Probably not disoriented. If anything, the feelings ADD to your orientation because they help you know what the airplane is doing. However it would be different in that each action that you make would result in the airplane giving you tactile feedback. Also, in real life, the space around you, in other words the air itself, is moving. Thus, as you fly, you don't just cut through the air, or pierce it so to speak, you actually ride it. To a certain degree, you are at the mercy of the air. In a light plane, this results in being pushed around somewhat, especially on a windy day. All these dynamics...the FEELING of flight...are things that FSX simply can't replicate.

I like doing steep turns when I fly the cessna. Every time I feel a bit funny in the head. Is that bad or do you get used to it?

There has long been debate about whether or not Microsoft FS is realistic enough to provide any enthusiast the necessary skill set to perform basic maneuvers, or in the case of the beginner pilot, to enhance (and accelerate) training. Personally I do not believe that a person, who has yet to receive any formal instruction, could perform any maneuver (or straight and level) with any level of acceptable accuracy. In saying that, I believe that MSFS does wonders in terms of cockpit/instrument familiarization and provides a basic understanding of the principles of flight. Could a person who is familiar with MSFS take control of a airborne 744 and bring her down safely? Not likely.Could a person who is familiar with MSFS begin their training with a basic understanding of instruments and the principles of flight? Absolutely! In summary, I personally think that MSFS can in no way replicate true flight. Albeit I do believe that it is a valuable tool for flight planning, type rating famil, IFR and procedure training (to an extent), and a basic introduction to the joys of powered flight. Remember, it doesn't matter whether it is realistic or not. We do it because its fun!

Hi Guys, Here's my two cents worth (and that may be all it's worth). I have spent the past 20 years flying for a regional airline. I have more than 12,000 hours in the ATR-42/72 and just started flying the Embraer 145. In fact, I am doing my first "official" flight tonight following completion of training this week! I dreamed of having something like MSFS for as long as PCs have been around (I started sim flying with Microprose Strike Eagle in 1982 and still have, in the original box, MSFS 1 that came on a 5.25" floppy!). PC sim flying is amazingly advanced. Companies like PMDG have done a tremendous job of showing people what flying an airliner is like. I have actually used MSFS for years to get ready for proficiency checks. It's great for practicing procedures if used with a high fidelity add-on. As far as learning to fly, MSFS certainly provides a 'leg up" to those who use pursue flight training for real. The bottom line is that someone who learns to fly on MSFS will not jump into a real airplane and fly it with confidience as they might in the virtual world. They will certainly be more familiar with what's going on than the uninitiated. To give you an idea of how impressed I am with what I've seen in the PMDG 737NGX, I have sat in the jumpseat on a 737NG many times. Having looked over the captain's shoulder through the HUD, I can tell you that the PMDG 737NGX HUD is simply stunning! I, for one, WILL be purchasing it! Sim hard! Terry Swindle

You didn't tell us yet how went your first flight ? Feelings ? Impressions ? Differencies ? thx

I know some real airliners that fly the FS9, practicing normal and abnormal procedures prior to type rating tests and/or serious level-D simulator. It's about getting natural on the automation, mainly, and to have better control over the flight flow. Confidence and practice, mainly. The airline sends one to practice in an expensive level-D simulator and later on in the actual route as a student (with the captain being in addition their instructor and another sub-f/o for a worse unwanted scenario in flight). So one doesn't want to get into those expansive final stages without being sure of your system and procedural control of the aircraft. FS9/X is an excellent tool for that matter. In addition and to differ from the airliners, the FSX is a great tool for instrument training: PPL will find it an initial training in just reading and interpreting the instruments, so in the real flights they'll be easier with it and concentrate on the meaning and responding rather than the reading. IFR is great for the navigation itself - the flight feel is this time unnecessary to the pilot's performance (it might even interrupt - no feelings in IFR!), and the pilot can practice routes and procedures with the instruments. When he gets to the plane, he will only need to disregard the actual flight feel and do exactly what he's done in the FSX (plus don't forget, flying the plane he knows from PPL).

