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im new to flight simulator and might sound wierd but im using this to learn to be a pilot. im only 14 but im going to a highschool where i can get my private pilots licsence. what i need help is when im flying, how do i stay leveled? or how ever you spell it, because im tired of pulling back and forth on the joystick to stay at my assigned altitude. help?

You need to set the trim on the aircraft. To set trim using the keyboard take your NUMLOCK off and use number 7 and number 1 on the keypad. 7 will make the nose pitch down and 1 will make it pitch up, use them carefully as you can end up with even more of a rollercoaster ride.

Every time you adjust power, change direction or height you'll need to adjust the trim for level flight.

In a real aircraft the trim will be adjusted using a trim wheel which will act on the trim tabs on the elevators.

VITAL!!

Forget all about flying Commercial Jumbo Jets, for a start!!

Go to all the "Flying lessons" in the Simulator, learn what you can from them, involving everything to do with aircraft management.

Practice everything, as you would have to do in REAL LIFE under an Instructor.

In between times, load up the default Cessna 172 Trainer, and spend hours, days, weeks, and months practicing your skills, and perfecting them, before you proceed on to anything else!

DON'T fall into the trap of trying to impress yourself/your mates by struggling with a Boeing 747..!!

...trust me......!

Paul... 8-)...!

Download a nice little Cessna 150/152 Trainer, and use that for your daily practice...for a very long time!.... ...!

Resounding  DITTO !

Learn, practice and perfect the basics in a single-engine prop. Don't even go near something bigger and faster until you can fly (and navigate) a little Cessna, realistically.

No auto-pilot or GPS, either  ;)

Ditto to the two above comments again.

best,

....................john

Ditto the above! Starting & sticking with the small Cessna's rather than jumping into say, a 737, may sound boring - but you'll learn a shed load more about the principles of flight & navigation.

Don't worry about feeling stupid using the sim to learn about flying - FS9 is excellent for that, learn the real world procedures & apply them in the sim, it helps to make things second nature & keep's you fresh. I believe that Brett (Henderson - above) also uses the sim to keep from getting rusty with certain elements & also for familiarising himself with new airfields - & he's a flying instructor, so your in good company. Of course, Brett is only one example of many real world pilots & student pilots here at Sim V who use the sim.

Don't worry about asking questions, even if you think they sound stupid - they've probably all been asked before, by most of us here I've no doubt.

Cheers,

TSC.

im only 14 but im going to a highschool where i can get my private pilots licsence.

Boy where was this school at when I was young? I certainly do not rember hearing of a school that tought flight lessons?

Are you talking about about Emery Riddle In Dayton Beach Florida?

I have heard a lot about this school some good and some bad some say it is not what is is cracked up to be? Others say it is the best thing that ever happened since TV was invented.
But follow the advise of the post here start out with a good trainer and practice practice practice and when you get tired practice some more. It really will pay off in the long run. I most have flown a hundered hours using a C172 RG before I even thought about flying anything else. And when I did I flew the Money Bravo. Then from there I went to the Baron and King Air the rest is history. 8-)

I believe that Brett (Henderson - above) also uses the sim to keep from getting rusty with certain elements & also for familiarising himself with new airfields

That's for sure. The most profound example was last summer, when I flew into Oshkosh. The Airventure crew has a well rehearsed and time proven way of getting the countless airplanes in and out of there, during the week that it's the busiest airfield in the world. They ask you to download a multi-page NOTAM, that pretty much spells out what they expect of you. The approach (from the south) funnels in through two fixes, each with it's own hold if things back up. Altitude, airspeed and position relative to those fixes is critical... and the spep-by-step communications procedures need to be followed, exactly.

I flew that approach.. using both holds and every possible runway (including being asked to land not only on a runway, but on a specific place ON that runway

Be advised, if you are trying to become a pilot like me (1 more year ), FS is great practice, but it isn't FAA/European approved as a simulator. Flight dynamics vary in quality from the real thing, and weather isn't always that well simulated (sometimes better than others though). When you go to take your Tests, it may be different from the sim.  Not to freak you out, but just don't see FS as a shortcut to getting your license. I do like your determination, so keep at it! Possibly we will meet someday at a training facility!

[quote]Be advised, if you are trying to become a pilot like me (1 more year ), FS is great practice, but it isn't FAA/European approved as a simulator. Flight dynamics vary in quality from the real thing, and weather isn't always that well simulated (sometimes better than others though). When you go to take your Tests, it may be different from the sim.

