I must apologize, but I'm having trouble with three things. First, I've looked through the FS9 Learning Center, the Machado lessons, and the index, but I can't find tutorials specific to the 737. Where are they? Second, the appearance of the entire 737 instrument panel is understandably different from those of the 172. Where can I look in FS9 (or elsewhere) to find out how to use the 737 instruments? Finally, after scanning the 737 panel for anything that looks like the 172's ILS instrument, mousing over one of the 737's instruments identifies it as the HSI, and "VOR 1" is in the upper left corner, but I don't see the crosshairs as they look in the 172. As I fly, odd-shaped colored images drift around the instrument. I know they're trying to tell me something important but I don't know where to find a description of their meaning or how to use the HSI for an ILS approach. Where do I look?Thanks Very Much, Gary

There are many tutorials in FS that can teach you how to fly the aircraft in FS properly, in fact it is one of the major features of FS that is probably most underused by people, since you could start out knowing nothing about aeroplanes, work your way through the lesson in FS, and be fairly well set up for flying in the real world just by doing that.In addition, you can find many tutorials on AVSIM in the tutorial section of these forums, including one by myself on how to land the default 737 on autopilot, although to follow that tutorial, you will have to be reasonably familiar with one or two of the controls and switches in the FS default 737. so if you are not great at flying the Cessna, then it is perhaps worth getting to grips with that first, as it is always better to walk before you can run (or even fly), and you will find that being able to fly the Cessna well is a much more satisfying experience than struggling with the 737. You can always have a shot at the 737 next week when you've got the Cessna sussed out properly.It would be very rare to find a large commercial airliner these days that did not have dual channel autopilots and a CDU, in fact for most commercial flights they would be legal requirements to allow the aircraft to carry passengers and fly in all weathers, since dual autopilots are required in order to land in bad weather with poor visibility. But that does not mean you cannot use the default 737 for some enjoyable flights; what the default 737 in FS can do is give you a good introduction to the basics, and you can in fact 'upgrade' it by adding a third party FMC if you like, as there are one or two add-on FMCs kicking about.But if you want something that is more like the real deal, you are probably looking at a payware add-on aircraft. There are many payware add-on 737s for FS, including those from PMDG, Wilco Publishing and Ariane Design. If I had to pick one to recommend to someone less familiar with all that stuff, I would say go for the Wilco Publishing one, since it actually includes three variants of the 737 (the 300, 400 and 500 models), which means it represents pretty good value for money. If you want a very complex modern 737, the PMDG would be a good choice, and if you want a fairly complex one that has a very nice virtual cockpit, then the Ariane one is like that.If you want a good book that will teach you how to fly airliners properly, then I would recommend getting hold of Mike Ray's 'Flying the Boeing 700 Series Flight Simulators', which is aimed at teaching novices to fly an airliner in FS using payware add-on airliners. It's a really good book and very easy to follow, with lots of lessons, diagrams, quizzes and that sort of thing.The main thing to remember with all this learning new stuff, is that it is a big help to learn the basics well before you leap to the more complex stuff, as if you miss out the basics, it can lead to frustration later down the line. Above all, make sure you have fun with it though.Al

Gary, I don't believe that there are any practice flights for the 737...just the 172. With regards to tutorials, you're simply going to have to hunt around and do the research to find one that works for you. I've listed one that you can start with below. There is also a book floating around named "The Complete Visual Tutorial to Flying the Boeing 737" but I have no idea if it's any good. Maybe someone will chime in and let us both know!With regards to the 737 instrumentation having an HSI, most aircraft have them in one form or another. The HSI for the 172 is the VOR1 dial, the artificial horizon, and a bit of the GPS combined. In a heavy it looks more like the one represented in the stock 737. The better the sim, the closer to a completely realistic environment you're going to get. The Level-D 737 is very realistic and a lot of fun to fly.If I were you, (and I had a couple of extra bucks to spend), I would simply bite the bullet and buy the Level-D 737...then work from there. I wouldn't waste any time at all on the stock 737 because it is completely un-realistic and you're going to spend hours trying to find information on avionics that don't exist except for in the MS stock heavies. With the stock heavies, there will not be a next step in the progression of knowledge, the learning will simply end. The book that I mentioned above is around $30 USD. I think that the Level-D 737 is around $60 USD and comes with excellent documentation as well as a world wide knowledge base. You can also trace the avionics back to the manufacturer and in many cases, use much of the actual pilot guides as a reference. But it's up to you to decide what works for you. If you go the MS Stock Heavy route then you'll always be dancing on the edge of true knowledge without ever actually achiving it...In either case you will be facing a steep learning curve.737 Tutorialhttp://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/syb2.cgi...e=737_Pilot.zipAll the Tutorialshttp://www.simviation.com/fshelp.htmMark

