I am used to flying all the big iron with autopilot to handle descends and routes.I tried flying the 727 or other planes without autopilot and it's too difficult, I got to constantly adjust the speed, heading, altitude and switch radios etc.The aircraft never goes on the same speed, so I got to increase/decrease the throttle all the time, I can't predict when the aircraft will trim to stay stable.Are there any tips/guides for flying without autopilot?

Or why there are no replies :(

Because the other simmers who spend all their time flying the airliners don't know how either!Come over to the GA side of this sim. You will actually learn more about flying.

This is not a pro solution, but here goes anyway:practice, practice and then practise...you get the pictureanother advice is start small, practise all standard manouvers in a C172. When you can handle that plane, and I mean handle it, not just being able to "survive", but have a good control of speed, maintaining altitude in straight and level as well as turns, climbing and descenting etc. then move one step up in plane size. Then you start over again with the basic stuff, but this time it'll come alot quicker...Mayby flying the tutorials is a good idea also.

Better still,practise in a helicopter-100 miles in a chopper is like flying 1000 in a convential aircraft.The pilot workload is immense.I'm only joking- as said above ,start small and work up to the big ones.Dave

You should download the new 727 manual (written for the Captain Sim plane) and read it inside out, it will give you tips on the best use for the auto pilot (even if you don't have the CS plane). Practice VOR to VOR flying until it's second nature. It will only take you a few flights to get this down, trust me - you'll never want to use the auto-pilot again. Once you master it you'll feel like you're actually in control of things. Good luck,Boone,"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown in to the sea." E. Cantona

"I tried flying the 727 or other planes without autopilot and it's too difficult, I got to constantly adjust the speed, heading, altitude and switch radios etc."Not to be smug but that's why they call it flying manually. This is really a common problem in the sim world were folks get used to flying with the autopilot and never learn the stick and rudder basics. A 737 or 777 is just an airplane, a large heavy one to be sure but at the end of the day it flies in many way like any other airplane. What I'd suggest is that you get back to basics. Can you take the 172 around a proper pattern to a smooth landing everytime? If not, try the canned lessons that some with the sim or try my basic tutorial here:http://www.digital-flight.com/basic_airman...re_and_back.htmIf you already have the basics down then you might need to review the numbers for the plane you're flying. Using the published speeds verses weight, flap settings ect., that you'll find in the aircraft's POH will go a long way towards making things easier for you. Other then that it's just a matter of practice. It's just an airplane......... Tony

Moshe,Being a real life student Pilot myself, my suggestion, is to use the Training built into FS2004/FS2002. It may seem slow, BUT, it teaches you throttle response, level flying, radio and navigation and more.It will start you off in the Cessna 172, which is what I fly in RL. It will help you greatly, in understanding manual flight. In the sim I mainly fly General Aviation, meaning, the smaller prop planes, turbo props, small jets and so on. It is SO MUCH MORE FUN!! You actually will learn more with these aircraft.Hope it works out well.

http://www.forefrontgrp.com/jayssigsmall.jpg"There is an art . . . to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss!"

Why waste your time? The "big stuff" is designed to be flown by autopilot. In fact modern fly-by-wire systems isolate the pilot from direct control of the plane. He talks to a computer, the computer talks to the plane.This release of FS allows you to return to the bad old days when the pilot had to figure everything out for himself.The suggestions that you start with the Cessna and work up are valid only if you will be primarily flying GA aircraft in visual conditions. BTW, this is a very worthwhile effort as GA flying does indeed teach you what "real" flying is all about while at the same time permitting you to see and admire the terrain of the area you are flying over.I liken it to going on a long journey by car, at least in N. America. If you take the highways you get there faster and safer but really see nothing. If you take the byways it's a lot slower but in return you get to see a lot more.Blue skysbf

>I am used to flying all the big iron with autopilot to handle>descends and routes.>>I tried flying the 727 or other planes without autopilot and>it's too difficult, I got to constantly adjust the speed,>heading, altitude and switch radios etc.>>The aircraft never goes on the same speed, so I got to>increase/decrease the throttle all the time, I can't predict>when the aircraft will trim to stay stable.>>Are there any tips/guides for flying without autopilot?>>Well Moshe, you may be able to fly the "big iron" on AP on all the time, however that doesn't make you a pilot.As others have said, can you fly a 172 or such like small single acurately without autopilot for long periods, climbing and descending, steep turns without losing altitude, and all the other things we learn before graduating to larger aircraft. Then try it with the Mooney with the IFR panel on instruments, then at night too! The beauty of the sim is that you can jump into a 747 or suchlike and make a passable take off and perhaps landing with the rest on autopilot but thats not the way it's done in real life. After all you don't have a few goes in a car and jump into a 40 foot truck and expect to master it, do you.The answer is the same, master one type then progress to something slightly larger and so on, just like the real world. There are tips to flying the 727 or any other large a/c (mostly)smoothly without autopilot but it takes time and experience to aquire them. I should know, I've been at it for 24 years and I am still learning something new every day!RegardsTim http://www.cambridgeflyingclub.com/images/timavatar2.gif

The most important thing when flying an aiplane: Do Not Overcontrol. Give it a control input, then wait and see how it reacts. You want to gradually exert control over the plane, manage its systems. Giving too much input to the controls without allowing enough time for the plane to react is pretty much the definition of overcontrol, and I'll bet if you just wait a few extra seconds after giving a yoke, throttle, or trim adjustment, that your control will improve greatly.

>Why waste your time? The "big stuff" is designed to be flown>by autopilot. In fact modern fly-by-wire systems isolate the>pilot from direct control of the plane. He talks to a>computer, the computer talks to the plane.>I still like when the pilot knows how to fly the plane without the autopilot... there are many cases when that ability saved a lot of lives.>This release of FS allows you to return to the bad old days>when the pilot had to figure everything out for himself.Those were fun times!>>The suggestions that you start with the Cessna and work up are>valid only if you will be primarily flying GA aircraft in>visual conditions. BTW, this is a very worthwhile effort as GA>flying does indeed teach you what "real" flying is all about>while at the same time permitting you to see and admire the>terrain of the area you are flying over.That's what makes this hobby one that many different people can have so much fun: people like you like the part of the flight that is programming a FMC, properly setting the autopilot and simulating real-life big-iron flights. People like me like the real-flight experience, ac performance, landing techniques, vor-vot navigation, VFR flights, properly setting power and hand navigating the aircraft.>>I liken it to going on a long journey by car, at least in N.>America. If you take the highways you get there faster and>safer but really see nothing. If you take the byways it's a>lot slower but in return you get to see a lot more.>>Blue skys>bf>