Integrating FSX Into Real Flight Training: Good Idea?
Hello guys!
At the end of 2013, I'll begin initial pilot training. The plan is going to be very comprehensive and will include training from private, to instrument, commercial, multi-engine, one or more jet type ratings, VLJ single pilot certification and RVSM single pilot certification. The goal is to get ready for single pilot operation of a twin engine VLJ.
The training will be broken down into three (3) major categories and will cover two (2) years in total:
1) Pilot Certifications & Ratings
2) Turbine Skills Development (time building)
3) General Aviation & Business Aviation Education (past/present/future)
At the end of two (2) years, the expected Total PIC time is projected at between 1,100 to 1,500 hours with greater than 60% ME Turbo-Prop Cross Country in mostly Class B/C/D airspace. The list of scheduled aircraft for the training and time building program are as follows:
- Private Pilots License
- Instrument Rating
Cessna T182T
Cessna T210M
Bonanza A36
- Multi-Engine Rating
- Commercial Rating
Beechcraft Baron 58
Cessna 340
- Turbine Time Building
King Air C90B
King Air B200
- VLJ
* Embraer Phenom 300
* Citation CJ4
* Citation M2
[which VLJ is not yet known]
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The training plan is pretty much in place and on standby until the end of this year. In the meantime, I stumbled upon the world of Flight Simulation. I eessentially have nine more months before the real flight training begins and I wanted to know what [b]real pilots and real CFIs[/b] think about the idea of using a desktop flight simulator to begin the process of developing good mental habit with respect to Procedures?
I've done the homework on the available flight simulators and I've come to the conclusion that X-Plane would offer the better simulation in terms of Flight Dynamics, but FSX offers the better selection of Aircraft Models to use within the simulator itself (P3D is probably better than both, but suffers from the same lack of Aircraft Model Developer support that X-Plane does). I've installed all the software including all of the Aircraft Models listed above. I took several flights in the pattern at the airport out where I live. The first thing I learned, was that I have a lot to learn.
Ok, so I have a ton of questions, but before I ask them, I'll give you some background on where I am in aviation, so you will know better how to answer. Aviation is not new to me. In my late teens, I took three (3) lessons in my way to a private pilot license that never happened. I quickly ran out of money and school (college) became all absorbing of everything, including my limited money at the time. I spend the next 20 years developing a career outside of aviation, while at the same time, constantly telling myself that "one day" I'd return home to aviation where I belonged. The career kept getting more involved and more time consuming, and I kept moving further away from my goal of flying.
Over the years, whenever I got the chance I would go out and buy a book about flying and/or flight training. I now have a sizable (mostly unread) library at home on a wide range of General Aviation topics related to flying and/or flight training. I figured that one day, I'd get back to all those books and finally make good use of them.
I have watched the King Schools Private Pilots Training Program several times over the years, including the Sporty's Instrument Pilot Training Course and the Jeppesen Private Pilot program as well. I used to watch them like one watching their old favorite reruns of sitcoms they used to like years ago. I still have my copy of the FAA published Practical Test Standards for the Private Pilot, my old headset, flight bag, E6B and even my old logbook showing three (3) CFI signatures.
Now, I'm coming back home! Finally! Only this time, I'm coming back and a future aircraft owner/operator.
So, let me start by asking some basic questions, if you don't mind helping me out:
1) Do you think it is a worthwhile idea to start working on some fundamental procedures using FSX?
By procedures, I mean the real basics: PITCH/POWER/TRIM. I remember my old flight instructor beginning to teach me how to physically get the aircraft to do what I wanted it to do, using specific Pitch, Power and Trim settings that would afford me time to shift my brain into learning other topics at the same time, without always falling behind the aircraft.
When you combine FSX with something like PilotEdge, you get really good approximation of what the Radio work is like in real world flying. PilotEdge, connects my flight simulator to its server and provides live, real-time ATC coverage. So, you get to talk to a real Controller during your simulated flight.
2) Aside from simulating the aircraft pre-flight, engine start-up/shut-down procedures and studying the aircraft systems using the simulator, what other kinds of things do you think I should be doing with the simulator, that will help me hit the ground running when the real flight training begins?
I have found that using the simulator has forced me to recognize and better appreciate why having fundamental baseline level of airmen knowledge, skill and expertise through comprehensive training is so important. I found that simple things such as knowing when to initiate the descent for landing become extremely relevant when you don't know when you are supposed to descent and at what rate and airspeed you should maintain your descent.
Failing to make Radio calls when given instructions from fromgifrmATC, essentially ignoring them, is an absolutely non-starter, yet I routinely failed to make timely replies in some of my flights because I was so far behind the aircraft tryinyining to get caught-up with a heading change, or an altitude change. I found with the simulator that there were tons of little things to keep track of - not one of which enough to keep me from hurting myself - but when all of those tasks start to pile-up in the "un-done" co-doneall columnlumn, they combine andd conspire to gang-up on you and together they represent a real threat to safety of flight.
I foul
I found that I was twice as slow to respond to things when flying in IMC - in and out of the clouds and without a constant a physical horizon to juxjuxtaposextapose off the nose of the aircraft. In the clouds when making heading changes, I found that I consistently rolled out of turns too late, overshooting the heading- chasing the needle. However, the VSI was very intuitive to me in the clouds and I was able to use it to control/hold altitude very well even when the aircraft was being tossed around inside the simulated dynamic weather model.
The
The bottom line is that I am excited about what sits in front of me over the next two (2) years, but the simulator makes it abundantly clear to me that I havethe s a lot to learn.I.tt.
I have some specific questions to ask, but I just wanted to introduce myself, tell you what I have to look forward to and then ask your opinion about using such tools (flight simulator and live ATC simulation) as a preemptive tool to get up to speed on the mental work that I will be expected to learn during the Private and Instrument phases. The Aircraft Models are not perfect and I know I cannot reproduce the kinesthetic feel of flying real aircraft with a desktop model. But, that's not really my question. My question is about whether or not using such a tool for Procedure Work makes any sense and how do I go about not developing any bad Mental Habits while using such a tool?
So
Thanks and sorry for the long winded post.
Regards!