I'm just curious ...

 

Like everyone involved in this hobby I really look forward to new aircraft and the challenge of learning to operate and fly them. Personally, though I appreciate the effort that goes into writing thorough documentation, I learn best by using tutorials. A well written tutorial gives me a nice overview of aircraft systems and allows me to get flying without having to slog through page-after-page of manuals. Keep writing good manuals but give me a good tutorial too.

 

I was just curious how other simmer's like to learn.

 

Dave

I like to watch youtube videos by experienced people for the basics and then go through the tutorial flights.

I like tutorials too. Specifically I like tutorials that are simple and straight forward. Some products I've purchased have tutorials that have a lot of asides and irrelevant info crammed in that makes getting to the real procedures (i.e. what I'm actually supposed to click on), making those tutorials harder to follow. 

 

I can also appreciate the huge manuals that come with complex aircraft like PMDG, but I think it's also a must to have a "sim-relevant" manual that goes over how to USE the aircraft on your PC, not just how the systems work.

 

Video tutorials can be excellent, unfortunately since a lot of them are user-contributed, they aren't fact-checked by the developers and sometimes have erroneous info in them. Of course the hard work that goes into making those videos is still greatly appreciated though!

Mostly I watch tutorial videos from Youtube, usually I just don't have the time to really go through a long manual...

I can usually use the supplied checklists and/or flows that most aircraft come with the get the basics of operation and successfully complete flights.  I don't have a lot of time to go much further than that in my education unfortunately.

 

A tutorial can be good too for learning more of the details behind why you're supposed to do a checklist a certain way, but after one or two reads I'm back to the checklists/flows.

I think the printed tutorials are the best. Especially when they include the proper procedures and why they are done. Maybe it's like this for me because I studied the heck out of my first complex sim (PS1: a 747-400) and have the basics of jet simulators ingrained.

 

Sometimes when I watch a YouTube tutorial and I see erroneous procedures or procedures I've never seen when I worked on the ramp I tend to discount the entire video. I know different airports have vastly different procedures, but when I see a video and the person turns on all lights after push (including landing and strobes), it's hard for the source to be credible to me. I'd like my experience flying to be as close, procedurally, to real world as possible.

 

Incidentally i recently had a training class where they said a study revealed that the overwhelming amount of folks learn visually the best.

I like to watch youtube videos by experienced people for the basics and then go through the tutorial flights.

 

That is exactly my way when I want to learn. But 99% of my free time I want to fly, not to sit on the ground starring in bunch of switches and the manual. That's why I prefer less complex planes. I'm in love with FLYING, not in love with the switches... shhhhhhhhhh I'm just talking like that because I'm lazy to learn and usually don't have enough free time.

 

I bought NGX long time ago, followed by AXE and QW 757. Never, and I mean never had the chance to learn it, flew it few times with a simple operation with ILS landing. Again, I lied, I had the chance, but I didn't had a will to learn it, time consuming!

 

And most of all  - after watching video tutorial, pdf manual and one tutorial flight, you are still a noob. No body learned the song lyrics after one play! So you must watch tutorials or manuals, and load tutorial flights who knows how many times to remember every bits and pieces on plane operation, systems, etc. And again, it is bloody time consuming! I must learn for days before I can fly without manuals and without scratching my head what to do next.

 

Don't forget that RL pilots are going to specialized course for that particular plane (eg. Boeing 737) that last for 2/3 months. We have PMDG models that are very complex for average simmer (like me), and we have only manuals and tutorials, and not so much free time, because simming is first of all - a hobby! No a job! If somehow I get proposal to fly PMDG NGX 737 for a salary, I would learn it without a hitch, you can bet! Yeah, you will say "look at Pe11e, he is claiming that he is an avid simmer, but he doesn't want to learn to fly complex planes if there are no salary!". Look, it is not about money, it is about priorities in life, first a job and the money (I have a family), then a hobby. And when you have only max 2-3 hours daily (sometimes no more that 2) you simply want to spent them in air, enjoying scenery or building career in FSCaptain.

 

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And yes, at the end I must admit that when you learn a complex plane, an immersion is SUPERB. When flying default planes (eg B737) the feel is, well, completely dull, but that is the price when you want to spent every minute of free time flying. Honestly, if I want to spent that much time on the ground, I load Assetto Corsa or rFactor or whatever.

 

 

My 99 cents.

I normally use the method of learning through experimentation. I have multiple complex add ons, and in none of them have I ever touched the manual. I have on the other hand learned how to fly them, mainly through the technique of, "what does this button do?".

I normally use the method of learning through experimentation. I have multiple complex add ons, and in none of them have I ever touched the manual. I have on the other hand learned how to fly them, mainly through the technique of, "what does this button do?".

I have found once I got the basics down it can be fun going through the manual and learning advanced concepts at my leisure, the manual is more interesting once you have some experience in the plane as a point of reference. The 737ngx is a prime example of a plane where with each flight I try to learn something new and after 100s of hours I haven't even got into the failures yet. 

What I really like is Angle of Attack training videos.  I have been using it for a long time, on everything from the Level D 767 to the PMDG 777, and there is nothing that can compare, as far as I'm concerned.

There is procedures that AoA goes over on the PMDG 777, that I have not seen covered on any YouTube videos. It really make flying the T7 that much more enjoyable for me.

Periodically I will sign up for the Aviator Pro and go through some of those courses.  It's just a great program and AoA keeps adding to it all the time.

YouTube videos are good, but, for me, nothing can compare to the learning experience at Angle of Attack.

Install plane

Open FSX

Select appropriate 'training' airport active runway

Fly Now

If engine is not going, follow nose and see how we go. Worked for Majestic Dash, not so much for Milviz Sabre or A2A P-40.

If no joy on engine start, consult quick start, since there often is one

Set flaps and trim to 'that looks about right'

Engage loud handle, ignore alarms, rotate when TLAR

Fly circuit of some sort, or short hop to another airport

TLAR approach set up, followed by dodgy landing

Skim manual

Go fly, cross reference manual with things I don't understand

Fly some more

Do tutorial flight

Read manual some more

Fly

Never stop learning

 

Reading in isolation means little to me. Trial and error is fine for bashing around in many GA types. Don't find it works for liners quite as well unless there is a similar design philosophy to one previously flown.

 

Mike

When I discover a new complex aircraft, I like to use a pdf or printed Tutorial.

Then I make som test flights, and after that I read some topics in the manual

Nothing beats illustrated written tutorials for me.

Look at Froogles vidio`s on YouTube.............

Nothing beats illustrated written tutorials for me.

Totally agree! I really love the manual that comes with the boxed version of the PMDG MD-11 (I guess the same applies for their other planes), it shows you where to search for which button and explains the necessary steps extremely well. Plus it's really easy-to-understand language they use.

 

Such manuals are actually the main reason why I still prefer to buy complex aircraft addons in a boxed version - reading a printed manual (whcih I usualy have in front of me on my desk while getting familiar with the new plane) is much more comfortable than having to read on either different computers/screens or even worse - switch abck and foth between the sim and the manual.