A work colleague has expressed an interest in flight simming and would be mainly interested in passenger jets. He's asked me how hard it is to learn and what the best approach would be. I've always thought it better to start small and build up skills gradually i.e. VFR, navigation, IFR, complex single, piston twin, etc so as to avoid becoming overwhelmed. I'm aware though that this might seem too slow and that real-world pilots also follow a gradual path for cost and safety reasons that don't apply in the sim.

I suppose you could start learning VFR and so touch and goes and cross-country navigation a 737...that's the beauty of a sim. 😁

Thoughts?

 

Start off with smaller GA aircraft, building up to multi engines, both prop and jet powered.  Then jump into the commercial airline stuff.  A true test, would be for him to join the site, here, and discuss it himself.

I think it makes sense to learn the basics of flight like we do in real life--in a single engine trainer. Not sure that mastering piston twins is going to help him much if he's really interested in a 737. Once he is confident with pattern work, I think he should pick whatever he's most interested in (with a good tutorial) and go for it. I don't have any idea how many worry much about radio navigation these days, for example. I think I learned 90% of everything I still use with Leonardo's Maddog--the FS9 one that came in a box and a nice spiral bound manual. And he can always backfill his radio navigation skills, etc. The reason I think starting off in a trainer is better is that they're slow, which gives a new pilot time to think and learn. When he gets into his jet, Edwards AFB is very forgiving to practice. YouTube makes things so much easier these days.

Tell him to visit here.

I say build into it.

If it were me I would want a good base of airmanship (yes that's a thing even in a sim) before tackling big iron (737).  Plus I don't know how far your friend will get into things.  He may end up wanting to learn ATC phrases and go that route too.  Plus I've always felt it is easier to take a new step, like learning how to do an ILS approach, in something slow, like a single-engine piston trainer.  That way the pace of setting up for the approach isn't too fast.

I'm thinking kids and adults aren't that different and since it's simming and you can crash 100's of times and learn from your mistakes while having fun at the same time, I'd go straight with something big. If MSFS is the present and future over the next few years, I'd just tell him to start by getting that, plus I guess the PMDG 737 that's already available on there. The only recommended non frivolous and fun, ride em cowboy jump right in part, the read the instructions part, is at least do the tutorial flight. Certainly not the best and most sensible way, just imo the least boring, most fun and maybe what a kid with a new computer would do way.

Your friend was "born to flight simulation" in the most extraordinary time of the line of history since FS2 was released more than 40 yrs ago now !

Tell him to go MFS, Standard is good enough IMO, then jump into a good choice of airliners already available: Fenix A320, FBW A320, PMDG 737-700 or -600, the Maddog MD-80.

Lot's of tutorial videos these days in youtube channels belonging to rw airline pilots and introducing / detailing various aspects of airline operations using MFS.

Right now I am logged in into AVSIM from a Wifi access point in a snack, drinking my Espresso and monitoring in my Surface laptop using Navigraph Charts the proggress of a FENIX A320 EGLL-LPPT flight to determine when to return home and take control of the cockpit again - the FO is doing it all for me ( well, less SQUAWK code settings 🙂 ).

It has never been so rewarding, although I do recall Flight Assignement ATP Rev D and Airline Simulator 2 and also a few great add-ons for fs9 / fsx I used long ago for "airline ops" in my desktop sim 🙂

 

Edited August 15, 20223 yr by jcomm

Dive straight in. Why not. Its not a real aircraft, your life isn't at stake. Dive in at the deep end. Nothing to lose but fun to be had. 

You can learn just about anything on Youtube.

https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/msfs-tutorial-compilation/296969

Those old study guides for earlier versions of FS are available here (with full permission of the authors). The one by Stern is excellent.

https://www.flightsimbooks.com/

Edited August 16, 20223 yr by Fielder

I had not realized how good the sticky link at the top of this forum is. It leads to here:

https://flightsimnavigation.wordpress.com

The lessons are sort of backwards going from 50 to 01. But they are for MSFS, not older versions. So there's no need to buy FSX just to match the online book, it's up to date.