Just as there are thousands of websites that deal with flight simulation, there are probably just as many books that deal with the subject. Whether it be combat flight simulation or civilian flight simulation, chances are you can find a book available.
A company by the name of Top Skills is another one aiming to provide you, the flight simulation enthusiast, with a library of books on flight simulation. But instead of zeroing in on one specific simulation, their books – written by Bill Stack, a management consultant, professional writer, speaker, trainer, entrepreneur and flight simulator since 1989 – deal with every flight simulation, combat or civilian, available, by basing their titles on the real world Aeronautical Information Manual, which is updated on a yearly basis by the FAA, just like this book.
Before I get to the review, I would like to mention that this book is ideal for newcomers to the hobby of flight simulation. If you are a seasoned flight simulation pilot, this book is not intended for you. Sure, you could read it; but as I found, you will be critiquing it until the cows come home.
For all you newcomers however, this book provides a wealth of information. Because it uses the real-world Aeronautical Information Manual, the information found in the book is based on official procedures and policies.
The book is divided into 10 chapters, starting off with pilot certificates and ratings, and ending with Navigational Aids. In between, the book deals with airport operations, airspace, ATC, weather services, VFR/IFR, and lighting. At the end, there are three appendices that contain abbreviations, two tables on converting imperial to metric and vice versa, and a flight simulation and aviation resource section.
The first chapter deals with things like the various pilot licenses available, as well as minimum requirements and restrictions on each of them. Chapter 2 deals with airports. It starts off by talking about things like runways, the various materials used to make them, lengths, widths, and the various parts of a runway. It then goes on and talks about the various structures found at airports (like control towers, terminals, gates, hangars, blast fences and tetrahedrons), all in very easy to understand English. Here's an excerpt:
Chapter 3 goes into airport operations and describes procedures to be used at both uncontrolled and controlled airports. This is also the first chapter where specific flight simulation programs are mentioned. On Pg. 43, under the section "Approaching and landing at controlled airports", Pro Pilot and Flight Simulator 98 are mentioned. It mentions that "Some programs, such as Pro Pilot, offer considerable approach control, including messages from other aircraft in the traffic pattern. Microsoft Flight Simulator 98 offers only an ability to request and receive landing permission. Add-on programs provide more realistic ATC for Microsoft Flight Simulator 98." It's true that add-on programs provide more realistic ATC for FS98, but there have been two subsequent releases of Flight Simulator since FS98, and with FS2002, the ATC becomes much more realistic than what was to be had in FS98. Although Mr. Stack said that the book has a direct relation to FS2002, the book is supposed to be updated on a yearly basis—and here, on page 43, we see a reference to programs that are 4 to 5 years old.
Chapter 4 deals with airspace and the different classes of airspace, but first goes into quite a bit of detail in describing the difference between altitude and flight level. It also describes some special-use airspace such as restricted areas, military operations areas, and scenic areas.
Chapter 5 deals with Air Traffic Control, as well as the various services provided by them. It starts off by describing what ground control does, receiving take-off clearances and landing clearances. When reading the section on landing clearances, I noticed a couple of statements that didn't seem to jibe. First off:
Now, new pilots learning to fly might think that there's nothing wrong with this statement. But seasoned flight simulation pilots and real world pilots will know that the landing approach is started once on final and contact with the tower is established, not after receiving landing clearance. That is usually given 2-3 miles from final, depending on traffic. And since this book is based on the real world Aeronautical Information Manual, this information can be found here. In another instance, on Pg. 79:
So what's wrong here? Well, nothing, if you're flying VFR. But in the book, this statement appears under the heading "Air Route Traffic Control Centers." And if you're flying IFR, when you near your destination airport, the ARTCC controller will usually hand you off to either Approach Control or in some cases, Terminal Control, who vector you and hand you off to Tower once established on final.
