Flying prodigy linked to outbreak of instructor hand levitation

[Bomber ARIS]

After recent discussions between JAA and Captain wish2bflying, ab-intio commercial helicopter pilots courses look set to be reduced to just one weekend.

Captain wish2bflying informed Flight International reporters that the new approved course involved spending Saturday afternoon "simulating" in one's bedrooms (curtains closed for IFR training)

After tea, the trainee would then take a flight in an actual aircraft with an approved paraplegic instructor (guaranteed not to touch those controls)

Sunday morning, weather permitting, would see the commercial candidate taking his/her flight test.

A company spokesman stated that "...the projected pass rate for the multi-engine, aerobatic, IFR check ride was 100%....even for girls!."

At this time PPRUNE FAN #1 was unavailable for comment

[wish2bflying]

Funniest damn thing I've read all week. :p

Just to clarify one point though - I have logged over 50 hours in the simulator, over several years. 50% of that time would have been in the last 4 months with a full size set of flight controls. :ok:

So do you think I could take up that 430 off-the-boat job next week?! :p :ok: :oh: :ooh:

Michael.

[vorticey]

just download a 430 of the net and go from there!:ok:

[PPRUNE FAN#1]

If I owned a flight school, I would be sure to have a computer (or two) with FlightSim2004 installed, along with a good set of controls/pedals. To get a truly high-quality product, the whole thing would not cost all that much (especially compared to a real airplane). I would allow and encourage students to use it as much as they wanted. Using it as a tool and not just a game, it would be invaluable. Those who discount computer flight sims as worthless are behind the times.

[Crabette]

Bomber ARIS
Wish2bflying
Voticey

You guys should list 'shooting fish in a barrel' as your hobby.

:ok:

Laugh :} I nearly cried :{

Can't believe a certain person un-strapped the harness on his simulator to respond. :8



;)

[Shawn Coyle]

PPRUNE FAN#1:
Fly-It's 'simulator' is about as close as you're going to get- pretty neat, and with the right instructor, a superb training device.

[muffin]

Actually, joking aside, I bought myself the X Plane simulator program for Xmas. Coupled with a fast PC with lots of video memory plus a decent joystick and pedal system, the helicopter simulator in it is quite good - much better than the one in FS2004.

[PPRUNE FAN#1]

Actually, it is no joke. Does anyone recall the ATC-610 desktop "simulator"? That one was actually approved for a certain amount of loggable instruction here in the U.S., and there was a company that would send a roving double-I to your house with one to assist in getting your IR as efficiently as possible. Also, I did a lot of "flying" in Rudy Frasca's crude helicopter simulator/procedure trainer back in the 1970's. It was awful compared to what you can do today with any old PC, and there were *no* visuals. We've come a long, long way.

I agree that FS2004's helicopter is not good. But FS as a procedure trainer is excellent. You can "fly" to actual airports, on actual routes, and shoot actual instrument approaches, any kind you want. It is light years ahead of the Frasca in terms of value to the instrument student. And properly set up (within certain limitations) it's not a bad visual, no-motion "simulator" either.

Obviously, nothing can replace actual "hands-on" experience in the aircraft. But there are a lot of things that can be learned outside of it too. I see these new-generation simulator programs getting better and better, and becoming more and more important and prevalent in the flight training industry, if the regulating bodies will recognize their worth.

Shawn, thanks for the tip on Fly-It. I'll try to get my hands on it.

[wish2bflying]

I just have to get back in on this one at this point. The Flyit product is good, but in my not so humble opinion, an inferior product to our ..... product.



:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Heliport

[overpitched]

I hope it wasn't your marketing dept. that came up with the "I hovered on my first trial flight" thread ;) ;)

[Whirlybird]

Aha!!!!!!!!!!!!! Light dawns. What a totally bloody brilliant marketing ploy. Quietly send one of your staff away for a few hours helicopter training, somewhere a long way from home. Then send same member of staff for a trial lesson locally, saying he's never flown a helicopter, but has lots of sim practice. He hovers on his trial lesson, well enough that experienced instructor feels confident enough to wave his hands in the air in front of loads of spectators. He then posts a thread about it on the most well-read aviation site in the world.

wish2beflying, I gotta hand it to you. I dunno if you're a natural helicopter pilot or not, but you sure are a totally amazingly brilliant marketeer. :ok: :) :) :) :) :)

[wish2bflying]

! That would be pretty funny. :p


No, not funny at all - just a pain in the butt.

Please check out Pprune's very reasonable advertising rates - and pay like everyone else.

Heliport

[Whirlybird]

wish2bflying,

I'm beginning to feel like I'm always doubting you, whether in jest or not. So first let me say well done with that hovering; I wouldn't have believed it possible, but I do now, and that flight sim sounds great. But for instrument training? It might help I suppose. But in my very limited experience - around 15 hours in the R22 - I find the main problem is a severe case of "the leans"...feeling you're in a turn or roll when straight and level, or vice-versa. Very hard to ignore, even when you KNOW you've got to trust your instruments. And worse in real IMC than with the hood - though I get it with both. Now, AFAIK, that sort of spatial disorientation is caused by acceleration and so on, and can't be simulated on a PC. But a sim might be useful in other ways. Those more experienced than I am will know about that.

[Nigel Osborn]

Flying in an IF simulator, even one that moves like the ones at FSI, is not the real thing and can build overconfidence in your ability. In the event you "lose" it in the simulator, you can just stop and hop out for a breather. Even in the air under a hood, you can remove the hood and go back to instant vmc. However in a cloud, especially when single pilot, you can't just switch off or remove the hood, it is totally up to you to continue safely and use your experience and know how to fly safely. In other words the problem can be more in your mind than in your ability, i.e. mind over matter. I can bet your pulse rate will increase more in a turbulent cloud than sitting in front of your pc.
Whenever I have trained a pilot to either night fly or IF fly, I have always found a really black moonless night or a very IMC day to let them try the real thing. Everyone of them have had an adrenalin rush doing the real thing compared to simulating, even having an instructor next to them who can take over if things go to worms. Single pilot flying doesn't have that luxury, so don't get too overconfident in your simulator.:cool: