PC SIMs ANY HELP ??
ENTREPPRUNEUR
Join Date: Jun 2001
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I suggest this rather depends on which pilots you are talking about.
If you are a commercial pilot then you don't really need a pc sim. Your instrument flying is ok and anyway the pc is not close enough to the real thing to hone scans etc. If you are a 747-400 pilot you would not waste your time with Precision Simulator which is very accurate with a wide range of system failures.
For wannanbes something like MSFS is perfectly good practice for instrument procedures although in my experience the handling characteristics are poor. You can do SIDs and STARs all with ATC.
If you are a commercial pilot then you don't really need a pc sim. Your instrument flying is ok and anyway the pc is not close enough to the real thing to hone scans etc. If you are a 747-400 pilot you would not waste your time with Precision Simulator which is very accurate with a wide range of system failures.
For wannanbes something like MSFS is perfectly good practice for instrument procedures although in my experience the handling characteristics are poor. You can do SIDs and STARs all with ATC.
I think there's a caveat with the various PC sims.
They're great if you have received proper instruction in the task you wish to practice eg basic IF, approach procedures etc etc.
If not then it's incredibly easy to 'teach' yourself bad habits that then have to be unlearnt when real training occurs.
As a generalisation it's more efficient to learn something correctly the first time around than to learn something incorrectly then have to unlearn it prior to learning the correct item.
End result is more, not less, difficulty for the student, more $$$ spent, more time etc etc.
No mistake, they are an excellent way to practice correct techniques, develop understanding & interpretation skills etc. They can also be a mechanism to become accustomed to doing things the wrong way.
They're great if you have received proper instruction in the task you wish to practice eg basic IF, approach procedures etc etc.
If not then it's incredibly easy to 'teach' yourself bad habits that then have to be unlearnt when real training occurs.
As a generalisation it's more efficient to learn something correctly the first time around than to learn something incorrectly then have to unlearn it prior to learning the correct item.
End result is more, not less, difficulty for the student, more $$$ spent, more time etc etc.
No mistake, they are an excellent way to practice correct techniques, develop understanding & interpretation skills etc. They can also be a mechanism to become accustomed to doing things the wrong way.
Last edited by Tinstaafl; 29th Apr 2002 at 16:57.
Join Date: Mar 2002
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For practice i.e. you already hold an IR or IMC then they are great.
Even FS 2000 can be used to keep oneself up to speed on the various procedures...sids, stars, holds, approaches and more importantly, missed approaches.
However, no matter how curent you are on the clomputer, this does not have any gain over the minimum aircraft time required to be "current" as per the AIP.
The best use for FS2000 is to fly the route and procedures in advance. Thus if planning a flight IFR from say Bristol to Liverpool, in the day/ days before, one can practice the separture procedures, route and approach procedures including missed approach. This gets some of the important figures into the brain (just like doing the test routes on the IR course) and vastly increases situational awareness.
DFC
Even FS 2000 can be used to keep oneself up to speed on the various procedures...sids, stars, holds, approaches and more importantly, missed approaches.
However, no matter how curent you are on the clomputer, this does not have any gain over the minimum aircraft time required to be "current" as per the AIP.
The best use for FS2000 is to fly the route and procedures in advance. Thus if planning a flight IFR from say Bristol to Liverpool, in the day/ days before, one can practice the separture procedures, route and approach procedures including missed approach. This gets some of the important figures into the brain (just like doing the test routes on the IR course) and vastly increases situational awareness.
DFC
