This has probably been covered before but since I am new to the Simming world, I thought I would ask.

 

I am Private Pilot and I own my aircraft. Unfortunately the weather in the UK means that I can easily go weeks without being airbourne and so I am looking for a hobby that will compliment my flying. I intend to buy a high spec system (Intel I7 4.8Ghz with Nvidia GeForce GTX 680) and load in with all the add-ons and scenery packs I've seen recommended on the internet (REX, GEX, AccuFeel, EzDock Camera, UTX, some ORBX scenery packs, UK2000, Horrizon Scenery, Ultimate Traffic, GTX, Treescape and Shawbury Fields plus some Carenado Payware and some Just Flight Payware.)

 

Prior to spend a lot of ££ on what will hopefully be a great setup, I need to fully understand how realistic FSX (or X-plance, Virtual Pilot 3d and Prepar3D) is and how it will benifit my flying.

 

So can some real world pilots who also play FSX answer some simple questions:

 

1. Will flying basic GA types help to keep me current and reduce skill fade?

 

2. Can I use FSX to familiarise myself with new aircraft types prior to doing a full type rating

 

3. Can I use FSX to practice VFR routes (with the high end scenery packs), circuit practice and emercency procedures.

 

4. How well do the payware aircraft (particularly the Piper PA-28, PA-32 and Cessna Grand Caravan) compare to the real aircraft in terms of handling and internal layout and switch gear? - I understand that it will be absent of the feel of the aircraft, the feedback and the smell but do you get so immersed in the game that you think you are flying the real thing?

 

5. How will FSX benifit me when I undergo my CPL and IR training in the future ( a career change to flying commercial twins is in the pipeline)

 

5. Are there any yokes with feedback or adjustable resistance to make the controls feel more realistic.

 

 

Aplogies in advance for a very convoluted question.

 

Gary

Hi Gary and welcome to the forums,

 

yeah the weather this summer has not been great in the uk :(

 

There is plenty of real world pilots that use fsx for what ever reason ( i think just for fun ) so they would be better suited to help on the aspect of real world flying. There is online tools like Vatsim which has real people acting as the ATC using real world procedures at airports.

 

With Yokes they tend to be hit and miss and most of them are not certified for simulation training but you could look at the Elite Yoke ( It is certified i believe ) but it has a price tag to scare most people away

 

http://www.flightstore.co.uk/simulation-c8/elite-yoke-p2411

 

Carenado make the best Cessna Grand Caravan but as im not a real pilot i could not comment on the flight dynamics.

 

Here is a sort of review on the Elite Yoke

 

Paul

 

Oh yeah Virtual Pilot 3d is a scam.. dont buy it as you can get it for free as its called Flight Gear

 

http://www.flightgear.org/

So can some real world pilots who also play FSX answer some simple questions:

 

1. Will flying basic GA types help to keep me current and reduce skill fade?

 

2. Can I use FSX to familiarise myself with new aircraft types prior to doing a full type rating

 

3. Can I use FSX to practice VFR routes (with the high end scenery packs), circuit practice and emercency procedures.

 

4. How well do the payware aircraft (particularly the Piper PA-28, PA-32 and Cessna Grand Caravan) compare to the real aircraft in terms of handling and internal layout and switch gear? - I understand that it will be absent of the feel of the aircraft, the feedback and the smell but do you get so immersed in the game that you think you are flying the real thing?

 

5. How will FSX benifit me when I undergo my CPL and IR training in the future ( a career change to flying commercial twins is in the pipeline)

 

5. Are there any yokes with feedback or adjustable resistance to make the controls feel more realistic.

 

As a real life PPL+IR holder and PC flightsimmer (FSX), here are my thoughts:

 

1. I find FSX quite useful for practicing IFR procedures before flying to an unfamiliar airport, or to practice for a proficiency check. For basic GA flying, No.

 

2. Hardly any use at all.

 

3. In theory, yes. In practice, no I don't think so.

 

4. In short; no. To expand a little; yes sure it can help you learn where all the switches and stuff are but as for actually flying it, no.

 

5. Training approach procedures and such works very well. I've been doing that a lot myself. Other than that, no.

 

6. No idea, sorry.

 

Bottom line: Flight simming can be good fun in itself but apart from the aforementioned procedural training I'd say there's little use for it when it comes to preparing you for real life flying.

NO !

 

-- For fun, Yes

-- For real life, NO

-- For preparing to obtain a license or a rating, NO NO!

Hi Gary,

 

I can't comment on the relevance of FSX to RW flying, I'm not a pilot and for me FSX is just a ton of fun. :smile:

 

Regarding addons:

1. For weather/textures you might want to compare REX vs Active Sky 2012. They are both very good and personally I use REX2+OD but you might find that AS has some features you would really like that are not available in REX. You can also get both and use REX for textures and AS2012 (or ASE) for weather as many people do.
   
2. For VFR flying I think a head-tracking device is essential. TrackIR is excellent and easy to use. If you also get EZCA they can work together.
   
