I went for 2 hours in one in Lelystad NL. Althought it was great fun I did not like the graphics, it was running fs2004 / fs9.Still the 'real' and working cockpit is very special to operate the sim with and also the moving when you bank l or r is great.I heard that most real world pilots just start at fl300 and practise failures, they do not use it for takeoff / landing.Greetings,Maikel Rozemeijer

A while ago before I enrolled in university I was considering doing an ATPL the Integrated route, and visited a number of the UK commercial flight schools. On the open days, most of them had their simulator suites open to visitors to have a go in. I did a circuit each in an Airbus A320, Boeing 737-400 and Boeing 737-800, the latter was a full motion sim, the former two were static (actually the A320 one was motion too but they switched it off so they could leave the door open to allow visitors to see in)! I managed to successfully land all of them, with only FSX experience and about 16 hours in Warriors. One thing I remember that caught me out is with the 737, the yoke is heavy, especially if it's not correctly trimmed. When the guy put some strong wind in for an extra challenge, it was quite a battle!

Edited February 11, 201214 yr by Tom Wright

WOW, it's very nice to hear all the great stories!

Yes, in Melbourne on a 737-800 with two take offs and landing under various conditions at YMML. As a previous poster said the scenery was awful but the experience was anything but. I did however find that I seemed to be sitting at a slight angle away from direct forward which took some getting used to. The other thing to note is that when the mains touch on landing you have the sensation that you are still a long way up in the air something you don't get on a PC. A worthwhile investment and if they film the flight and offer you a DVD, take it even if it adds a few extra dollars to the overall cost. Highly recommended.Gerry

I was in a 737-700 NG Sim last Saturday, at Archerfield, ...just a short flight from YBSU to YBBN.It wasn't a full motion simulator like a Level D, just fixed,.. but the graphics are quite good as they use FTX for scenery as well as Orbx YBBN for example with much better frame rates than I get on my PC.My point is, I noticed just as you did, that the height above Ground is much higher than NGX on my PC.So much so , when flaring for the landing I thought I was still floating after touching down!But the height looking outside from the cockpit window seemed correct realistic like the Real 737.It seems to me that the FSX & NGX set up doesn,t seem natural or positioned bit too low.It may have a bit do do with sitting in a real replica 737 so you get a proper 3 dimensational perpective or some thing?Regards,Stewart Thompson

Been in a 737 sim plenty. If you want to learn how to land, I'd say you'd be better off renting a Cessna than wasting time in a sim.

Interesting comment, Matt. Usually, airline pilots tell us that due to factors such as size, inertia etc. landing an airliner is a different ball game.I guess you probably mean that ANY real plane is better than a sim if you want to master the fundamentals. But you fly 737s every day so your perspective is different of course.Bruno

Hello i've been recently in a 737 Level D sim in Lyon (France) for the first time of my life. I learnt everything thanks to PMDG products. It was a piece of cake !!Here is a video of my take off and landing :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms7KDa7J3b4

And yes i was amazed by how the yoke is hard to move, You can even do bodybuilding with it hahaha. The NGX is too sensitive or maybe it's just an FSX problem. In the sim you really have to anticipate cause with inertia you can easily make a hard landing. Before the flight i told to my self i should not pull the yoke a lot during landing so i avoid any kind of floating like in FS. But in fact i had to pull it hard !

U are all lucky,i never been on motion sim :( ,but i guess that can be wordless experience :( .

Hello i've been recently in a 737 Level D sim in Lyon (France) for the first time of my life. I learnt everything thanks to PMDG products. It was a piece of cake !!Here is a video of my take off and landing :

great stuff. don't you want to be a pilot?

Of course i want to ! I am ATPL student ...

Of course i want to ! I am ATPL student ...

good good, so as An ATPL student, would you say that fsx is helping you with your career? and would you say that it's worth the risk? wish you all luck mate!

good good, so as An ATPL student, would you say that fsx is helping you with your career? and would you say that it's worth the risk? wish you all luck mate!

Yeah FSX helped me a lot!! i'm now 18 and i was playing i remember i started on FS98. It allows me to understand quickly even if ATPL is very very hard. Of course it worth it it was my dream since i'm born haha. Thanks

Yeah FSX helped me a lot!! i'm now 18 and i was playing i remember i started on FS98. It allows me to understand quickly even if ATPL is very very hard. Of course it worth it it was my dream since i'm born haha. Thanks

thanks for encouraging, and thank you, good luck mate!

I've been 20 hours during my MCC Training in a 737-300/500 FSS, unfortunately not the NG, but most of the layout is pretty much the same anyways. Pretty cool stuff, I can only suggest everyone to go for at least an hour or so into a real simulator, it's pretty amazing.

I visited Lufthansa Training in Berlin (there are only the 737OG sims in Frankfurt which I usually choose for full motion sim flights), I have to stay the 738 flies like a charm, people say the 744 is the queen of the skies which she is, but if you ask me the 738 handles and feels much better to fly than the 744 (which I also have flown allready), I also tried the madeira/funchal approach on the 738, and honestly, it's easier (even with activated moderate turbulance and winds) than you would expect it to be, also there is something the ngx simulates which I experienced both as a passenger in the real one as well in the 738 FM sim as a pilot-> during approach, when you have extended the flaps and lower the nose to a negative angle of attack, the plane slows down(!) together with a weird sounds which I can't describe, the NGX simulates this!