitudes of the OC, GLIDE and SURF zones. When the marker reaches the GLIDE marker I want my ship pointed at where I want to land and my flight path not in the "red" zones.

NOTE: To minimize GLIDE time, once in the OC zone I shallow my dive until my destination is just barely above the "too steep" red zone. This offers a maximum GLIDE angle and shortest possible GLIDE down to the ground. Then I maneuver my ship so it is pointing at my landing zone and proceed down.

After the ship enters GLIDE mode I zero my throttle and if I have done everything correctly the ship should exit GLIDE mode only 5 or 6 Km above my destination. If it is a settlement I immediately request docking clearance and head down to land. o7

 

[alexzk]

push boost around 50 times and is takes 35 minutes to get at the planet station

You fly using rocket engine, it has speed like modern passenger airplane. So time is about correct.
To go faster you must manage to use FSD until very close to surface, 5-10-20kms to surface is good distance. That can be traveled less then 4 mins on rocket engines.

 

[Ydiss]

Surprised only one reply seems to have identified the core issue: supercruise assist.

The op is using it then just dropping out (after letting it orbit for ages) and flying direct.

Op, supercruise assist will not pilot your ship to the surface. As soon as you enter orbit, turn it off and follow the other guides about how to manually approach a planet. I think the video listed in the first couple replies will be good enough.

 

[Maolagin]

Surprised only one reply seems to have identified the core issue: supercruise assist.

The op is using it then just dropping out (after letting it orbit for ages) and flying direct.

Op, supercruise assist will not pilot your ship to the surface. As soon as you enter orbit, turn it off and follow the other guides about how to manually approach a planet. I think the video listed in the first couple replies will be good enough.

Probably because not many actually use the SC-assist-to-orbit feature. Thus it isn't widely known that SC assist not only doesn't turn itself off when you pitch down to approach your surface destination, but actively fights you by trying to return you to the holding pattern orbit.

 

[dwarfPlanet]

Yeah, no supercruise assist. Just come in on a forty five degree angle, or thereabouts, with your throttle well down in the blue and you'll hit orbital flight first, then you'll drop out of that and glide down toward the surface/station. You'll get the hang of it. Took me a few shots before I developed a good approach, one that drops me within 7km of my target at least 99% of the time. Just practice.