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scianoir

In praise of a well written manual

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With a bit more time than usual on my hands these days, I recently decided to read the documentation that came with the Quality Wings BAe146/Avro RJ. I should point out that I bought this aircraft many years ago but I don't think I ever bothered giving anything other than a cursory glance at the various manuals supplied with it and indeed I was able to fly it to my satisfaction for many hours using the knowledge I had previously gained learning to fly other jetliners. Indeed, even the FMC is quite intuitive to use for anyone with a working knowledge of FMC systems particularly that used in Boeings.

On reading through the main users manual (there are also Quick Start and FMC manuals) in detail however I was very impressed with the exceptional clarity with which the function and operation of the various aircraft systems were explained. Detailed but easy to understand descriptions of how each system functions are provided, aided by multiple colour coded schematic diagrams. In large airliners, the various systems can often be very complex indeed and it can sometimes be difficult for a new simmer to understand how they function. This applies particularly to many of the ancillary systems such as electronics, hydraulics, pressurization/ air conditioning packs, fuel systems, etc but QW have provided easy to read and very understandable accounts of each of these. Furthermore descriptions of the operation every system are accompanied by screenshots of the relevant panels, controls, etc with a note of what every switch, knob and instrument does. There are also very useful "HOW TO USE" sections for each system which are highlighted in blocks for quick access. I would encourage any new simmer who wants to learn about jetliner systems to read a manual such as this (it is available for download from the QW website) and, even if you are not planning to fly a 146/RJ, it will teach you a lot.

I am not inferring that Quality Wings are the only developer who provide good detailed manuals for their products (there are others out there too) but I was very impressed by the detail, the exceptional clarity of explanations and the quality of writing in this particular manual. I regard good documentation as an intrinsically important part of a product, no matter how complex or simple the aircraft may be, but it is surprising how often one finds that this is lacking. Obviously producing a manual for a small piston-engined GA aircraft with limited systems is a bit easier than for a complex airliner but, even then, it is surprising how many developers fall short of the mark, with some well known developers just appearing to throw together copies of random data sheets, performance tables etc leaving functionality and operation for the purchaser to figure out for him/herself!

Quality Wings, PMDG, A2A, IFly, Flight 1, Just Flight, Milviz and Aerosoft  are just a few payware developers that come immediately to mind for including quality manuals with many of their products although there are others too. Indeed even the occasional freeware developers can step up to the mark provide a good quality manual with their creation - the freeware C47 from Manfred Jahn and the Ryan Navion from a group called LDR Development are just two examples although there are others. So kudos and thanks to all those developers who take the time to produce and include comprehensive and well thought-out manuals with their products although unfortunately there are still many out there who fall well short of that ideal.

Bill

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On my bookcase I still have the manuals from sublogic ATP and the original aerowinx PS1   Both are excellent.

Somewhere I’m sure I still have both manuals that came with the Commodore 64 sublogic flight simulator 2 which I remember reading from cover to cover devouring every word, learning about the  theory of flight, VOR Navigation  etc

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787 captain.  

Previously 24 years on 747-400.Technical advisor on PMDG 747 legacy versions QOTS 1 , FS9 and Aerowinx PS1. 

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For me the holy grail is a good tutorial flight. This is a must especially if it's a fairly complex aircraft. And I loathe developers who say: He, just look it up on youtube. This is of no helpf if I'm trying to do a flight. Equally on my word not allowed list are developers who simply include a link to the "real" aircraft's manual, especially if it comes with the moniker "this is the orginal Boeing/Airbus/whatever manual." What of it? I want a manual for the $50 addon I just bought, not 5,000 pages of unrelated technical mumbo jumbo.

Edited by Ricardo41
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On 5/27/2020 at 8:15 AM, Ricardo41 said:

For me the holy grail is a good tutorial flight. 

I agree - there is no better way to learn to fly a complex aircraft. There is nothing more tedious than having to repeatedly pause a flight so that you can find the page in a manual which tells you how to carry out something. It’s all very well reading through a manual first (which I generally try to do - or at least scan through it) but I find that when I am presented with a lot of detailed information all at once, I only take in a relatively small proportion of it and that proportion seems to get smaller the older I get!

Bill

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Also, a good tutorial flight stands in for the flight instructor. Now, I ain't no kind of pilot or anything like that, but I find it hard to believe that upon taking your left seat in a cockpit, someone throws a manual in you lap, "here, you figure it out".

Also, maybe I'm wrong or something, but you can't really pause a real flight.

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