Using FS for flight training

[gottoflynow]

Hi all,

I am hoping to start Flight training in a while and id like to know what i can do to make FS a good base to help me learn some of the stuff I will learn. I know FS isnt as realistic as it can be (i've flown real planes before... a C172, Beech BE65 queenair, and a T-6 texan) so are there any add-ons or hardware that will boost the realism a bit (i have the PMDG 744, but that doesn't really help my causes). How about actually flying in the game, any recommendations for how to do that in a more realistic fashion? For reading i have  the FAA's Basic pilot handbook, Instrument flying handbook, and instrument procedures handbook (needed to learn how to fly a Sid/STAR on Vatsim and the others i got for my b-day a few years ago.) so are there any other books you'd recommend?

Sorry for all the questions but i've been thinking of some things to ask for a while

Any help much appreciated

-GTFN

[Splinter562]

FS can be a great tool, but as you seem to already know has limitations. The thing that flight simulator is best at training is instruments. The advantage there when training for your private pilot is that you will already have a good foundation of everything on the panel and what information is coming from where. This will set you ahead a bit in that respect. The drawback is that coming from FS you may find yourself overly reliant on your instruments. When training for your private your eyes should really be outside of the cockpit much more than on the panel. It may be useful to consciously remind yourself of this at the beginning of a flight (if not, your instructor will probably inform you that you need to get your head outside the plane). If you do happen to be flying a plane with a Garmin GPS unit in you, you can have fun tinkering around with it in FS and get that out of your system on the ground where you're not paying by the hour. Then it the plane you can use as needed (in my opinion you shouldn't be learning GPS until after you've got down dead reckoning and station to station, but that's just me).

You already mentioned VATSIM, that's a great tool to start getting into the habit of talking to controllers. A lot of new pilots have a fear of using the radio or start transmitting before they know what they want to say. VATSIM can help out a lot in that regard, you'll get used to talking with controllers and how to say what you mean.

As for books, there's one book over all that I would recommend:
Stick and Rudder

If you really want to understand what the airplane is doing and why, this is the book. It manages to break flying down to an easily understandable level without leaving much out. A highly worthwhile read for any pilot new or experienced.

[beaky]

Aside from instrument procedures and the possibilities of VATSIM, FS is actually a fairly useful tool for the typical PP student... things like flying a good pattern, stabilized VFR approaches, etc.
You won't learn diddly- bop about actually landing, or taxiing or takeoff rolls, however... IMHO, FS is very deficient in that area (transition between air and ground). You can learn the basics of balancing throttle and brake correctly, but any real plane will seem very different on the ground, an no two are exactly alike, really... even the same model with the same # of hours on it.

Same with stalls and slips- FS won't teach you much about that sort of air work. Slow flight maybe; depends on the FS model.

But FS is terrific for VFR navigation practice; doesn't matter that it's inaccurate to some extent, because your aim is to learn to go from A to B efficiently, using whatever tools you like.
Navigation is mostly mental, not a "feel" thing, so FS easily simulates that.

Which leads to another suggestion: if you're lucky enough to have a GPS for the sim that is the same one in the airplane, you can use that free sim time to learn how to use the GPS, instead of wasting lesson time fiddling with it.
But you are also well off avoiding the GPS with the sim, to hone your basic skills.

I highly recommend getting the best possible FS model of whatever training aircraft you end up in and just flying that a lot with the sim... think of it as "enhanced chair-flying".

[gottoflynow]

Thanks for the tips guys!

Much appreciated  ;)

[Brett_Henderson]

You asked what you'd need to get..

[Mobius]

FS is also good for "Stick forward houses get bigger, stick back, houses get smaller". 8-)






Sorry about being totally useless.