Thats interesting what you said about trying to calculate Vr, and flap retractions. I too do that, but seem to always get it way off. Take-off runs seem a #### of a lot longer than they do in FS, as well as flap retractions.

Oh yes, the flaps retraction guess is very difficult. Only once I got it (almost) right.For the Vr, I just try to be completely relaxed and not move at all, while trying to feel the acceleration force. And it helps if you are familiar with the airport and have took-off from there with the same a/c type and approximate load in FS. Now that you mention it... The only times I got it right were take-offs from Athens, which I'm familiar with!George DorkofikisAthens, Hellashttp://online.vatsimindicators.net/811520/1704.png

Do you know a location where that van F/O came from?

>Do you know a location where that van F/O came from?He came from within our operation and was based at YVR on the Caravan and is now based out of YEG on the B727.Cheers,JohnBoeing 727/737 & Lockheed C-130/L-100 Mechanichttp://www.sstsim.com/images/team/JR.jpgwww.SSTSIM.com

For me, the more I learned the less fear I had, and that continues to this day and esp. through fsim. My phobia came from a 737-200 flight San Jose to Anaheim, mid way to Disneyland from CYVR as a teen. During climb, suddenly the engine power just disappeared, the aircraft severely decelerated, shaked, and I felt it slowing and sinking with every nerve of my body. The entire cabin went dead silent for that moment, then everything returned to normal.If that happened now, instead of needing a decade to shake a phobia, I'd realize the PIC made a simple oops and grossly exceeded the <250 limit, thus responding by retarding the throttles and deploying speedbrakes. The difference in volume between those -200 P&W's at full climb versus pulled back is why it sounded like the power disappeared. It *felt* like we were dropping through the air and falling because of inner-ear effects from slowing, and the shutters and shakes were from either speedbrakes or just dropping speed that quickly. I still wonder if the rest of those passengers believe they went through some kind of "incident" that day.Cheers-m

Indeed it is the canry islands, im not sure what sort of approch it was just that it was scary but great fun :D

That's interesting about cutting back the power. I still don't like it when the engines power back into climb thrust, even that small 5% or so of N1 feels like a huge amount of thrust being taken away.

Quite a few passenger's nerves have been unravelled during the takeoff/climb power transition in large aircraft. But now, with the help of flight simming, you have one up on those pax that feel uneasy during this phase of the flight since you know that it is actually more worrisome to not hear the engines throttle back after takeoff. That hearing a constant full throttle could be an indication that something is amiss.Another example of the educational values of MS flight sims.

Ah ok close but not the same locale

I may not add anything new to what people have said here. I liken my 2cents to the fuel drained during a preflight, look for anything abnormal then throw it out. I have had some "thoughts" but nothing that led me to any concerns. I have my PPL in the US. I used to fly Cessna172's and have flown other single engine airplanes. I've had opportunities to "fly" in Boeing simulators for two airlines. I've been back and forth, across the US a number of times in different aircraft as a passenger.On a flight from Las Vegas to Newark, my mind got the best of me when I saw the 737 wing flex. I saw it, I thought about it, it raised my internal alarms. I got a burning in my tummy, my palms sweat and all my senses became acutely aware of every bump in the air.Then my thoughts turned rational. :) Wing flex is good. It was a Next Generation 737 so it isn't that old. Airlines constantly inspect their aircraft. I have friends that are airline pilots who speak of good maintenance. I could not recall reading about any airliner losing a wing. And if it did, so what! I'm at peace with my self & my God. Plus, the gal I was sitting next to was pleasing to the eye and quite chatty.Having "flown" in the simulators, watching flight DVDs and flying on FS2004, whenever I fly I put myself in the cockpit, going thru the checklists, the callouts, making imaginary radio calls (in my head of course). Once in the cruise phase, I try to figure out where I am based on dead reckoning, the views and sometimes bring sectionals along! :-roll As a human, I think it is natural to wonder how things work. Concern is a good motivator to investigate the areas you might lack specific knowledge in. May be try a search on Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards (ETOPS), GPS Navigation or aerodynamics.Tailwinds and Blue Skies,Jim

