Flight simulators
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Flight simulators
I have just started flight training up here in Darwin, and was curious about the benefits of flight Sims like Microsoft etc. Are they of any benefit to students when you can't access the real thing?
NIL when you're learning, they'll help you form nasty habbits like keeping your head inside the cockpit.
Can be useful once you get to your instrument rating, but no use jumping the gun
Can be useful once you get to your instrument rating, but no use jumping the gun
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Since you're doing your training in Darwin, if you're looking for something you can do outside of your lessons (and quite apart from book study), I reckon one of the better things you could invest in would be an airband scanner. I used to instruct there and one of the biggest things my students struggled with was dealing with the quantity and variability of radio calls. A few of my old students borrowed my old one (lost now) and found it very helpful to sit down, listen to ATC and write down their own mental picture of what was happening in the airspace. They managed to build up their situational awareness skills as well as RT skills very quickly and to a higher level than many new commercial pilots to the area. There are cheap-ish ones going for about $120 at plenty of pilot shops.
Good luck
Good luck
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YES IT Does, IFR and, VFR
Absolutelymerlinn,
I have CPL + MECIR, and both were fine tuned and assisted with the aid of Microsoft flight simulator.
I found that certain areas of flying rehearsed on the Sim aided my flying more so than other areas of flying.
Merlinn, I determined that using the dash was good for learning checks, run ups, max performance take off, very good with circuits ( I guarantee that rehearsing your circuits in the Sim will aid and certainly improve your flying. It did so for myself, and many other students on the same course as mine. The Sim in the circuit assists you on visualizing the next scenario, supports in the memorization and flow of checks, spacing of runway, height holding and others. )
The Sim is also good for glide approaches and FLWOP ( Forced Landing With Out Power ) cutting the power and gliding to the runway at all different levels of height and with different winds, done over and over will absolutely assist your actual flying skills. It did mine.
Turns, are also good. I practiced doing medium and steep, and max rate turns with out looking inside at all, and did so over and over again until I neither gained or lost height in the Sim. It helped me in the plane.I understand that Aussie has the saying in regards to looking as your flying, ’ 7/10 outside and 3/10’s inside. Maybe true, in NZ its similar however a lot of flying schools require the student to fly around a 360 degrees at 60 degrees angle of bank looking outside the whole time and not decrease or increase our height nor angle of bank. Practicing this manoever on the sim will help you.
Stalls in the Sim is also another area that helps, practicing in the Sim helped my recovery drill and technique. It assists in memorizing the drills and cementing into your head what is vitally important and should come instantly that something goes wrong.
Cross-country flying is also good. Do the main runs that your flying school does and you’ll become familiar with the terrain, time traveled, airport frequencies, plates etc
You must be hard on yourself though. Otherwise what has been said previously, “they'll help you form nasty habbits like keeping your head inside the cockpit”, could take effect. But, if your self disciplined and keen to improve and willing to understand that the Sim is altered and has its own system and arrangement that is not identical to your actual aircraft, then it will aid your flying absolutely.
As far as IFR goes, I agree with WannabeBiggles, when he said that can be useful for instrument rating. It completely helps you. Practice all the stuff on your Sim and I guarantee you will increase your IFR flying ability!! I and a lot of the class used it and boy, did it help a lot with so many areas. But I shall not write more at this time
I am just an aviator Merlinn, I love all forms of aviation that are available. Whether helicopters, gliders, big and small planes, space ships, simulators, rides and fairs. I want to have the greatest amount of professionalism, technique and airmanship that I can possible have. And, I have flown a lot of machines and am still amazed by a simulator and I know that just like all commercial airlines use simulators to aid pilots, Micro Soft Flight Sim, or all the other great Sims can also help me. I just have to much passion to not let it aid me.
As is Similarly stated on the cover of flight manuals, ‘because knowledge minimizes flying hours’
regards Flysaucer1200
I have CPL + MECIR, and both were fine tuned and assisted with the aid of Microsoft flight simulator.
I found that certain areas of flying rehearsed on the Sim aided my flying more so than other areas of flying.
Merlinn, I determined that using the dash was good for learning checks, run ups, max performance take off, very good with circuits ( I guarantee that rehearsing your circuits in the Sim will aid and certainly improve your flying. It did so for myself, and many other students on the same course as mine. The Sim in the circuit assists you on visualizing the next scenario, supports in the memorization and flow of checks, spacing of runway, height holding and others. )
The Sim is also good for glide approaches and FLWOP ( Forced Landing With Out Power ) cutting the power and gliding to the runway at all different levels of height and with different winds, done over and over will absolutely assist your actual flying skills. It did mine.
