How do you balance your virtual flying?

[Guest Knikolaes]

I was wondering how often folks around here at UPSVAC fly. I fly so much in the simulator (when I am not taking real world lessons) that I had to make up a schedule to balance my skills.Day-Type-Airline-----Ops-Aircraft1---PPL--Private-----S---Beech F33A, Beech V35B2---COM--Private-----S---C177RG, C208B3---MER--Private-----S---Beech Baron 584---JET--Private-----S---Lear 45, Lear 605---ATP--UPS---------C---ATR 72-500, B1900C, Dash 8, DHC-66---ATA--Delta-------P---B737, B757, B767, B777, CRJ-700, MD-11, MD-807---SPE--Spectrum----C---ATR 72-500, B1900C, Dash 8, DHC-6, PC-12, Citation X, C208B8---PPL--Private-----S---C152, C172, C1779---COM--Private-----S---Centurion10--MER--Private-----S---C31011--JET--Private-----S---Citation CJ1, Citation II/SP12--ATP--Frontier----P---CRJ-70013--ATA--Continental-P---B737, B757, B767, B777, MD-8014--SPE--BFU---------C---C208B, PC-12, King air B200, DHC-6, Maule M7-260, PC-6, Dash 715--PPL--Private-----S---DA-20-80, DA-20-10016--COM--Private-----S---Meridian17--MER--Private-----S---C421C18--JET--Private-----S---Citation X, Beech 400A19--ATP--Delta-------P---ATR 72-500, B1900D, CRJ-200, ERJ-145LR20--ATA--UPS---------C---B727, B737, B747, B757, B767, MD-1121--SPE--Spectrum----C---B737, B747, B757, B767, MD-11, A32022--PPL--Private-----S---Archer II, Cherokee, Dakota, Warrior II/III23--COM--Private-----S---PC-1224--MER--Private-----S---C44125--JET--Private-----S---Hawker 400XP, Premier 1 26--ATP--Continental-P---ATR 72-500, B1900D, ERJ-145LR 27--ATA--Frontier----C---A31928--SPE--BFU---------P---Caravan Amphib, DHC-6 Float, Renegade, Maule Amphib, PC-6 Float29--OPE--Open--------O---Any30--OPE--Open--------O---Any31--OPE--Open--------O---AnyLegend PPL-Private Pilot - either PPL or IFR COM-Commercial Single Engine MER-Multi Engine JET-Jet Transition ATP-Regional ATA-Domestic or International SPE-Special Operations S-SingleP-PassengerC-CargoI figured I would share this as it works quite well for helping me to balance all of the skills that are needed to fly - especially in the virtual world. However if you are a student pilot in real life like I am, then you know the importance of not forgetting to fly those GA aircraft on a regular basis to keep up the REAL skills. I saw a quote on the internet recently. It went something like this:"Airline pilots when they get in the air become 'systems management'. Now GA pilots, they REALLY fly the plane."I forget the name, but it was an airline pilot that made that quote. It reminded me of the difference between getting a chunk of metal into the air and activating the autopilot and actually flying the bird. That's when I decided to schedule my "training" in the virtual world to balance my skills. I realized I was doing so much airliner flying in the simulator that when I went to take my flying lessons at my FBO in real life, I was letting my "virtual skills" cut in. I was not coordinated enough. So I made the above schedule to practice ALL possible skills on a regular basis, for the purpose of what I intend to do in real life -- get my ATP.Thus I decided to share it here with you all in the hopes that maybe more than just myself will find use of such a schedule. Of course the airlines can be changed to your liking. I left mine as an example. I am also posting this to my other VA's as well as PMDG and LDS forums, so don

[Kosta 122]

I fly when I feel like flying :-)

[Guest mruane]

Hi Dittmar"So . . . for a topic here . . . how do YOU balance your virtual lifestyle?"Quite simple for me - I either switch the computer on or off. Everything following that is random.

[Guest Knikolaes]

Heheh that's how I was until I realized that my simming habits effected my real flying. Which is something to say about FS -- it's so realistic now that it can effect training habit of students -- well -- at least SOME of us students.I do like the balance though. I got so caught up in newer AC in my fleet that I forgot how fun older AC I had were. Today I am about to fly the Hawker 400XP for the first time in literally a year. I actually forgot I had it till I went through and made that list.Makes me wonder if there are others like me that have such an excessively huge hanger.Chris

[StevenHPerry 20]

I got in a lot of trouble for flying flight simulator when I was a low time student pilot. I was spending too much time looking inside the cockpit rather than trying to fly the plane by sight and by feel. But then again I didn't have force-feedback or a virtual cockpit. My suggestion to anyone who hasn't become comfortable landing a real plane is to turn off your instrument panel and hand fly your patterns just by lookin out the window and judging the sensitivity of your control inputs. And if you have trouble on the roundout part, turn off all the scenery... you'll need max FPS down near the ground.

[Guest carlonch]

Hi Christopher: How I balance? well I got lots of fun.Usually when I start FS2004 I

[Guest Knikolaes]

>I got in a lot of trouble for flying flight simulator when I>was a low time student pilot. I was spending too much time>looking inside the cockpit rather than trying to fly the plane>by sight and by feel. But then again I didn't have>force-feedback or a virtual cockpit. My suggestion to anyone>who hasn't become comfortable landing a real plane is to turn>off your instrument panel and hand fly your patterns just by>lookin out the window and judging the sensitivity of your>control inputs. And if you have trouble on the roundout part,>turn off all the scenery... you'll need max FPS down near the>ground.I had that issue as well. I had to fight to keep from looking at the panel. My instructor finally started doing the "shoulder nudge" every time he caught me glancing . . . . .