It also depends on your attitude towards the sim. Do you follow the pre-flight and shut-down checklists? Do you always startup and shutdown at the parking area? Do you do proper circuits at the proper height? Do you apply power and change attitude and trim in the right order on both descends and climbs? Since I've been things like this in FSX, I've got much more bang for buck (no pun intended!) in my real life flights and I've also felt the sim is more realistic and enjoyable. FSX can be good practice and can enforce good habbits that you then apply to real life. Get a real flight training manual and practice in the sim. Be a perfectionist and you'll get rewarded.

I can probably if it really happens although it wont, when the pilots go down (something disables them from flying) there are no passengers who can fly then I step up and say "I know how to fly this thing" and land it safely. I probably can

So to answer the question in this topic, why not go back to that all time favourate scenario in every armchair pilots imagiation. If you were on a modern airliner,such as the 737NGX or maybe the MD-11 and the flight crew were incapacitated by a bug or food poisoning,If you were a good Sim pilot, is the realism good enough to get it on the ground and to a stop in one piece? (and i don't meen in a thunderstorm)

Hi, As someone said before me, you would definitely stand a better chance than the average passenger, but it would ultimately depend on luck IMO. Just talking about the flare, even in the perfect calm day, the control forces involved during the flare are way bigger than the ones you are used to with pc hardware. You would probably flare not enough and smash the ground before the airplane could react to any corrective input. This doesn't mean that the airplane would turn into a big orange fireball but the chances of making it in one piece are not good at all. I'm positive though that the average hardcore simmer would manage to take the airplane into a stabilized final approach using automation (and obviously some help over the radios). The outcome of the landing, as I wrote above, would in the end depend in their reaction to a lot of factors they have never experienced before... what I called "luck".

I know the real autothrottle on the DC-10 is dire, often requiring the crew to disengage it. Based on this it seems the PMDG MD-11 autothrottle is too good.IRL autothrottle is generally NOT as good as is seen in MSFS add-ons.Best regards,Robin.

You didn't tell us yet how went your first flight ? Feelings ? Impressions ? Differencies ? thx

I actually got in this morning and just got home. The flight to KGSO last night was pretty uneventful, other than deviating around some thunderstorms. The flight back to KMIA this morning found us departing with weather at 1/4 mile visibility in fog. The rest of the flight was pretty routine. With regard to feelings, thoughts or impressions, I'll keep it brief. With nearly 20 years in the ATR, I can say that I really like that airplane. It is a solid-flying, well built machine that is a real money-maker for the airlines. As turboprops go, it's a pleasure to fly with very well-behaved flying characteristics. I could fly that airplane in my sleep! The Embraer is my first jet. With only 30 hours in the airplane (under five since finishing IOE last week), I'm still getting acclimated to the new machine. My impressions aren't glowing. Compared to the ATR, the airplane feels cheaply built. It also has a very stiff ride in turbulence. Something that REALLY surprised me about the airplane that I didn't fully witness until this morning was that the autopilot does a VERY crappy job of tracking a basic ILS approach. We were cleared for the visual approach to Rwy 12 at KMIA and I chose to let the autopilot fly the approach. When the LOC captured, I was shocked by how much maneuvering the jet did to "attempt" to track the LOC. I had to disconnect the autopilot to stop the occillations! It was like a roller coaster ride (laterally-speaking). I left the APP mode engaged for the FD as I hand-flew it and watched the FB bars rock back and forth! The ATR was silky smooth in this respect. I'm gonna keep playing with it and see what it takes to avoid such occillations, if possible. I'll also chat with my colleagues who have more experience in the airplane and see what they say. My FO (800 hours in type) said that it was normal to see such bad behavior! My second trip is tonight...KMIA-KBHM and back in the morning. One thing I can say in defense of this plane...it IS a jet! Anticipating NGX, Terry Swindle