One more thing, I like the level-d 737 but there are other models which are equally as good. PMDG makes a very nice 737 as well. I'm sure that there are many simmers who like it better and hopefully they will have some more advice for you as well :)Mark

I'm grateful for your suggestions. I looked at the Boeing 737 Publication.doc file in pilot.zip; it was only two pages and appeared to direct me to set up a specific flight in FS. It was almost midnight so I didn't look further than that. I'll do so today. And I'll consider the book you recommend.I'll also look at avsim's tutorial section to glean what I can. First I'd like to find out what the individual indicators in the HSI mean, particularly whatever is used for an ILS approach. All text I've found talks about needles and dots. Frankly I don't see any needles, and I can only suspect that the dots are the small circles shown in the instrument. The rest of the specialized images in the instrument are Greek to me; I can't find a detailed description of the HSI display. If I can do that, I'll have enough to go practice for a while. Hope you can help with that specific info.I was also wondering about slats on the 737. Are they automatic or is there a control for their usage?Thanks, Gary

Gary, I don't believe that there are any practice flights for the 737...just the 172. With regards to tutorials, you're simply going to have to hunt around and do the research to find one that works for you. I've listed one that you can start with below. There is also a book floating around named "The Complete Visual Tutorial to Flying the Boeing 737" but I have no idea if it's any good. Maybe someone will chime in and let us both know!With regards to the 737 instrumentation having an HSI, most aircraft have them in one form or another. The HSI for the 172 is the VOR1 dial, the artificial horizon, and a bit of the GPS combined. In a heavy it looks more like the one represented in the stock 737. The better the sim, the closer to a completely realistic environment you're going to get. The Level-D 737 is very realistic and a lot of fun to fly.If I were you, (and I had a couple of extra bucks to spend), I would simply bite the bullet and buy the Level-D 737...then work from there. I wouldn't waste any time at all on the stock 737 because it is completely un-realistic and you're going to spend hours trying to find information on avionics that don't exist except for in the MS stock heavies. With the stock heavies, there will not be a next step in the progression of knowledge, the learning will simply end. The book that I mentioned above is around $30 USD. I think that the Level-D 737 is around $60 USD and comes with excellent documentation as well as a world wide knowledge base. You can also trace the avionics back to the manufacturer and in many cases, use much of the actual pilot guides as a reference. But it's up to you to decide what works for you. If you go the MS Stock Heavy route then you'll always be dancing on the edge of true knowledge without ever actually achiving it...In either case you will be facing a steep learning curve.737 Tutorialhttp://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/syb2.cgi...e=737_Pilot.zipAll the Tutorialshttp://www.simviation.com/fshelp.htmMark

Go to this web site and click on 'my aircraft' and select 737 NG, and then open up the document. It will tell you everything you need to know about where things are on a 737's avionics displays:http://www.smartcockpit.com/pdf/plane/boei...7/systems/0022/The stuff in that document is for the real 737, so don't expect to find all that on the default 737, but it should help you find the ILS needles, which as you will see, are not 'needles' at all, but two little coloured pointers on the side and bottom of the primary flight display. When they are both in the middle of the display edges (not the middle of the display itself), then you are in the ILS pipe and lined up. The bottom one is the localiser, the one at the side is the glideslope.The slats on a 737 are linked to the flaps and not extended individually (to all intents and purposes, you can regard them as being flaps). If you are curious, there are four Krueger slats on the inboard bit of the wing, and six slats on the outboard part of the wing beyond the engines (or 8 on a newer NG version of the 737). They are extended automatically whenever the flaps are extended, although there is more than one position for them: Between 1 and 5 flaps, the slats are extended to what is called the EXT position. With more than 5 flaps selected, the slats extend to what is known as the FULL EXT position, with the exception of the slats at the wingtips, which move a little less. This is why the 737's wing looks a bit odd when it is coming in for a landing, as the outboard slats will not be inline with the others further in along the wing.The only other time the slats will extend is if some of the hydraulic systems fail, in which case they will automatically extend, although this is only really relevant in an emergency. Ever since an accident with an American Airlines DC-10 many years ago, in which it lost an engine and crashed, it has been common practice to have the slats automatically push open on an airliner if power to them is lost, since in the case of that unfortunate DC-10, when the engine separated, it ripped out the hydraulic lines to the slats on one side, which meant they deployed on the good side and not on the damaged side, which caused one wing to stall as the crew tried to get it under control.If you look on the overhead you will see a set of display lights which illuminate to indicate the position of the flaps and slats (leading edge devices in Boeing parlance). The lights are there so that the co-pilot can confirm the flaps and slats are deployed, since the crew cannot see the wing from the cockpit.Al

