fsx-ms If I manage to master high-end add-on planes, would I be able to fly them in real world?

[Thomasso 224]

Hello everybody,

 

I'm planning on getting a flying licence in the future and I'm just wondering...

 

If I master planes like PMDG 737, 777 or A2A C172 etc., will I be able to fly the actual plane in the real world? I've got all sorts of add-ons to make the environment as realistic as possible.

 

I've been telling this to "non-sim" people and they are pretty much laughing at me :-) 

 

I'd appreciate a real world pilot to answer the question.

 

Thank you very much.

 

Sincerely,

Tomas Pokorny

[charliearon 3,017]

Probably not a chance in holey heck!  Maybe controlling the C-172 but I don't want to be anywhere near!

 

Most real World Pilots say there is a totally different feeling when in the real aircraft.  Start saving up for

 

flying lessons.  They are not cheap! :wink:

[signmanbob 592]

If all you knew were driving simulations, would you be safe to drive on the streets and highways?.......mmmmm....think about it.

[redduke 2]

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[skelsey 765]

You will have a good sense of the instruments and cockpit layout. However, what you cannot replicate in the sim is the "seat of the pants" feel, G-forces, control forces and above all - fear. You can't die in the sim, and so you can never truly replicate the stress of dealing with emergency situations (an issue in 'real' sims as well). Nor can you (without a lot of very expensive hardware, time and effort) replicate the three-dimensional space that is an aircraft flight deck. These all make a big difference (and on the latter point, as someone who has done a lot of desktop sim flying, getting the chance to fly a full-sized sim was an eye opener - I had to really think hard about locating switches and controls in 3D space, many of which are actually above/behind your head).

 

It is also worth pointing out that operating a modern airliner is about much, much more than just "poling" - it is a team game that is all about managing the human and technological resources available to you in the best manner. If this is what you want to do for a living, then you should think about these "soft", non-technical skills as well.

 

What the simulator can do very well is help you learn about the physics of flight and understand the basic concepts of the systems and their operation. But if you ever do an ATPL/type rating, you will find that no matter how experienced a sim pilot you are, you will barely have scratched the surface - the depth of the various subjects is immense and much of it is not relevant to the sim as large portions of things like instrument errors and lag etc (to take but one example) are just not simulated well or at all in MSFS.

 

That said - when I did a small amount of real flying I was able to read the instruments (perhaps too much!) and my instructor was very complimentary about my feel for the aeroplane, which felt very natural (in lots of ways easier than FS as you have all your senses and full 360 degree 3D vision to help you instead of just your sight and a relatively tiny instrument panel) so I think there is some benefit to be had in terms of hand-eye coordination.

[johnman 7]

Yikes !! - Johnman  B)

[Boeing or not going 578]

As Simon says (hehe) you get familiar with the layout and checklists if you do it right. When I was starting to fly the small Cessnas it helped and I had a friend with a PPL and CFI who had not been in the cockpit in a decade and was not familiar with the Garmin 430 and 530. I helped him learn that because I was familiar using the realityXP GPS that simulates exactly the Garmin system using the trainer software.

 

You may not be able to jump in and control everything like a 777 or 737, but if you learn how the systems work, and the cockpit layout, the procedures, you are way ahead of others. Learning the systems is very important and it helps you understand flying better when you understand the aircraft you are flying.

 

When a pilot is going to start on a new type, they study the systems and procedures, if you can jump in the virtual cockpit and learn it makes the learning easier. I've seen and heard of a lot of simmers jumping into a full simulator and hold their own because you can start from cold and dark to ready for takeoff.

 

Just make sure you are using a real simulation, like PMDG aircraft, or A2A and other realistic developers. But start with the basics, the A2A C172 is good, learn to tune VORs, and basic operations. Follow the checklists. It will help you when you go for your PPL by cutting down the hours you need if you can understand everything before paying the instructor.  The only thing you will need practice in is to do everything with your emotions and the physics of being in a real airplane instead of your comfortable chair. Like someone going to speak in public, they may have learned their speech by heart but then your adrenaline gets pumping and you panic. Same in an airplane, you get nervous, don't know what to do, and you lock up in fear. Good luck just practice a lot and try to stay calm when in the real thing!

[jabloomf1230 2,445]

Hello everybody,

 

I'm planning on getting a flying licence in the future and I'm just wondering...

 

If I master planes like PMDG 737, 777 or A2A C172 etc., will I be able to fly the actual plane in the real world? I've got all sorts of add-ons to make the environment as realistic as possible.

 

I've been telling this to "non-sim" people and they are pretty much laughing at me :-) 

 

I'd appreciate a real world pilot to answer the question.

 

Thank you very much.

 

Sincerely,

Tomas Pokorny

About all that you would be able to do would be to pass the written exam.

[bjratchf 80]

No. 

 

 

However, with the complex addons (maddog/PMDG level), you can practice flows, memory items, and procedures to cement/broaden your systems knowledge. 

 

You can also simulate situations and run through company procedures and test your "aeronautical decision making." 

