beaver eager
8th Apr 2001, 14:45
Has anyone got any recommendations for a decent programme that would help me to re-vamp my scan.
When I got my first job on the Airlines, my scan was red hot having practised for an hour a day on a FRASCA. The flying school where I instructed used to allow the instructors to use it free when not being used by paying customers.
Anyway, four and a half years later, and having had a command on ATR42/72 and now AVRO RJ100, I feel that my attempts at raw data ILSs are pretty naff.
I know that comparing them to the autopilot is a waste of time and that you don't have to "nail it" all the way down like the A/P F/D does, and that half scale deflection on bothe G/S and Loc is an IR pass.... but most F/Os can do a bloody good job and my professional pride makes me want to be as good as I used to be when I practised more often. (BTW, despite what I say, I've never had too much difficulty with base checks/OPCs etc.)
I think part of my problem is that when practicing in the FRASCA for those elusive job interview sim rides, you always flew stabilised approaches, but out on the line it's always 160 to 4 DME and then the Gnd/Spd (ROD) and Drift start changing as you slow down and with the large pitch changes as the flaps run, my capacity gets a bit challenged!
Anyway it's nothing a bit of practice won't cure, but I won't hand fly on raw data unless visual and as that happens so rarely in the UK these days (is it ever going to stop raining?) I'm just not getting enough practice. Maybe I just expect too much of myself, I did get quite good at the ATR eventually but it took nearly three years!
Anyway, last year I mentioned to the better half that I wanted a flight sim computer program with which to practice my scan, so on my Birthday, she duly came home with the most expensive program she could find (who could ask for a better wife?), a wonderful program called Airline Simulator Two. It's kin' great, autopilot, ATC, Programmable FMC, checklists, AERAD Charts,etc. In fact everything a nerdy wannabe could wish for when building a virtual career as an airline pilot. The trouble is, I don't want to call for push back when at home, I just want to practice my ILSs. There's so many keystrokes to learn on this program that I just don't have the time/enthusiasm for it and being a BALPA rep for the whole of last year didn't help either! I need something that I can start instrument flying on pretty quickly without spending three years reading the instructions/online help files!
So what do you recommend folks.... and does anyone want to swap Airline Simulator 2 still in it's box (cost about £90 eighteen months ago, I think) for something that will be more use to me?
I suppose I must be more of a nerd than I thought to sit and write all this, eh?
(Posted on Computer/Internet Issues and Questions for maximum exposure to both pilots and nerds - no offence computer Fans, my Wife calls me a nerd just coz' of the time I spend on PPRuNe!)
When I got my first job on the Airlines, my scan was red hot having practised for an hour a day on a FRASCA. The flying school where I instructed used to allow the instructors to use it free when not being used by paying customers.
Anyway, four and a half years later, and having had a command on ATR42/72 and now AVRO RJ100, I feel that my attempts at raw data ILSs are pretty naff.
I know that comparing them to the autopilot is a waste of time and that you don't have to "nail it" all the way down like the A/P F/D does, and that half scale deflection on bothe G/S and Loc is an IR pass.... but most F/Os can do a bloody good job and my professional pride makes me want to be as good as I used to be when I practised more often. (BTW, despite what I say, I've never had too much difficulty with base checks/OPCs etc.)
I think part of my problem is that when practicing in the FRASCA for those elusive job interview sim rides, you always flew stabilised approaches, but out on the line it's always 160 to 4 DME and then the Gnd/Spd (ROD) and Drift start changing as you slow down and with the large pitch changes as the flaps run, my capacity gets a bit challenged!
Anyway it's nothing a bit of practice won't cure, but I won't hand fly on raw data unless visual and as that happens so rarely in the UK these days (is it ever going to stop raining?) I'm just not getting enough practice. Maybe I just expect too much of myself, I did get quite good at the ATR eventually but it took nearly three years!
Anyway, last year I mentioned to the better half that I wanted a flight sim computer program with which to practice my scan, so on my Birthday, she duly came home with the most expensive program she could find (who could ask for a better wife?), a wonderful program called Airline Simulator Two. It's kin' great, autopilot, ATC, Programmable FMC, checklists, AERAD Charts,etc. In fact everything a nerdy wannabe could wish for when building a virtual career as an airline pilot. The trouble is, I don't want to call for push back when at home, I just want to practice my ILSs. There's so many keystrokes to learn on this program that I just don't have the time/enthusiasm for it and being a BALPA rep for the whole of last year didn't help either! I need something that I can start instrument flying on pretty quickly without spending three years reading the instructions/online help files!
So what do you recommend folks.... and does anyone want to swap Airline Simulator 2 still in it's box (cost about £90 eighteen months ago, I think) for something that will be more use to me?
I suppose I must be more of a nerd than I thought to sit and write all this, eh?
(Posted on Computer/Internet Issues and Questions for maximum exposure to both pilots and nerds - no offence computer Fans, my Wife calls me a nerd just coz' of the time I spend on PPRuNe!)