30 minutes ago, cobalt said:

Can anyone imagine any commercial pilot saying that he got his training from MSFS?

That was my point. Commercial pilots don’t lack common sense. But there have been people in these forums who have argued the very thing you’re claiming doesn’t happen. 

13 hours ago, GoranM said:

.  My flight instructor was not the CFI.   

I'm not sure I understand it. CFI is certified flight instructor! Anyone else who can teach you fly for example a friend or coworker or spouse or in any anyone one else are not technically a "flight instructor". Any hours you flew without CFI can't be count toward certification or rating. Basically the difference between CFI and anyone else, is that CFI can sign your logbook - meaning you can receive/log dual instruction, sigh off for solo, practical exam and etc. For example you can be learning from someone else and know how to fly way before a meeting a CFI! Even thought you have 1000 hours in unofficial capacity you will still have to fly minimum amount of hours  required to get your certificate or rating.

3 minutes ago, sd_flyer said:

13 hours ago, GoranM said:

 

I'm not sure I understand it. CFI is certified flight instructor!

Googles AI definition. 
A Chief Flying Instructor (CFI) is a senior flight instructor who leads and manages a team of instructors, typically at a flight school or training organization.

 

33 minutes ago, cobalt said:

Can anyone imagine any commercial pilot saying that he got his training from MSFS?  

I did practice  on my own when I was working on my commercial certificate. MSFS didn't not exist  yet but  FSX did. In FSX I practiced commercial maneuvers and talked through each step chandelle, lazy eights, eights on pylons). When I did my multiengine add on I also use FSX to polish engine out procedures. I also literally sat in actual cockpit of parked airplane going through exactly the same. 

1 minute ago, GoranM said:

Googles AI definition. 
A Chief Flying Instructor (CFI) is a senior flight instructor who leads and manages a team of instructors, typically at a flight school or training organization.

 

AI is wrong LOL Chief Flight Instructor is also CFI LOL 

57 minutes ago, GoranM said:

That was my point. Commercial pilots don’t lack common sense. But there have been people in these forums who have argued the very thing you’re claiming doesn’t happen. 

Please cite an example of anyone in this (or any) forum saying that, to use your phrase, flight simming can "replace actual flight". I have been simming since 1982 (FS2) and have never encountered any such statement. Sometimes even correct arguments -- such as yours, which I basically agree with -- can be a bit overdrawn, and I think that is what's happening here. 

Edited June 14, 2025Jun 14 by cobalt

On 6/10/2025 at 11:24 AM, abrams_tank said:

 

I read that people were using MSFS 2020 for seaplane training from the geographical visuals that matched real life, but it's interesting to see MSFS 2024 being used as a tool at some flight schools now.

Hey, that's me!

And yes, MSFS is/was used there, why wouldn't it be?  It has far and away the best scenery out there, and with the right addons (the Aerosoft Twin Otter not being one of them) the flight dynamics are as good as any other sim too.

That being said, they're not TEACHING on it.  They're using it for familiarity.  The people using it are already commercial pilots.

Maybe, someday there will be an awesome Twin Otter.

dd

On 6/13/2025 at 12:55 PM, Waldo Pepper said:

Red Bird sells FAA approved BATD's,  but afaik they use Prepar3D v5.

https://www.redbirdflight.com/

You can't log time in this, they're only instrument procedure trainers.  So you can log the INSTURMENT time, but it does not count towards your Total Time.

They also suck a lot, at everything.

Edited June 14, 2025Jun 14 by ATRguy

1 hour ago, sd_flyer said:

AI is wrong LOL Chief Flight Instructor is also CFI LOL 

There is a whole world outside the USA.  In Canada, the CFI is the Chief Flight Instructor.  

14 minutes ago, ATRguy said:

There is a whole world outside the USA.  In Canada, the CFI is the Chief Flight Instructor.  

I can say same about Canada LOL On the serious note: wouldn't this abbreviation being universal? After all "Chief pilot" or "chief flight instructor" is not certificate or rating but rather work title! Besides isn't such thing in Canada as independent flight instructor ? Because in US "Chief instructor" belongs only to flight school.

On 6/13/2025 at 6:59 AM, GoranM said:

When i first went for my flight training, I had no clue about Class A, C, D, E, and G airspace and their restrictions.  Even though I started flight simming in FS5.

You didn't RTFM then... the old MSFS manuals went pretty in-depth, and they cited additional reading material to learn more about flying. I didn't take them up on the additional material until they introduced Rod Machado in FS2000. Without those training lessons, I may have never found his Private Pilot Handbook, which was by far the most valuable training material during my PPL studies. I miss his quirky dad-humor in the 2020/2024 training lessons, but I'm guessing most kids nowadays would rather watch a YouTube video than mess with the in-game lessons.

5 hours ago, sd_flyer said:

AI is wrong LOL Chief Flight Instructor is also CFI LOL 

Yes

 

Edited June 15, 2025Jun 15 by GoranM

4 hours ago, sd_flyer said:

I can say same about Canada LOL On the serious note: wouldn't this abbreviation being universal? After all "Chief pilot" or "chief flight instructor" is not certificate or rating but rather work title! Besides isn't such thing in Canada as independent flight instructor ? Because in US "Chief instructor" belongs only to flight school.

I’m confused. I went to a privately owned and run flight school to get my PPL. Are you acknowledging the title of CFI as chief flight instructor or not?

(I can’t believe this is the start of an argument over 3 letters. But it’s the MSFS forum, so anything is possible)

Edited June 15, 2025Jun 15 by GoranM

2 hours ago, Funky D said:

You didn't RTFM then... the old MSFS manuals went pretty in-depth, and they cited additional reading material to learn more about flying.

Actually I did. And when I got my first text books (plural) for GFPT and PPL requirements, they made the MSFS manual look like a comic book.   The first one was the private pilot handbook, and even that one scared the word not allowed out of me. 

Edited June 15, 2025Jun 15 by GoranM