What led me to research this statement was why would a pilot flying IFR file position reports if he/she has filed a flight plan and is under "radar contact" with ATC. Yes, this statement is perfectly correct for aircraft flying oceanic flights because of the usage of HF radios and the lack of radar in these locations. The AIM (on which this book is based in case you forgot) says the following:
So once again, the statement in the book is true if you're flying VFR, but if you're flying under ATC with radar contact, there is no need for positional reporting. In response to this, Mr. Stack said "As for reporting points, no real-world or simulated pilots are going to get into trouble for reporting their positions to ATC when they don't need to." This is true, but if you were a controller controlling a busy en-route sector, and each pilot was transmitting their position to you, that's a lot of unnecessary radio transmissions and extra stress for an already stressed controller. And in the real world, only pilots who are flying oceanic flights are required to provide position reports because of the lack of radar. Although in our flight simulation world, very few of us would actually do this, the reason I'm being picky is because one, the author of the book is trying to describe to you, the reader, a procedure/technique used in the real world, and two, to provide incorrect information to new pilots isn't right either.
Finally, for this chapter, on page 83, there is a statement that says:
Now although this statement is true for older simulations, the newer ones do actually make use of the transponder system. Even programs like SquawkBox make use of the transponder. And while we're speaking of SquawkBox, the book makes no mention of this program, or any other online ATC/flying organization. I questioned Mr. Stack in regards to this and his response was "Just as I write my books for generic simming audiences, I deliberately omit references or consideration of add-on programs. As written, my books apply to the widest possible audience and do not explicitly, implicitly, or tacitly endorse any products. This is a conscious decision I make for a legitimate reason, and I do not feel my books are unworthy of flight simulation because of it."
Chapter 6 deals with Weather Services. It starts off by describing the different types of briefings and advisories that are issued, and tips for setting up things like temperature, pressure, and clouds. You'll also find a table that you can use to break down an official weather report, something like what you see when FSMeteo downloads weather. Chapter 7 and 8 deal with VFR and IFR flying, respectively. These chapters are set up with rules that outline the basics of VFR and IFR flight. The IFR chapter contains a table that shows prescribed IFR altitudes when flying east or west and at what intervals you should be flying at—another neat addition and a handy table for new pilots.
Chapter 9 talks about lights and lighting systems used on aircraft and at airports. It talks about the various types of lights found on aprons and ramps, taxiways and runways. It goes into the various approach lighting systems, such as the omnidirectional approach lighting system, simplified short approach light system, and the Approach light system with sequenced flashing lights. It also mentions two systems called Visual Approach Slope Indicators and Precision Approach Path Indicators. Basically these are sets of lights next to the runway, beyond the threshold that point out into the approach path and give pilots an idea of how their approach is going. Also on page 147, there's a statement:
If you know of this system, please let me know. Finally, the last chapter deals with navigation. It doesn't teach you how to navigate, but instead, it teaches you the various aides used to navigate (VORs, NDBs, etc.).
Concluding thoughts
After finishing the book, I realized that this is one of those books that should have the word "newbie" or "beginner" in the title. The title, as it is, "Flight Sim Pilot's Information Manual 2002" is completely misleading in that you'd think that it's a book for everybody, newbies and "old sticks" alike, and that it's the most up-to-date book in terms of content. But the book makes clear reference to flight simulators that are 6-7 years old. It is also littered with grammatical errors, leaving you to believe that the editor was someone whose first language wasn't English, in spite of it being "reviewed by a certified pilot and two technical editors." As I've said twice before in this review, this book is for new flight simmers. It doesn't overwhelm you with things like virtual air traffic control programs and associations and it doesn't confuse you by describing all the minor differences in ATC regulations in the various countries. What it does try and do is give new pilots a generalized look at the world of aviation that pilots encounter. Although the technical errors that I mentioned in this review don't detract from what the book is trying to tell you, I personally believe that if you're going to cater to the new flight sim pilot audience, you should be as specific as you can with the information you are trying to provide. It's hard enough learning how to fly an aircraft. On top of that, you don't want a book that gives you the wrong information. People who are new to flight simulation should purchase this book, but if you do purchase it after reading this review, keep the points made here in mind.
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