Hi, Gary~You might want to take that series of Flight Lessons (Rod Machado). It takes you from basic patterns in the C172 up to flying the ILS in the 737. As someone else mentioned early on, you'll find it much easier to hone your skills on a basic aircraft. Procedures and aircraft control are essentially the same, the 737 just feels, as Rod puts it, like you're flying one hundred seventy two 172s!However, because I sense you're determined to fly the 737, a pictorial explanation of the HSI information (which is also redundantly provided on the attitude indicator referenced in the images):Indicator A, vertically aligned, is equivalent the the horizontal needle (glideslope) in the C172 VOR indicator. If it's above the instrument centerline (white rectangular dash), you're below the GS, if it's below the centerline, you're above the GS. Indicator B, horizontally aligned, is equivalent to the CDI needle in the C172 VOR indicator. If it's left of the centerline, you're too far right and vice versa.In the following image, I'm tracking the localizer. See how the purple triangle is right on the center dot? I'm still slightly low on the glideslope, so I shallow my descent rate until I'm back on the glidepath.I've just passed the MM, at decision height (the minimum altitude required to see the runway environment and continue on to a landing); I've got the runway, so I'll proceed to land. Remember, the closer you get to the runway, the more sensitive the indications of the GSI and LOC are. It's important not to 'chase' the needles (electronic ones in this case!) If you are still flailing by the LOM (the first of the ILS beacons, blue light) it's best to go around. You were wondering about the perspective from the cockpit, so I've included this image. I like to transition to VC just after crossing the MM because it gives me more of a sense of nose up attitude (the airplane, not me! :()Anyway, hope this helps. And of course, HAVE FUN! :( TawniPrivate Pilot, SEL-I

Outstanding!. Just what I'm looking for. Thanks Al.

Go to this web site and click on 'my aircraft' and select 737 NG, and then open up the document. It will tell you everything you need to know about where things are on a 737's avionics displays:http://www.smartcockpit.com/pdf/plane/boei...7/systems/0022/The stuff in that document is for the real 737, so don't expect to find all that on the default 737, but it should help you find the ILS needles, which as you will see, are not 'needles' at all, but two little coloured pointers on the side and bottom of the primary flight display. When they are both in the middle of the display edges (not the middle of the display itself), then you are in the ILS pipe and lined up. The bottom one is the localiser, the one at the side is the glideslope.The slats on a 737 are linked to the flaps and not extended individually (to all intents and purposes, you can regard them as being flaps). If you are curious, there are four Krueger slats on the inboard bit of the wing, and six slats on the outboard part of the wing beyond the engines (or 8 on a newer NG version of the 737). They are extended automatically whenever the flaps are extended, although there is more than one position for them: Between 1 and 5 flaps, the slats are extended to what is called the EXT position. With more than 5 flaps selected, the slats extend to what is known as the FULL EXT position, with the exception of the slats at the wingtips, which move a little less. This is why the 737's wing looks a bit odd when it is coming in for a landing, as the outboard slats will not be inline with the others further in along the wing.The only other time the slats will extend is if some of the hydraulic systems fail, in which case they will automatically extend, although this is only really relevant in an emergency. Ever since an accident with an American Airlines DC-10 many years ago, in which it lost an engine and crashed, it has been common practice to have the slats automatically push open on an airliner if power to them is lost, since in the case of that unfortunate DC-10, when the engine separated, it ripped out the hydraulic lines to the slats on one side, which meant they deployed on the good side and not on the damaged side, which caused one wing to stall as the crew tried to get it under control.If you look on the overhead you will see a set of display lights which illuminate to indicate the position of the flaps and slats (leading edge devices in Boeing parlance). The lights are there so that the co-pilot can confirm the flaps and slats are deployed, since the crew cannot see the wing from the cockpit.Al

Yes, your perceptive powers have uncovered my intentions. I am determined to fly this pooch. I'm LOL. And I'm Swedish. That explains it all. Thanks for your excellent advice and the beautiful pix.