I've been flying for a living since the late 1970's - 1st half of my career rotary wing then the 2nd half fixed wing. I did the regional airline thing for a number of years first on the HS748 (1950's technology) and then the SAAB 340 (1980's+ technology) great machine. Going from a primitive anologue set up to EFIS and a very good auto-pilot was a little bit of a challenge but flight sim helped nicely with the transition. A friend who flies with one of Canada'a airlines that utilizes the 737 exclusivly made the move from the -200 to the -700 with the help of PMDG's 737.....just finding your way around the cockpit was easier. For me I then moved on to 9 seasons of forest fire suppression work and one of the machines I flew was the CL215......most of our flying was VFR and fsx helped lots for keeping the ifr skills up there. Infact several of my former co-workers started using fsx as well. Getting back in the 215 cockpit after not flying for 6+ months and having 6-8 flight hours to get up to speed and pass a IFR/PPC checkride can be a challenge. These days I am 90% office and 10% flying and fsx does help with keeping my head up to speed as I may only fly 50 - 80 hours a year now. Plus it is fun. And, I get a chance to experience aircraft my career path will not take me to. Looking forward to the NGX. Love to get a little time in the real CF18 sim!

As far as whether a simmer could land a real plane without any flight training other than MSFS with advanced addons. I think this theory describes it well. http://youarenotsosm...-kruger-effect/

I've been flying for a living since the late 1970's - 1st half of my career rotary wing then the 2nd half fixed wing. I did the regional airline thing for a number of years first on the HS748 (1950's technology) and then the SAAB 340 (1980's+ technology) great machine. Going from a primitive anologue set up to EFIS and a very good auto-pilot was a little bit of a challenge but flight sim helped nicely with the transition. A friend who flies with one of Canada'a airlines that utilizes the 737 exclusivly made the move from the -200 to the -700 with the help of PMDG's 737.....just finding your way around the cockpit was easier. For me I then moved on to 9 seasons of forest fire suppression work and one of the machines I flew was the CL215......most of our flying was VFR and fsx helped lots for keeping the ifr skills up there. Infact several of my former co-workers started using fsx as well. Getting back in the 215 cockpit after not flying for 6+ months and having 6-8 flight hours to get up to speed and pass a IFR/PPC checkride can be a challenge. These days I am 90% office and 10% flying and fsx does help with keeping my head up to speed as I may only fly 50 - 80 hours a year now. Plus it is fun. And, I get a chance to experience aircraft my career path will not take me to. Looking forward to the NGX. Love to get a little time in the real CF18 sim!

I know where you are coming from with that one, I went from the HS748 straight to the B747-400, an interesting and challenging step I can tell you! Those CL215s look fascinating to me, I've been following the "Ice pilots" TV series ,which as I'm sure you've seen, has some good flying scenes of the CL215. Cheers Jon Bunting

Hi Jon, That must have been quite the transition, both academically and hands on. I know one fellow who went from the 748 to the A320 and a year later I ran into him and he had about 600 hours on it with 150 as capt......said he lived with the aircraft manuals during that year so I can just imagine the learning curve you both went through. The 215 as far as hands and feet flying go was everybit as challenging as rotary wing especially when picking up a load and it was my first and only exposure to radials. Fire suppression has its' own set of challenges.....unlike the 415 there is not an overabundance of power with the 215. If you find yourself in Winnipeg sometime PM me and maybe we can do some coffee. Cheers,Dave

Dave,Yes, I remember my first take off in 744 the sim was from the left seat and I just fixated on the analogue standby instruments as it was the only thing that looked familiar.Aerowinx PS1 came in very handy that year! That HS748 was a fantastic aircraft to fly though, and a great grounding in hand flying "big" aeroplanes, I felt.I'm over on the other side of the pond from yourself but I've normally got CYWG in my fix page and monitor the weather there as I come down from the North heading for San Fran or Vegas, so you never know,stranger things have happened.I wouldn't be the first , I think one of my colleagues popped in last year with a passenger heart attack. If I find myself there I'll be sure to look you up, it would be nice to see some real aeroplanes. Cheers Jon

Jon, Look forward to it. I'll PM you with some contact info. Dave