Flight from start to end tutorial?

[Ezuna 0]

Hi simmers,

 

I just took the plunge into the sim world - got myself a cheap copy of FSX and a joystick and I've a 'fairly decent' PC and here's my question - 

 

Do any of you know of some good tutorials that take you from switch on, until landing? That show the whole sequence of events e.g. deciding destination, picking a route, programming it in, setting radios, taxi, take off, how to navigate and land?

I've followed some of the lessons in FSX and taking off, landing etc is fine but I'm lost when I have to start thinking about IFR flight etc.

 

Thanks very much in advance,

Ezuna

[woodhick 504]

If you have only recently started into the FSX world (the comment "abandon hope all ye who enter herein" comes quickly to mind) then you need to continue with the default basic training flights but note, the IFR training seems to be pretty hopeless, don't get too frustrated if you can't correctly complete it. You need to try the twin engine flights too.

 

Pretty much everything else can be found in the "Learning Center" reading material. Plan on spending a lot of time studying. The amount of time you put into learning the ins & outs of flight simming can be considerable. Don't lose heart!! This is not your basic shoot 'em up game. The amount of work you put into it will be paid back in steadily increasing enjoyment but don't try to absorb everything at once.

 

IMHO, don't jump into the big/fast jets. Leave the 747's and Lear Jets alone until you can fly a Cessna 172 fairly well in VFR (visual flight rules ) and IFR (instrument flight rules) conditions.

 

How to pick a destination is really complicated--where do you want to go?? What place looks interesting?? Do you live in Indianapolis IN (as an example) and have a cousin in Champaign IL?? Fly over for a visit. The physical mechanics of planning a flight are, again, covered in the Learning Center.

 

A tutorial video?? Try doing a YouTube search for sim videos. There are tons on line. You will find some that will give you what you want to see, maybe not all in one video but the info is there for the searching.

 

Don't worry too much about turning each and every switch on/off in a sim model. Most aren't going to do anything anyway. Learn the basics and don't worry about being 100% correct the first time out. Have fun.

 

Following the default (or any) ATC 9air traffic control) direction is easy, just do what the almighty voice of God (and almost all ATC's think of themselves that way--shhhh don't tell them any different, they tend to cry) tells you to do. Again, refer to the learning center.

 

Basically--go slow and have fun. Kind of like sex.

[JSkorna 137]

The Learning Center in FSX can help you. There are also lessons that can be flown from within FSX.

[Ezuna 0]

Thanks for the advice gents - I'd largely ignored the learning centre as I was thinking it's going to be aimed at things like the interface, graphics etc etc. As far as my aspirations at the moment I'd really like to be able to pick my local airport (George Best City Airport) and complete a planned flight to say Aberdeen in really bad weather / darkness using IFR only.

 

Are there any third party programs that you'd recommend at the moment for flight planning etc?

 

Thanks

 

Basically--go slow and have fun. Kind of like sex.

 

LOL :lol:

[JSkorna 137]

Plan G:

 

http://www.tasoftware.co.uk/planG.htm

[Griphos 138]

Well, since as you recognize, this is a simulation of aviation, then what you're asking for is a tutorial that covers everything that must be learned to fly an airplane. That's something that takes a complete "ground school" and hours of training in life.

 

There are many resources available for real flight training that cover what you're asking for and would translate for FSX, many of them free. One of the very best is _The Airplane Flying Handbook_ available as a PDF download from the FAA: http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aircraft/airplane_handbook/

 

The Airman's Information Manual (AIM) is also a valuable resource. Both of these are available as iPhone and iPad apps as well.

 

There is a book, which I believe can legitimately be found in d/l form for free, but also available from Amazon which covers a lot of what you want. It's pretty good as well, but nowhere near as detailed: http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Flight-Simulator-Pilots-Training/dp/0764588222

[woodhick 504]

I'd urge you to wait for that "dark and stormy night" flight until you begin to understand things like using your on board GPS/GNS unit (yeah, you guessed it, refer to your Learning Center for more on that), understanding using an ILS landing system, using an auto-pilot, and even being able to properly control your airplane. You've got a long way to go. RW (real world) pilots don't start off flying at night under IFR conditions with only 5 hours dual and zero solo time, don't expect to be able to do it either.

[fs4fun 366]

Try the Angle of Attach Aviator90 VFR course, it's free and it starts with basic maneuvers but then moves on to full cross country flights with VOR or GPS navigation. You do need to get some payware products if you want to follow along with exactly the same plane and scenery in the videos but that part is optional.

 

If you like this series, then their AviatorPro course gets into IFR with complex planes, airway navigation, flight planning, reading and flying approach charts, VATSIM, weather etc. It's payware but you can sign up for a monthly subscription and can download all the videos.

 

PlanG is a very nice free flight planner that uses FSX navigation data.  Skyvector.com has some very nice tools for planning with real-world charts, although it will not produce an FSX flight plan I still use it all the time since I like to plan with VFR and/or enroute charts. It's good to have charts for your origin/destination airports, and usually Google can find something, just search for the ICAO code and the word "charts", eg "EGAC charts".

 

Vataware can show you city pair routes, eg http://www.vataware.com/flight.cfm?id=10358112

 

You can take the route from the above VATSIM flight (MAGEE DCT BLACA P600 TRN UP600 PTH P600 ADN), go to simroutes.com, click Generate Route, enter Departure and Arrival airport and paste the above route into the route field and it can generate an FSX flight plan for you and also show you the route on a map. I'll usually download the flight plan, open it in PlanG and use that to enter altitudes, departure parking space and other details before using it in FSX.

[Ezuna 0]

Thanks for this help guys - I've been checking out some of the things you've suggested and they look good. I imagine that this is like other sims..the more you put in the more you get out. (My background as a gamer is very much racing sims as well that are as equally 'anal' )

 

So....I can and will learn all the 'individual' parts like GPS etc...

 

One more question though if you can indulge me - do you have an 'order' that you do things in? What I mean is - when you put the PC on and start FSX it would be possible to do a quick flight and look visually for a airport to fly to and do that.

 

However, I'd imagine to really get a lot out of it you would - choose a start and destination, work out a route, program it in, taxi out etc etc

 

So what would be a good 'order' to start with - this would give me an overall structure then I can fit the various bits around it.

 

Many thanks again

Dave

[woodhick 504]

IMHO if you have ridden on a RW airplane you kind of know the order of things. As the pic (PILOT IN COMMAND) you would select your start and destination points, refer to a navsource for data on that airport (here's Airnav http://www.airnav.com/) enter the FAA code for that airport and D/L charts etc as necessary. Check WX (weather), go out to your airplane (already preflighted I presume), check for fuel level and oil etc. Start up, get taxi and take off clearance, fly your route following ATC instructions if flying IFR, or simply by following VFR routines, when you arrive do a pattern or instrument approach and landing, taxi in, shut down and go have a $100.00 hamburger before returning home.

 

Again, I urge you do do a very simple VFR (visual flight rules) flight the first few times and ease into things slowly.

[ryanbatc 12,770]

Welcome to the addicting world of flight sim.

 

What id do is hop in the default Cessna and just fly around VFR (generally weather better than 3 mi visibility and greater than 1000 ft ceilings)

 

I recommend www.skyvector.com to help you navigate VFR. Look for roads rivers and lakes on the maps, then city limits and obstacles like radio towers.