Hi, Gary~You might want to take that series of Flight Lessons (Rod Machado). It takes you from basic patterns in the C172 up to flying the ILS in the 737. As someone else mentioned early on, you'll find it much easier to hone your skills on a basic aircraft. Procedures and aircraft control are essentially the same, the 737 just feels, as Rod puts it, like you're flying one hundred seventy two 172s!However, because I sense you're determined to fly the 737, a pictorial explanation of the HSI information (which is also redundantly provided on the attitude indicator referenced in the images):Indicator A, vertically aligned, is equivalent the the horizontal needle (glideslope) in the C172 VOR indicator. If it's above the instrument centerline (white rectangular dash), you're below the GS, if it's below the centerline, you're above the GS. Indicator B, horizontally aligned, is equivalent to the CDI needle in the C172 VOR indicator. If it's left of the centerline, you're too far right and vice versa.In the following image, I'm tracking the localizer. See how the purple triangle is right on the center dot? I'm still slightly low on the glideslope, so I shallow my descent rate until I'm back on the glidepath.I've just passed the MM, at decision height (the minimum altitude required to see the runway environment and continue on to a landing); I've got the runway, so I'll proceed to land. Remember, the closer you get to the runway, the more sensitive the indications of the GSI and LOC are. It's important not to 'chase' the needles (electronic ones in this case!) If you are still flailing by the LOM (the first of the ILS beacons, blue light) it's best to go around. You were wondering about the perspective from the cockpit, so I've included this image. I like to transition to VC just after crossing the MM because it gives me more of a sense of nose up attitude (the airplane, not me! :( )Anyway, hope this helps. And of course, HAVE FUN! :( TawniPrivate Pilot, SEL-I

Gary, by the way...I just read my post reccomending that you buy a 737 and realized that I did a global replace with the incorrect 737! I use the PIC 737, not the level-d because there is no level-d 737...it's a 767. That's what I get for posting something way early in the morning here in Sydney. Sorry if that caused you any confusion :)Oh, isn't it great that a bunch of people chimed in on this? I was really hoping that they would. I still think you should buy a cool 737 when you're ready but at least you can fly the ms one until you are now :)Mark

Oh, and one other thing, Gary. The approach mode [APP] on the autopilot in FS9 is notoriously unpredictable. Sometimes it'll track the ILS like a pro, other times it will flounder so badly--constantly overcorrecting both heading and descent rate--that I'm downright embarrassed for it. What I've found works for me is to use the [NAV] mode slaved either to the nav radio or the GPS for tracking the localizer and hand fly the descent profile or use the autopilot altitude function and adjusting the vertical speed until you're on a stabilized descentRemember, the key to a good landing is usually a good approach!Tawni

Yeah, I can't believe how many helpful pilots are out there, who watch this forum like hawks ready to pounce... and still find time to fly! My wife pounces on me when I spend too much time with this hobby. But she does know I've always wanted to fly and would have been a Navy pilot a long time ago if my eyes had been just a bit better.I will probably eventually buy the PIC 737 you recommend but for now I have to practice leaving strips of rubber on the pavement instead of divots, as well as avoiding the signs, lights, and antennas that seem to be all over the place. Thanks for the update. Isn't the Internet great? Sydney to Raleigh, and back again... just like that!Gary

Gary, by the way...I just read my post reccomending that you buy a 737 and realized that I did a global replace with the incorrect 737! I use the PIC 737, not the level-d because there is no level-d 737...it's a 767. That's what I get for posting something way early in the morning here in Sydney. Sorry if that caused you any confusion :)Oh, isn't it great that a bunch of people chimed in on this? I was really hoping that they would. I still think you should buy a cool 737 when you're ready but at least you can fly the ms one until you are now :)Mark

My wife too...exactly the same. By the way, I don't own the PMDG 737 but I hear its really nice..more so then the PIC. So when you do get your 737 wings and are ready to buy something with a bit more realizm, then definitely ask who thinks the best 737 is on this board. It'll simply be fun reading everyone's opinions as they all appear to be quite loyal to their 'craft :)Mark