3. The Reality XP GPS addons are superb, as are their FLN and FLT gauges. If you get these you will want to choose aircraft that can support them. The Carenado's are generally good about that as are RealAir and Milviz aircraft. The GPS support most (if not all) functionality of their real-world counterparts and their nav databases can be updated from later Garmin simulator releases.
   
4. FSUIPC 4.x is a very useful and powerful addon for hardware controllers and also helps fix quite a few bugs and problems in FSX. Unfortunately I don't think it supports force-feedback controls but you may still find it useful. The documentation is downloadable from the FSUIPC support forum.
   

Also be sure to check out Word Not Allowed's Hardware/Software guide in the FSX Tutorials area for recommended hardware and performance tweaks.

 

Regards,

Barry

This book Microsoft Flight Simulator X For Pilots: Real World Training could help you a little. See also here: http://www.avsim.com/pages/0208/Wiley/Book.htm

1. Will flying basic GA types help to keep me current and reduce skill fade?

 

2. Can I use FSX to familiarise myself with new aircraft types prior to doing a full type rating

 

3. Can I use FSX to practice VFR routes (with the high end scenery packs), circuit practice and emercency procedures.

 

4. How well do the payware aircraft (particularly the Piper PA-28, PA-32 and Cessna Grand Caravan) compare to the real aircraft in terms of handling and internal layout and switch gear? - I understand that it will be absent of the feel of the aircraft, the feedback and the smell but do you get so immersed in the game that you think you are flying the real thing?

 

5. How will FSX benifit me when I undergo my CPL and IR training in the future ( a career change to flying commercial twins is in the pipeline)

 

5. Are there any yokes with feedback or adjustable resistance to make the controls feel more realistic.

 

IMO,

 

 

1. Will flying basic GA types help to keep me current and reduce skill fade?

 

Yes to some extend Particulalry when it comes to procedure. Flight instructors often tell students to "chair fly" the procedures so when you are in the aircraft you have the proceuders down pat and can focus on the actual act of flying it instead ofspending your mindshare on recollecting what you are supposed to do. You can substitute simming for this "Chair flying". But the actual tactile feel of flying the aircraft of applying the rudder on take off or the actual amount of pressure you have to apply on the yoke to do a go around with full flaps on (If you have not been flying for real, this can shock you and take you by surprise) , you cannot generally get away using PC sims. I would wager, if I take any of the simmers here who have never flown for real, and give them Cessna 172SP and ask them to land with the full flaps, they may do a decent job, but then when they are 2 feet off the runway, tell them to do a go around and they fire wall that throttle, I would wager, many of them may flp the aircraft.. LOL :),.. There is no substitute for that in FSX.

 

2. Can I use FSX to familiarise myself with new aircraft types prior to doing a full type rating

 

I would think so...provided you get a good quality addon.

 

3. Can I use FSX to practice VFR routes (with the high end scenery packs), circuit practice and emercency procedures.

 

Yes. you can. Before I went on my x-country for my PP license, I used megascenery so cal photo scenery and did a cross country. I did everything the way I needed to do... for me, when I followed the procedure...and finished my x-country flight in FS9, this was real x-country flying for me. This was the time I realized Megascenery was the greatest thing since sliced bread!

 

4. How well do the payware aircraft (particularly the Piper PA-28, PA-32 and Cessna Grand Caravan) compare to the real aircraft in terms of handling and internal layout and switch gear? - I understand that it will be absent of the feel of the aircraft, the feedback and the smell but do you get so immersed in the game that you think you are flying the real thing?

 

 

To a good extend, its the same, provided you do the simming as seriously as you would a real aircraft and follow the check list and in VC go about doing your routine. but if you just ctl-E and take it out for a spin. Then NO. It all depeneds on you.

 

5. How will FSX benifit me when I undergo my CPL and IR training in the future ( a career change to flying commercial twins is in the pipeline).

 

For IR training, FSX/simming is indispensible.. it would save your lots of money.

 

5. Are there any yokes with feedback or adjustable resistance to make the controls feel more realistic.

 

No matter how good a PC sim you get, it can't beat the real thing on this front. But getting a decent yoke and rudder is a must... for coordinated flying (using rudder pressure whiling make turns) should come naturally ...and for this alone its important to get a Rudder pedals..even if crappy ones. Its better to have joystick with rudder pedals (Stick & Rudder) than A yoke with no rudder pedals.

NO !

 

-- For fun, Yes

-- For real life, NO

-- For preparing to obtain a license or a rating, NO NO!

 

I'm a private pilot.

I just can't believe there is still people saying personal flight sim like FSX are not suitable for real life training.

This is totally crazy, long time simmers are way ahead on learning curve when jumping to private licence training. Pick the random guy in the street and put it in an aircraft for first lesson, now take a simmer and just compare.

 

Sure you'll never get the "feeling" of GA, but THIS IS NOT THE POINT, the point is first you know every instrument and how to check it, second you know the basics of flight physics and aircraft behaviour (if you sim correctly). You may also know in advance R/T phraseo, check list use, procedures, etc.

