Hi Charlie,
The previous issue (from 2023) has been resolved and the plane flares fine (in my opinion, but I flew the real one only for 10 years ).
To find the correct approach speed, enter the weight correctly into the FMS and then check on the approach page - it tells you the Vref, add 5kts to that to find the approach speed...technically you are expected to bleed off these 5kts between the threshold and touchdown, but in reality this is rarely done.
If you feel that you lack authority to "pull the nose up", make sure that your center of gravity is within limits, if it is too far forward, the ability to increase pitch will be limited.
To see smoke from the tires is perfectly normal, this is not due to hard touchdown but due to the wheels getting spun up super rapidly when they touch the ground.