I agree FS is very educational. But usually, it's the actual sensation of being in mid-air, and the geforce effects it has on your body that gets my heart going. As i said, i'm used to sharp 45/50 degree turns in a piper, but on an airliner weighing two hundred times that much, its a much bigger (literally) feeling. God knows what would happen if someone put me in an extra 300, or raf tornado. Do they supply sick bags as standard?? :-)

Hi thereI used to be scared of turbulence ancd stuff, but light aircraft flying got me used to it, so now its just annoying! However I did have one really scary moment whilst flying. We were coming in to land in Brunei on a stormy day and the seatbelt signs were off. (Royal Brunei Airlines B767-300). Anyway we were descending and we hit an air pocket, causing the aircraft to lurch downwards about 100ft. As I was standing talking to the other pax, this came as quite a surprise!!! I grabbed the seat next to me and sat down! What made it worse was the flight attendants screaming "OH MY GOD!!" and panicking! Terrifying stuff!! However the captain was very quick on the seatbelt signs and the FA came on the intercom sounding very shaken!!! Scariest moment in 10 years of flying on commercial aircraft!.Archie Macleod

Hi thereI used to be scared of turbulence ancd stuff, but light aircraft flying got me used to it, so now its just annoying! However I did have one really scary moment whilst flying. We were coming in to land in Brunei on a stormy day and the seatbelt signs were off. (Royal Brunei Airlines B767-300). Anyway we were descending and we hit an air pocket, causing the aircraft to lurch downwards about 100ft. As I was standing talking to the other pax, this came as quite a surprise!!! I grabbed the seat next to me and sat down! What made it worse was the flight attendants screaming "OH MY GOD!!" and panicking! Terrifying stuff!! However the captain was very quick on the seatbelt signs and the FA came on the intercom sounding very shaken!!! Scariest moment in 10 years of flying on commercial aircraft!.Archie Macleod

"...or has anyone ever experience a scary moment whilst flying? It would be interesting to see peoples comments."I had a roommate back in college that was a Huey pilot in 'Nam. He said he never really had time to be scared because it was his philosophy that you should always be trying to do something down to impact. He said he knew of some pilots that just gave up flying after getting hit.I was working as a mechanic for a part 135 operator back in the mid 80's. We had just gotten a Lear 23 on our certificate and the pilot wanted me to ride along on a trip between Pontiac MI and Fulton County airport in Georgia around 6:00 pm one evening. He wanted me to listen to a one time popping sound as the airplane pressurized. We speculated that is was the door seal.We refueled at Fulton County after picking up a couple boxes to take back with us. ATC was stepping us up in 10000 foot segments and I was kneeling between the bulkheads between the two pilots. We were passing through 33,000 feet when the airplane yawed violently to the right before the pilot caught it with the rudder. The first words out of the co-pilots mouth was " I didn't do anything!". The starboard engine was wind-milling at 25 %. The pilot called ATC to clear us down as the co-pilot got out the restart checklist. We had to get down to 25,000 feet where the air was denser before we could try a restart. Bad fuel at Fulton County was the first thing that went through our minds. When we got down to 25,000 we tried an air start that didn't work. We then tried a starter assisted start that popped the circuit breaker. We were then resolved that the engine wasn't going to lite off.With still the thought of bad fuel in our minds, ATC cleared us into Lexington KY. During the approach I organized the stuff in the cabin incase the port engine decided to quit. I knew the pilot had been checked out at Flight Safety in OK City. In their Lear simulator there they had him land the airplane from cruise altitude with both engines out.After safely getting back on the ground at Lexington around mid-night the first thing we checked was fuel contamination and it was ok. We sat around the terminal in the early morning hours while another pilot was on his way down in the turbine Commander 690B to pick up our cargo for Detroit Metro. I rode back with him while the crew stayed with the Lear until morning.The problem was a sheared shaft on the engine driven high pressure fuel pump which eventually had an AD note issued on it.The same pilot brought back a Beech 18 one day that had the top of a cylinder, being held on by the spark plug leads, sticking out through the cowling. Just a couple of aviation stories.

I was afraid of flying when I was a child, but I was also fascinated by it. As I started playing flightsim I gained an understanding of the things that go on in an airplane, and no longer freaked out when the gear came up, turbulence, flaps extending etc.Now I enjoy every chance I get to fly as a passenger on an airliner, I even enjoyed the Samos landing a couple of years ago. Very exciting and fun ;)