 

Where Flight Sims and specially FSX totally shine is navigation, cross country training. Clock and rule, maps, VOR, ADF, even G1000 programming now, fuel management, etc. Get the aircraft you're learnin in real life to FSX, get a photoreal scenery of your place, prepare your flight, print your navlog, grab a watch and you'll practice cross country as real as it gets.

 

First solo cross country and PPL test was so easy thanks to FSX. Use it, it is almost free compared to real cross country practice, regular GA travel is pricey, staying sharp on this with FSX can save your life.

 

If FSX is very good for PPL as i experimented, it is even better for IFR training. Just go get it you'll judge by yourself.

FSX is great for procedures. That makes sense, though, right? Flight schools use sims for IFR training and have for years. It's probably better than some of the sims they've used. The one thing they have is where an instructor can cause outages. There's ways to get that too in FSX, though, I haven't. But, even VFR procedures benefit. I used one to practice crosswind landings when I didn't have any crosswind opportunities IRL. The landing doesn't feel the same, so much, but the procedures are the same and if you get a good modeled airplane that can slip, it works pretty good.

 

I do quite a bit of VFR flying over MegasceneryX SoCal and I am amazes at how it matches the maps. Even the antennas. To me it feels very much like when I did cross countries IRL. If you tune a VOR radial and plot out where landmarks are and then see them in the sim it's pretty cool.

 

There's a whole host of things you'll learn. And then when you go up in the real airplane you'll get the feel but be less confused about what you need to do. The only worry is about learning wrong procedures and having to break them later.

 

Gregg

Tarere said "First solo cross country and PPL test was so easy thanks to FSX."....I have to agree.Before I did my first cross country solo,I flew it 7 times in FSX over Tileproxy scenery.When I acually flew it,I just had a ball!!..Knew where I was every second of the flight...

NO !

 

-- For fun, Yes

-- For real life, NO

-- For preparing to obtain a license or a rating, NO NO!

 

This is a horribly incorrect comment

 

I could be mistaken but aren't you one of the biggest Captain Sim cheerleaders? That would explain a lot too.

As one who uses FSX occasionally to teach real life procedures, I can say it most definatly is an asset. Especially if you use the 'shared cockpit' feature with a student

 

It does have it's limits, but if used properly it will cut down substantially on 'real world' training expenses

Like many things it comes down to individual opinion and preference. My personal view is that some things can be. I would say basic checklist procedures, especially emergency procedures, as well as instrument flying can be practiced, but only for limited value and never as an outright replacement for getting in the real airplane and keeping your skills solid.

 

I have found that practicing engine out work for a piston twin has some limited value, especially doing the dangerous stuff such as losing an engine just after takeoff -- something you really don't want to practice for real!

 

Ken

It does have it's limits, but if used properly it will cut down substantially on 'real world' training expenses

I'd agree on that if it wasn't for the word "substantially". For every licence or rating there's a minimum number of hours you have to do in a real plane before doing your check flight, and very few students, armchair pilots or not, needs more time than that anyway.

 

As I and others have already said before, PC sims may be of help in learning IFR procedures and, as Ken added, multi-engine emergency procedures, but if you think it's going to save you any big money you're just fooling yourself. Yes, I know crashing a multi-engine piston plane will cost you big money so in that respect practicing at home may save you a bit, but you still can't log the time towards future ratings.

 

About VFR route practice before an actual flight: What for? Afraid you're not gonna find your way otherwise? I bet 95% of all GA pilots today are just following the magenta line anyway. Sure it might be fun to sit there and think "hey, there's that lake I saw in FSX yesterday", but it's not doing a [insert profanity of choice here] thing for your map reading skills. What if you suddenly find yourself off track and the GPS malfunctions?

About VFR route practice before an actual flight: What for? Afraid you're not gonna find your way otherwise? I bet 95% of all GA pilots today are just following the magenta line anyway. Sure it might be fun to sit there and think "hey, there's that lake I saw in FSX yesterday", but it's not doing a [insert profanity of choice here] thing for your map reading skills. What if you suddenly find yourself off track and the GPS malfunctions?

 

Gotta disagree with that,in degree. It is fun and that's a big part of the point? I have been surprised with how accurate it is and it has helped me brush up on old skills. A lot of 'oh yeah' moments. I don't, generally, put anything into the GPS, just keep the moving map on...a little TV that shows my relationship to airspace and airports. Other than that, I'm using, mostly, VORs or dead reckoning. I know I have to be down to 2700 feet by that little hill over there to be under that airport's class B. I know that there's an airport over on my right and to watch out for departures or arrivals right through this area near a town. I look over and see the lake on the map so I know the airport is about 1 o'clock and 15 miles. There's a road and I can follow it, pretty much, to the airport. Glancing over at the GPS...yep. Pulling back on the power a bit, following the road, shallow descent. Dialing in the ATIS. Leveling off, speed coming back. First notch of flaps. It's all good.