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

Once you start Flight School and get a taste for the real thing you may find you lose interest in Flight Sim

[W2DR 1,859]

.

[Great Ozzie 101]

Hi Tomáš,

I'm a flight instructor (however, not currently instructing)... Simon makes all good points. No... you would not be license ready... and you would not be ready for the PPL written either... it could help tho in preparation for solo and getting your license.

There is a tremendous amount involved in learning to fly. When you say "master the aircraft" I understand that you are saying that - in the sim - you would know where all the switches and knobs are... what the instruments do... that you could land the airplane without any trouble.

To help answer your question, I would suggest looking at the FAA's Private Pilot Airman Certification Standards - formerly the "Practical Test Standards". Are you able to maintain traffic pattern altitude ±100 feet, airspeed of ±10 knots, and roll out on headings within ±10°. Are Approach & Departure airspeeds +10/-5 knots. Able to navigate using the appropriate altitudes withing ±200 feet and heading ±15°. Certain required maneuvers you need to maintain altitude within ±100 feet and airspeed within ±10 knots. These are just PPL standards. The standards get tighter with the Commercial, then more so with the ATP.

There's a lot of great information that can be found on the FAA's Pilot Training page. For example, under the "Pilot Study Materials" you can find a link to Aircraft Handbooks & Manuals where you can find the Airplane Flying Handbook. The Aviation Handbooks & Manuals page will have links to great references like the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge. Useful also will be the Aeronautical Information Manual, Aerodynamics for Navy Aviators, Risk Management Handbook & the Weight & Balance Handbook.

There's a saying, "Not all meteorologists are pilots, but all pilots are meteorologists"... at least to some degree or another. The better you are at understanding the weather and the weather products available, the better off you will be. To that end, here's a couple handbooks: AC 00-6A - Aviation Weather For Pilots and AC 00-45G - Aviation Weather Services.
 

I mention the above references to give you an idea of what's involved in learning to fly (obviously not *everything* needed to know from the books mentioned above... but much of it... sure).

 

You asked specifically, for example, if you mastered the A2A C172 would you be able to fly the real-world counterpart -  a C172R or S model. Tough question. Could you get the airplane started? Certainly. Off the ground? Possibly. Back on the ground? That's the real question... Could you do it all safely? Completely unaided? I would say it is not likely... i.e. a terribly small chance of not breaking or bending something - either the airplane and/or yourself. Legally? In the U.S. - absolutely not. Again... there is just so very much to learn and be made aware of. People who have not been behind the controls of an airplane just don't realize what is required to operate an airplane safely.

 

I learned to fly one summer at university. Essentially two months of doing nothing but studying and flying. Ground school for a couple hours in the morning and a couple hours flying in the afternoon and weekends. Solo'd at around 10 hours and license (PPL) at 50 hours. Could I fly the airplane? Yes. Did I feel like a competent private pilot? Absolutely not. That took more time and training (about 30 more hours of flight time) before I actually felt like I was competent to carry passengers. Not everyone feels that way. But that was my experience.

 

However, I am certainly not going to laugh at you... in fact I admire your desire. Think of the sim as an introduction to flight or opening the door to many topics you can explore. I've beta tested the last couple of airplanes at A2A - and I most certainly would have been thrilled to have one of their aircraft to assist me when I first started my pursuit of learning to fly. (Who would disagree with me that their GA models are impeccable when it comes to replicating the actual airplane for the FSX environment?) The sim can also be useful for real-world activities such as practicing your instrument scan and flying instrument approaches - something I thoroughly enjoy now. Flying is truly a lifelong pursuit - there is always something you can learn to make yourself a better pilot - and a flight sim can be a great aid in many respects in this pursuit.

-Rob O.

[Thomasso 224]

Thank you everybody for the answers. They are eye opening :-) The jets, that was quite obvious, I just wanted to be sure :-) .. And no, it's not my goal to be a commercial pilot (not anymore anyway). I just want to do the private license (and be able to take some other people too).

 

Though, I really thought that the A2A add-on would give me a very good idea of the real thing (when combined with many other realistic add-ons). Guess I was wrong.

 

Thank you again, some of the answers were really helpful and in-depth. 

 

Tomas P.

One more question - will american manuals help for european standards as well?

 

Tomas P. 

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

On many of the smaller airfields in Europe you will find a flight school. And many of those offer a kind of "trial run", where you fly around in a C152 or similar with an instructor who will let you take control at some point (in cruise naturally). Should not be too expensive, something around 200€ - an ideal birthday present for a flightsim enthusiast. This will open your eyes even more.

[Boeing or not going 578]

On many of the smaller airfields in Europe you will find a flight school. And many of those offer a kind of "trial run", where you fly around in a C152 or similar with an instructor who will let you take control at some point (in cruise naturally). Should not be too expensive, something around 200€. This will open your eyes even more.

That 200 pounds could buy a lot of very nice flight sim addons you can enjoy for many years though! In America I have seen discovery flights advertised for cheaper but that might have changed from a couple years ago.