Hello all,

 

I have flown a lot of the NGX 737 previously, and now the FF777 and 757, however I would like to begin flying on IVAO (I'm based in Europe) which requires me to know more than merely programming the FMC and messing about with SIDS and STARS until they work (but not properly understanding them, for example I have no idea what a transition is!).

 

I know very little about real world navigation so have opted to download this aircraft (http://www.x-plane.com/2012/03/piper-pa28-181-archer-iii/) to really focus on learning VFR navigation and basic comms.

 

What do you recommend I learn? I am thinking:

 

VOR navigation, real ILS procedures, but that's about all I can think of. Could someone please give me a rough list of areas to learn and master? As far as flying an aircraft goes I'm fairly confident as I've had about 400 hours clocked on DCS A-10, and many hours on Rise of Flight and the above mentioned aircraft. It's actually doing things properly as per the real world I want to learn.

 

If you could give me a list of areas to get my head around I'd be very grateful!

 

Thanks

If you're interested in general aviation, performing approaches, and navigating without a GPS (i.e. VOR/NDB approaches, etc), have a read through this old but very nicely done site http://www.navfltsm.addr.com/index.htm which will walk you through planning and flying VFR flights, to IFR, performing full approaches and learning lots along the way. The exercises it has are a real challenge, but rewarding once you've done them, and once you've got to the end, you should be pretty happy flying anything

Pilot Edge has done a series of training videos that are available online.  They run long, but they're very complete and informative.  The only downside for you is that, as you'd expect given that Pilot Edge covers SoCal, they're focused on US regs so there will be some differences in some of the details on how things are done in your area.  Still, the basics still apply.  See: http://www.pilotedge.net/workshops .

 

BTW, a transition on a SID or STAR is pretty much what it sounds like.  They're transitional stages to or from the common fixes close in to the airport.  You chose the transition which corresponds to your route as you get into the area covered by the SID or STAR.  Think of branches of a river that ultimately feed into the main channel.

 

Scott

Hello Luke,

 

as i understand you start to fly VFR and now you want to go a step further to IFR? You have basically two types of IFR nav procedures 1. the radio navigation: use of VOR and NDB and 2. Basic/Precision Area NAvigation or RNAV. RNAV includes FMS/IRS and/or GPS navigation. It sounds a bit complicated at first but should be easy to learn it for flight sim use.

 

SID/STARS/Transitions can be based upon VOR´s and/or phantom waypoint or can be based on RNAV only. Normally you find the appropriate procedure on the respective plate. For eg you fly an RNAV SID followed by an RNV Transition to the entry point of your filed flight plan.

 

A transition is a procedure to bring you to a the filed flight plan routing and it brings you smooth into the final approach of your destination.

 

For all that you gonna have to use a flight plan tool first so you know how to get away from your departure airport to your final destination. If you done so you have to file that flight plan (dont know if you have to do that in the virtual world i never flew tubes online) and then program your FMS. Thats it.

It's not that hard actually, I've been learning recently too, though i haven't done much "heavy" flying so I haven't put SID and STARS into practice. As said though, transition is the starting point. There will be a few different transitions depending on where you're arriving from (i.e. north, south, east, or west). STARS are basically just a bunch of waypoints (with altitude) that guide you towards the runway for landing. SIDS being a bunch of waypoints that guide you out of the airport airspace.

 

At least that's how I understand it.

 

A good way to learn, I found, was to start going over airport charts and getting to grips with them. I find VOR/DME approached by the chart particularly fun!

 

 

STARS are basically just a bunch of waypoints (with altitude) that guide you towards the runway for landing. SIDS being a bunch of waypoints that guide you out of the airport airspace.

 

Pretty much.  But I'd put it this way - STARS transition you from the enroute portion of your flight towards the approach procedure you'll use, while SIDS guide you from your airport runway departure towards the enroute portion of your flight.

 

But I would certainly agree that studying the charts will move you towards enlightenment and true understanding.  :lol: 

 

Scott

Vatsim! They have a P rating system, which will get you through the basics.

When I say basics, I say that is the absolute best thing you can do to be successful. Unfortunately, most learn to program the FMC, and I have see/heard way too many fail when the FMC fails.

 

You have a lot going for you though, as Youtube, and the internet as a whole as SO MUCH information available for free it is amazing. When I was working on getting my card, I used the internet so much.

 

Even if you type in basic flight/ basic aviation navigation into youtube, I am 100% sure you will learn something you didn't know before in less then 10 minutes. You already learned what its like having it work for you, navigation that is with your GPS and FMC, now learn the why and how. It won't be hard, and I bet you will be taking some of these planes more and more and flying them using their other instruments that most just think of as backups.

 

My favorite plane in FSX was the CoolSky DC9. About as basic as it gets in something as large as you are used to flying. It is a blast, and a very rewarding feeling knowing that using numbers, and some basic concepts you can fly an approach just as good if not better than the guy behind you watching His monitor.

Pretty much.  But I'd put it this way - STARS transition you from the enroute portion of your flight towards the approach procedure you'll use, while SIDS guide you from your airport runway departure towards the enroute portion of your flight.

 

But I would certainly agree that studying the charts will move you towards enlightenment and true understanding.  :lol:

 

Scott

 

Ah yes, my bad. It guides you towards the approach, and the approach guides you towards the runway.

Take a look at Angle of Attack stuff. It's based on the FSX platform but it's pretty good training nevertheless

Thank you all very much! The nav website, pilotedge and angleofattack resources are great and will keep me going for a while! I thought I knew enough to have a go on IVAO yesterday, turns out I don't!