Turns, are also good. I practiced doing medium and steep, and max rate turns with out looking inside at all, and did so over and over again until I neither gained or lost height in the Sim. It helped me in the plane.I understand that Aussie has the saying in regards to looking as your flying, ’ 7/10 outside and 3/10’s inside. Maybe true, in NZ its similar however a lot of flying schools require the student to fly around a 360 degrees at 60 degrees angle of bank looking outside the whole time and not decrease or increase our height nor angle of bank. Practicing this manoever on the sim will help you.
Stalls in the Sim is also another area that helps, practicing in the Sim helped my recovery drill and technique. It assists in memorizing the drills and cementing into your head what is vitally important and should come instantly that something goes wrong.
Cross-country flying is also good. Do the main runs that your flying school does and you’ll become familiar with the terrain, time traveled, airport frequencies, plates etc
You must be hard on yourself though. Otherwise what has been said previously, “they'll help you form nasty habbits like keeping your head inside the cockpit”, could take effect. But, if your self disciplined and keen to improve and willing to understand that the Sim is altered and has its own system and arrangement that is not identical to your actual aircraft, then it will aid your flying absolutely.
As far as IFR goes, I agree with WannabeBiggles, when he said that can be useful for instrument rating. It completely helps you. Practice all the stuff on your Sim and I guarantee you will increase your IFR flying ability!! I and a lot of the class used it and boy, did it help a lot with so many areas. But I shall not write more at this time
I am just an aviator Merlinn, I love all forms of aviation that are available. Whether helicopters, gliders, big and small planes, space ships, simulators, rides and fairs. I want to have the greatest amount of professionalism, technique and airmanship that I can possible have. And, I have flown a lot of machines and am still amazed by a simulator and I know that just like all commercial airlines use simulators to aid pilots, Micro Soft Flight Sim, or all the other great Sims can also help me. I just have to much passion to not let it aid me.
As is Similarly stated on the cover of flight manuals, ‘because knowledge minimizes flying hours’
regards Flysaucer1200
just to steer off course a bit, who you doing your flight training with mate? last time i was there there wasn't any training going on, i should know, i worked in the flying school
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I tend to agree with flysaucer, it can be useful for VFR as well as IFR. As far as VFR goes it helps with practicing procedures and checks etc, but you need to be careful you don't become overly reliant on using the instruments. I once had a flight sim enthusiast as a student. On his first flight he actually flew the aircraft (a 152) quite accurately --- on instruments --- never looking out the front. Having advised him of the visual part of VFR, when he started looking outside his accuracy naturally was somewhat poorer. So yes it is very possible to form bad habits if you are not careful.
Fortunately for me when I learned the most advanced flight sim I had was Microsoft on the Commodore 64
wire frame graphics, poor frame rates etc - no chance of being able to get any bad habits.
From an IFR perspective, its absolutely useful. For getting the scan going, practicing procedures and approaches etc its great and can save you money. But to get the proper 'feel' you still need to at least use a synthetic trainer.
If you get MS FSX you'll need a well spec'd machine.
Fortunately for me when I learned the most advanced flight sim I had was Microsoft on the Commodore 64
wire frame graphics, poor frame rates etc - no chance of being able to get any bad habits.From an IFR perspective, its absolutely useful. For getting the scan going, practicing procedures and approaches etc its great and can save you money. But to get the proper 'feel' you still need to at least use a synthetic trainer.
If you get MS FSX you'll need a well spec'd machine.
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Thanks for your advice everyone, I guess I am just a little to keen at this stage so I figure any training is good, but obviously not.
Yes the flying school is finally up and running! Makes it a lot cheaper then flying to Brisbane for 2 hours of lessons and coming back.
Yes the flying school is finally up and running! Makes it a lot cheaper then flying to Brisbane for 2 hours of lessons and coming back.
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Mate go for it. Flight Sims are incredibly useful. Before I went for my ppl I downloaded the exact aircraft, local airport scenery and had all the checklist and procedures in place. I "flew" circuits for about 4 months before my first lesson and when I finally started I hit the ground running. It allowed me to solo a 152 in under 6 hours. It also saved me a crap load of $$$$$. Once your in that plane and the engine is running at around $3 to $4 per minute every little thing your instuctor doesnt need to remind you about will help.
in NZ its similar however a lot of flying schools require the student to fly around a 360 degrees at 60 degrees angle of bank looking outside the whole time and not decrease or increase our height nor angle of bank.
