I'm not a novice with zero experience - I completed ground school (twice) and am familiar with the way aircraft fly...I'd like to start practicing visual and instrument approaches with my flight 1 Cessna 172R and then "graduate" to the Aeroworx B200, and finally the DF 727.Where do I start? Ideally, I'd love to have a written doc that I could follow that would take me through a given procedure from takeoff to landing... I want to concentrate on how to "read the language" of procedures...I know that FS9 has "built in" training modules which I'm sure could show me the basics, but I'd like to spend the time with the paywhere craft above, not the MS defaults...Any suggestions?

I am afraid lessons built into the FS9 are still the best vehicle teaching you the basics. Go through all what these lessons have to offer. Only when you outgrow them then move on to more complex aircraft. This is exactly how it is done in real life.Michael J.WinXP-Home SP2,AMD64 3500+,Abit AV8,Radeon X800Pro,36GB Raptor,1GB PC3200,Audigy 2http://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/747400.jpg

Check out the page that is linked here:http://www.stoenworks.com/Aviation%20home%20page.htmlScroll down near the bottom, there are complete sections on numerous flying procedures, including navigation, use of various instruments and instrument flying. These are written by a guy who has been there, done that. Excellent place to get started learning about flying outside the traffic patterns at your local airfield.And you can do most of the things he talks about in a 172. Once you master these skills, then plan to step up to more complicated aircraft. Biggest piece of advise I can give you, if you really are interested in learning about flying, is to make haste slowly. HTH,Paul

You can find links to many detailed, official training handbooks and other sources of free information available on the Web at:http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimul...ree_add-ons.aspIf you're trying to understand the information on Jeppesen IFR charts, check out the Jeppesen Chart Clinic Reprints referenced at the bottom of the page noted above. If you use US government-issue charts, see Aeronautical Chart User's Guide, available for free download at the NACO Web site at:http://www.naco.faa.gov/index.asp?xml=naco/online/aero_guideAnother excellent source of advanced information about IFR procedures is the Instrument Procedures Handbook, an FAA publication available for free download (in PDF) format at:http://av-info.faa.gov/terps/IPH.htmFinally, for more real-world information, check out the free information available on the Web site of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation athttp://www.aopa.org/asf/All of the information on these pages is free, even if you're not an AOPA member. You may find the Safety Advisors athttp://www.aopa.org/asf/publications/advisors.htmlparticularly useful.

I can help you. I'm a CFI-CFII and can write out some procedures for you. I use the very nice Flight1 C172. E-mail me at [email protected], we'll see where you are at and we can tailor a couple of lesson plans that meet your needs.Rudi

ive sent you a PM. Its more of a checklist but I have included climb rates, airspeeds and altitudes etc. hope it helps.. :-wave

There are some good books on the subject. One of my favourites is "The Art of Instrument Flying" by J.R. Williams. Check your library.

Thanks all for the great replys!

There is nothing better than learning from a good CFI-CFII. Being a real pilot learning how to fly a plane was fun. But you could only do it on the VFR days. Once I got into my istrument training, I could fly on any day I wanted to, as long as the crosswinds didn't exceed the aircraft and my capabilities. The best way to learn IFR, is to talk with an actual CFI either here or at your local FBO. Books are another way to learn the basics, but you don't get the human experience out of it. :DKev

I definately recommend checking out Vatsim ( http://www.vatsim.net ). It really helped me for the radio work, and it's good for practicing IFR as well.