"Kevin" wrote in message
oups.com...
Since I am a stickler for perfection, at what point does the FAA begin
to have a problem with people with botched landings. i.e. besides a
firey crash what is considered "illegal" when landing.

If you don't violate any regulations, the FAA does not care. They may
investigate an accident in which you break something, to see if you did
violate any regulations. But that's all.

It is easy to land perfectly while still violating one or more regulations,
and it is possible to destroy the airplane without violating a single
regulation.

The NTSB, on the other hand, has a specific list of criteria to determine
whether you are required to report an accident to them. But they don't deal
with pilot sanctions...all they want is the information for their ability to
track accidents.

For the sim pilot, the bottom line is this: if you aren't told you crashed
the airplane, you did fine.

Also, what is
the best way to learn communications and the language needed to
communicate with the control towers such that I can begin my virtual
career?

For many of your questions, especially in terms of procedural and regulatory
aspects, you may want to pick up a copy of the FARs and the "AIM" (used to
be "Airman's Information Manual", but it's been changed to some
gender-neutral name that I've since forgotten). You can find a consolidated
copy known as the "FAR/AIM", published by a variety of sources (ASA is a
well-known one).

In the AIM is a "Pilot/Controller Glossary", as well as a variety of
sections of specific pilot-controller procedures.

Of course, using the built-in ATC features of MSFS would help. But I guess
that's not useful advice for someone using X-Plane.

Pete