And how about the strain to the pilot's neck holding that G force as he looks up and around. A lawyer could make good money here. What an astonishingly idiotic exercise
Centaurus - 60deg = 2g, so provided the aircraft POH says it is rated above 2g, you're fine, so long as they don't try and fix a loss in altitude without first rolling out of the turn.
As an instructor, I've had so many students struggle with circuits, and the common factor being all were using flight sim to practice it. IMHO flight sim has it's place for basic IF practice, but for something like circuits where you're meant to keep your head out of the cockpit, it can easily become a hinderance rather than a help. (And yes, it turned out that flight sim was the cause of said students struggling)
Use it if you want, but be VERY careful
As an instructor, I've had so many students struggle with circuits, and the common factor being all were using flight sim to practice it. IMHO flight sim has it's place for basic IF practice, but for something like circuits where you're meant to keep your head out of the cockpit, it can easily become a hinderance rather than a help. (And yes, it turned out that flight sim was the cause of said students struggling)
Use it if you want, but be VERY careful
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so provided the aircraft POH says it is rated above 2g, you're fine
.. you miss Centaurus' point. The certification fatigue calcs (and, for older aircraft, this might amount to not much) are based on presumed usage of the aircraft. While the aircraft may be authorised to 60 deg bank .. and the limit load factor a little above 2g .. for a normal category aircraft there will be a presumption that 60 deg bank turns are of limited duration and infrequent application.
Think of fatigue like a bucket of water ... each time you pull g ... is like tossing a small cup of water out of the bucket .. or a larger one, depending on the amount and duration of the g ... when the bucket is empty .. you are on borrowed time ...
Centaurus, being an ex military pilot has no fear of manoeuvring .. he is just a little more conservative having not killed himself over a great many decades of flying.
.. you miss Centaurus' point. The certification fatigue calcs (and, for older aircraft, this might amount to not much) are based on presumed usage of the aircraft. While the aircraft may be authorised to 60 deg bank .. and the limit load factor a little above 2g .. for a normal category aircraft there will be a presumption that 60 deg bank turns are of limited duration and infrequent application.
Think of fatigue like a bucket of water ... each time you pull g ... is like tossing a small cup of water out of the bucket .. or a larger one, depending on the amount and duration of the g ... when the bucket is empty .. you are on borrowed time ...
Centaurus, being an ex military pilot has no fear of manoeuvring .. he is just a little more conservative having not killed himself over a great many decades of flying.
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not sure about the aob (was always looking outside) but in nz we do max rate turns... so turning as tight as req'd to make the stall warning activate, depending on prevailing conditions could be as little as 20 deg.
Back to topic, i definitely found simming useful for IFR training, esp procedural stuff.
knox.
Back to topic, i definitely found simming useful for IFR training, esp procedural stuff.
knox.
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Most light trainers are rated to +4.4g though
Word of warning .. most trainers also are dual category .. normal and utility .. with different limits for each category of operation. Be careful not to operate to utility limits while operating in the normal category ... that exposes you to the risk of a simple overload or accelerated emptying of the bucket of water ....
Word of warning .. most trainers also are dual category .. normal and utility .. with different limits for each category of operation. Be careful not to operate to utility limits while operating in the normal category ... that exposes you to the risk of a simple overload or accelerated emptying of the bucket of water ....
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Performs level steep turn of nominated bank angle (45°–60°) without altitude change (±150 ft for PPL, ±100 ft for CPL)
• Performs descending steep turn of nominated bank angle (45°–60°) to a nominated heading or geographical feature through a minimum of 500 ft height loss
• Exits on specified heading or geographical feature (±10°)
• Balances aircraft
• Trims aircraft for descending steep turn.
• Performs descending steep turn of nominated bank angle (45°–60°) to a nominated heading or geographical feature through a minimum of 500 ft height loss
• Exits on specified heading or geographical feature (±10°)
• Balances aircraft
• Trims aircraft for descending steep turn.
Last edited by mingalababya; 11th Jul 2008 at 17:47.
Agree entirely with Hass
The only thing I would add is have your local area chart with you so that when a guy reports at XYZ, YOU know exactly where he is. A great way to learn and in particular enhance YOUR Situational Awareness. Very important. Good luck.
I reckon one of the better things you could invest in would be an airband scanner. I used to instruct there and one of the biggest things my students struggled with was dealing with the quantity and variability of radio calls. A few of my old students borrowed my old one (lost now) and found it very helpful to sit down, listen to ATC and write down their own mental picture of what was happening in the airspace. They managed to build up their situational awareness skills as well as RT skills very quickly and to a higher level than many new commercial pilots to the area. There are cheap-ish ones going for about $120 at plenty of pilot shops.