I'm sure this thread is as old as the sim itself, but here I go anyway.I made the leap back in June to fly an aircraft for real at my local airport, Leeds Bradford, flying a Robin 200. I couldn't be happier.Since then I've had my first full lesson on the 2nd October this year, and I can feel an addiction kicking in. Honestly.I'll say the 4 years experience I've had in the sim definitely pays off. I picked up the basics of flight pretty much instantly. It was almost a case of moving a real world joystick instead of a desktop one. Of course, the experience in a real aircraft cannot e compared to the sim.However, one of my big questions has been answered : "Can sim experience count for anything in a real aircraft"To me the answer is yes, definitely. Any desktop sim can never show you the G-Forces involved, the pressure change in your ears or capture the far improved sense of spatial awareness, but it can train you in the practise.I got up to the equivilent of the 3rd lesson on my first hours flight, because I picked everything up so well. I owe this to the sim! So I'll say to anyone serious about aviation, flight simming or flying in general; thinking about making the jump to real aviation - Try it. Even if it's a trial flight for half an hour. When it comes to the experience, Flight Sim does not compare!If you're anything like me you'll come back with that empty feeling that flight sim just isn't good enough anymore, hahahaAttached is a photo of me pleased as punch doing my favourite thing in the world.

My OMG was many years ago (in a Cessna taildragger) when I first realized I was up there all alone and I was going to have to land that beast.The sim does help us to spec out a flight before we go and before we file, especially cross countries, like fuel hops from PA to AK.enjoy

My OMG was many years ago (in a Cessna taildragger) when I first realized I was up there all alone and I was going to have to land that beast.The sim does help us to spec out a flight before we go and before we file, especially cross countries, like fuel hops from PA to AK.enjoy

I can imagine that being quite scary. I heard the first solo is daunting!

I can imagine that being quite scary. I heard the first solo is daunting!

Nah, if you know what your doing and feel comfortable its not scary at all, at least for me it wasn't. I was more excited than scared to get my first solo and the only thing I was really scared of was getting my shirt tale cut off, so I made sure to wear am old worn out t-shirt on solo day, lol.To the OP's post, the sim, even the sim as we knew it back in the days when I did my first solo, helped me a lot to learn quicker and have a quicker understanding of how it all worked. I remember when I went to my 3rd or 4th lesson, my instructor told another instructor that she had a student that "already knew everything". well, that was a little bit of a leap because I didn't know everything and will never know everything, but she was surprised at my general knowledge of flying a small plane, VOR and NDB navigation, traffic patterns, etc, all from flying FS at home and reading a lot of books.The only thing she had to caution me on more than anything was to look out the window more and not fixate on the panel. I think that is one of the downsides when going from simming to real flying is that as simmers, we can't feel what the airplane is doing so we tend to look at the panel and VSI more than what you need to do in real life. In the sim you can't feel yourself loosing altitude but you can feel everyting in a C-150/152.Good luck with the rest of your lessons.

Nah, if you know what your doing and feel comfortable its not scary at all, at least for me it wasn't. I was more excited than scared to get my first solo and the only thing I was really scared of was getting my shirt tale cut off, so I made sure to wear am old worn out t-shirt on solo day, lol.To the OP's post, the sim, even the sim as we knew it back in the days when I did my first solo, helped me a lot to learn quicker and have a quicker understanding of how it all worked. I remember when I went to my 3rd or 4th lesson, my instructor told another instructor that she had a student that "already knew everything". well, that was a little bit of a leap because I didn't know everything and will never know everything, but she was surprised at my general knowledge of flying a small plane, VOR and NDB navigation, traffic patterns, etc, all from flying FS at home and reading a lot of books.The only thing she had to caution me on more than anything was to look out the window more and not fixate on the panel. I think that is one of the downsides when going from simming to real flying is that as simmers, we can't feel what the airplane is doing so we tend to look at the panel and VSI more than what you need to do in real life. In the sim you can't feel yourself loosing altitude but you can feel everyting in a C-150/152.Good luck with the rest of your lessons.

Thanks!I completely agree with you. When I started flying for real I went in with a fresh mind, only referencing my sim experience, not relying on it. I did glance at the panel alot too, but I got used to looking out the window more and more. I do that in the sim alot more now aswell!I'm already planning what shirt I'm going to wear for my first solo, aswell. Haha.

I started my flight training back in April. I am just about done. I passed the written exam this week, and I just have check ride prep to do, and a few hour requirements to pick up, then I hope to do my check ride by the end of October. It's exciting!Good luck!-m@

I started my flight training back in April. I am just about done. I passed the written exam this week, and I just have check ride prep to do, and a few hour requirements to pick up, then I hope to do my check ride by the end of October. It's exciting!Good luck!-m@

It sounds exciting too! best of luck to you!

The first time I went solo was probably the most peaceful experience i've ever had. It felt so right! Although I remember being amazed at how my PA28 climbed so quickly without my rather large instructor in the right seat :(

My instructor dumped two buckets of water on me after my first solo. Be warned that shirt choice may not save you.

My instructor dumped two buckets of water on me after my first solo. Be warned that shirt choice may not save you.

Thats perfectly normal Charlie, lesson 13B for the PPL is "Water ditching".

The first time I went solo was probably the most peaceful experience i've ever had. It felt so right! Although I remember being amazed at how my PA28 climbed so quickly without my rather large instructor in the right seat :(

I can imagine. It's peaceful enough with the instructor! There really is nothing like flight.