Track-IR - The best investment if you want your PPLFirst and foremost... I am not affiliated with Naturalpoint or Track IR in any way.I have been working toward a real pilot's license for a long time. In this process I have amassed 1000+ hours on the simulator and worked with any number of add-ons of various types and value. I will not debate which is better except in one category. Read on.In the years that I have flown on the sim and whenever I could go aloft for real one salient point has always been stressed by real pilots..."Get your head out of the airplane!"Without a single exception this simple concept is the biggest "gripe" pilots and CFI's have with home flight simulators. "Sim"-pilots get in the habit of only looking at their "six pack" and the other blinking lights on the dash. Actually, given the inherent anemia that the sim experience is cursed with as a "visual" experience this is not unexpected.Now for the heart of the matter. I have discovered that the use of the Track-IR or any 6 DOF head-tracking system actually breaks the bad habit of gluing your eyes to the instrument panel. After the initial adjustment period of getting used to this new paradigm of simulation experience you will find yourself concentrating outside of the flight compartment. Instead of your staring at the VSI on take off you will find yourself intuitively gauging your accent by the horizon and the cowl of the plane. You will change from watching the "ball" to using wingtip to adjust your skid/slip. In short, you will intuitively begin to develop good habits and your sim will become a tool to help you achieve your dream if your goal is the "ticket."All the offerings of this hardware do come with a reasonable return policy, so don't be afraid to lay down the cash. For flight simming, nothing else comes close to how much this type of hardware adds to the experience and is a must if you intend to lose your shirt tail!Fair winds,Calvin

I love everything about it. The only thing I do not like is the fact that it's too sensitive the amount of sunlight in my room.

You will change from watching the "ball" to using wingtip to adjust your skid/slip.

I don't quite understand the meaning of how to using wingtip. Could you elaborate?

I don't quite understand the meaning of how to using wingtip. Could you elaborate?

One would assume you look out the window and if the wingtip is rotating over a single position it's coordinated properly.

I think he's referring to keeping a turn point on the wingtip, which used to be a common technique over turn points in flight competitions when you had to photograph them, but these days all that is done with GPS loggers, still, it does work for keeping you over a specific spot, but it doesn't necessarily mean your turn is well coordinated. The best thing for that is probably opening the DV panel and listening to the noise when you sideslip, and then trying to avoid that noise LOL.I completely agree with the OP's sentiments with regard to Track-IR and it is in fact why I bought it too, since I was afraid that flying flight sims would get me into the bad habit of not looking out for other traffic when making a turn. And it is true, using Track-IR makes turning your head to look for stuff a learned reaction - just try using Track-IR for a while and then fly without it and you will notice that you involuntarily turn your head as you move the stick. In this respect it is more than a mere convenience, if you fly in a busy circuit, it could actually be a lifesaver.Al

I actually got mine back when I was in a flight group for IL-2. Generally speaking, it will save you in combat sims as well. It even has a tendency to save lives in certain FPSes as well, ArmA and ArmA 2 come to mind.

Without the need for panning, another way to get your eyes off the instruments and outside, is to use multiple views in FS.The downside here is that with the distraction of a spectacular panorama, your "instructor" may soon be exclaiming "Watch your airspeed!!!". Alex ReidMorning over Vancouver Island- Saanich Peninsula & CYYJ bottom centre, Victoria centre mid right, Seattle 80 miles ahead. Strait of Juan de Fuca & Washington State Olympic Mountains middle right, Canada & US Gulf Islands & mainland left. A veritable Geography lesson!

I actually got mine back when I was in a flight group for IL-2. Generally speaking, it will save you in combat sims as well. It even has a tendency to save lives in certain FPSes as well, ArmA and ArmA 2 come to mind.

Yeah, when your goal is shooting down other planes and getting yours home in one piece, situational awareness is critical. IL-2 pilots tend to have the opposite problem: they think less too little about airspeed and navigation, and don't even consider coordinated turns. Many even prefer turning the cockpit off. I always preferred eliminating those helps, but in many cockpits the airspeed is too small to see quickly and I flew with the "holy three" in the lower corner. :(The TrackIR also revolutionized my sim experience, it introduced at least as big a difference as rudder pedals and HOTAS did. But you have to set it up right in order to avoid getting a stiff neck. Avoid chairs with wheels...

Without the need for panning, another way to get your eyes off the instruments and outside, is to use multiple views in FS.The downside here is that with the distraction of a spectacular panorama, your "instructor" may soon be exclaiming "Watch your airspeed!!!". Alex ReidMorning over Vancouver Island- Saanich Peninsula & CYYJ bottom centre, Victoria centre mid right, Seattle 80 miles ahead. Strait of Juan de Fuca & Washington State Olympic Mountains middle right, Canada & US Gulf Islands & mainland left. A veritable Geography lesson!

How are you accomplishing this view - doesn't look to be TH2GO. I love TH2GO, but the magnified effect on the outside screens drives me crazy.walter trester

How are you accomplishing this view - doesn't look to be TH2GO. I love TH2GO, but the magnified effect on the outside screens drives me crazy.walter trester

Walter- I use 2 video cards- An AGP card with 2 monitors connected and a PCI with the third monitor. Windows Display is set up to "Extend My Desktop across all 3 monitors". That is, you can drag the mouse cursor from far left to extreme right across all three monitors- as if they were just one wide monitor. The views are FS9 View Fwd Left, View Fwd, View Fwd Right.The two outer FS9 views are adjusted in Panel Cfg to change their angle slightly, so as to equal the exact width of the monitor bezels which separate the views.The resulting combined view has a Field of View of approx 145