Use the sim to practise procedures. Radio, navigation etc etc.
The sim doesn't offer the neccessary all round vision of a real cockpit nor does it give you the "feel" of real flight. When you do your first "real" fliying lesson you will notice that it is isn't the same.
Practise your landings and take-offs in the sim and straight and level flight.
Get used to having to move the control column continually.
The sim familiarises you with what the flying surfaces of the a/c do and how they work but only real flying will give you the neccessary experience and feed back.
Remember landing a "real" a/c is quite a different kettle of fish to landing one in the sim.
Vololiberista

As you can imagine.. I've had this discussion a hundred times; with other pilots, students and of course in forums...  I'll paste a quote of mine from another forum:

If nothing else (to the totally uninitiated), the function of the instruments and the relationships bewtween; pitch/roll/airspeed/altitude/vertical-speed/heading, can be experienced in a sim. That alone makes it a valuable training tool. Also, the cockpit/situational awareness deal can be exerienced in more than the abstract. Approaching an airport; Pattern entry and flying (dealing with winds); Setting up an approach in an exagerated cross-wind (crab-angles in general); Transitions from cruise to climb and back again (or, rolling in and out of a turn and nailing a new heading), relative to trimming (and re-trimming)... and getting grasp on the mantra, "everything that you can, or cannot do with your aiplane is a function of its airspeed"..

Further... radio navigation in the sim is extremely accurate. Tracking VOR radials; finding VOR intersections, and/or fixes; entering holds properly (and flying several laps) with significant winds aloft. Compass turns, too. MSFS replicates compass errors, perfectly.

And of course, instrument procedures. You can sit with plates handy, and a drill yourself on flying precision/non-precision approaches to the letter. Procedure turns, timed descents, published misses. If you wanna talk about time-compression, try flying a complex ILS, in 1 mile visibilty and a serious cross-wind, BY THE PLATE (no improvising), when your NAV radio quits and you had better be on the proper course/altitude/vertical-speed/airspeed, so that the timer (that you didn't forget to start at the FAF) can get you down to decision height, safely. Praticing that stuff will save you a fortune in dual-time (and safety-pilot time)when you're chasing your instrument rating.

I don't have any students currently. I'm not in Columbus enough, or for long enough periods of time.. so I took myself off of the club's commercial policy. But I meet plenty of them, and if I were to take one on today... I'd require him to have FS9 or FSX up and running  with yoke and pedals. There are just too many ways for it to help with training and to keep you in the "pilot frame of mind".... and will definately pay for itself. Just two hours of dual in an IFR equipped 172 will pay for the software/hardware.. not to mention the hours of entertainment. We have FS9 up and running on one of the club computers.. and we have "On Top" software running on an FAA approved   PCATD...  Trust me, FS9 is better..

Howdy, Chase- welcome!  ;D

You have the right idea: start learning what you can, early on. I'd also suggest getting some books and/or discs; take a look at what's in store for you, study-wise... it can't hurt (as long as you don't cop an "I read the book, so I know it all" attitude when you start your groundschool sessions).

As far as FS goes:
Sort of repeating what's been said already for the most part, but:

Start simple in FS. When you start your real-life training, they will not put you in a jet, will they?  

But "simple" doesn't have to mean "crap".Which is why you should ignore the default Cessna 172... take it from a real-life Cessna driver... that- thing does not fly like a Cessna!  It's crap.
Try the RealAir Cessna 172; it's a freeedownload (for FS9 only) that's easy to install and much more realistic in terms of trimming to hold altitude (back to your original question- I didn't forget).

You can get it here:

http://www.realairsimulations.com/list_ ... =downloads

I also agree that FS, while not a substitute for the real thing or even for a gov't-approved simulator, is an excellent learning tool, and inspirational as well.
I messed around with FS5 a little way back when I was just starting my PP training, and it definitely helped me understand a few things that were eluding me in real flight with all its new sensations, etc.  Not the "feel" of flying a plane, but just about everything else. Which is fine: the "feel" part is easy in real life. Real smoothness takes time, but any dope who can ride a bike can keep an airplane in the sky... an early CFI of mine put it best: "Ten percent physical; ninety percent mental".

FS is an outstanding tool for learning comm/nav/checklist procedures, pre-flying training flights or trips, and also reviewing flights. Just another tool in your flight bag, so to speak... but a useful one.

Good luck, and drop by here anytime to ask questions or share what you've learned.  :)

Rotty brought up something I take for granted. That RealAir C172 is a MUST get... and you can copy the air-file, and key parts of the aircraft.cfg file over into your FSX C172...

the beauty of FS that you don