joemaco I hope I did not sound too stern, simply because this question has been asked here before. I do have some idea of the nervousness for some travellers and trying to understand the myriad range of noises and changes of attitude (the aircraft, rather than your own!
) that occur during departure and approach.
One of the reasons that the folks at the sharp end get paid good money is that they have to adjust to a remarkable number of changes in a short period of time. It is often said that 15 minutes of careful preparation (deceleration, keeping strictly to the height and route, following the book for flaps and gear down) can all be ruined by a single gust of wind that cannot be forecast and arrives out of the blue and is never seen again!
But, if it arrives at the moment when the 'flare' (the a/c adopting a distinct nose-up attitude so as to be ready to settle on the runway) has been set and the moment when all the gear are fully seated on the runway - then you can find yourself lifted or lowered or moved sideways without any warning and there may be no time for correction. The time that elapses from flare to touch down varies enormously from one a/c to the next but it may be only ten seconds and that can be more than enough time for an unexpected gust to catch the machine and shift it - even five feet lower than expect - and so result in a landing that is firmer than planned.[/i]
Lastly, terminology, you use the words 'hard landing': in airline terms that is only used when it has been
severe. That is to say, damage may have occurred and engineers must inspect the machine. It may seem 'hard' to you but it is only 'firm' to the aircraft. Sorry if this is too much information but you said that you joined the site to learn!