There’s a ton of content on YouTube and I’ve watched a lot of it this week, but I’m finding a lot of it to be not very helpful as a practical guide. But maybe my standards are just too high. 

For example, there’s a lot of tutorials where the creators are clearly following a checklist without understanding what they’re doing. For example, almost all of them misunderstand the ignition switch on the OHD panel. Many don’t have any rhyme or reason to the order they do things in, which demonstrates a lack of understanding of how the various systems interact.

Then on the other hand, there’s a series of tutorials by A330 Driver (who is a real-life pilot) and they are extremely comprehensive, but he covers way too much for simming. I’m not trying to get my 737 type certification 🙂  He’s also somewhat contradicting… he has a video on when to start the APU and then completely ignores his own recommendations in a subsequent video. 😑

Is there a good set of tutorials out there that strikes a balance between sim use and real world where the creators actually understands the systems in the plane?

Try Flight Deck 2 Sim:  https://www.youtube.com/@flightdeck2sim
He's a real 737 pilot. 

4 hours ago, The_Flying_Potato said:

Try Flight Deck 2 Sim:  https://www.youtube.com/@flightdeck2sim
He's a real 737 pilot. 

Thanks... he has lots of great videos, but unless I missed it, there's nothing that's going to help with specifics of the iFly 737 Max (and it's EFB) or even just tutorials on how to fly a VNAV decent in a 737 Max.

Edited August 5, 2025Aug 5 by Virtual-Chris

The EFB, yes that's specific to the iFly.  But for general flying and systems operation, it's worth noting that any good tutorial made for any realistic simulator 737 (or the real airplane) will work fine, as the iFly Max operates like the real airplane.  There are also few meaningful differences between the NG and Max; nothing worth even worrying about in a sim.  The 737 is the most common aircraft family ever built, so there's NO shortage of material on it.

2 hours ago, Stearmandriver said:

The EFB, yes that's specific to the iFly.  But for general flying and systems operation, it's worth noting that any good tutorial made for any realistic simulator 737 (or the real airplane) will work fine, as the iFly Max operates like the real airplane.  There are also few meaningful differences between the NG and Max; nothing worth even worrying about in a sim.  The 737 is the most common aircraft family ever built, so there's NO shortage of material on it.

Yeah, makes sense. Anything in particular you'd recommend?

I only turn on the APU at the gate if there is no external power (obviously), or if the cabin temp is likely to be uncomfortable and there is no external air.

My guess is that to save fuel and environment, the APU is used this way in real world.

4 hours ago, Virtual-Chris said:

Yeah, makes sense. Anything in particular you'd recommend?

Sorry, I don't have specific recommendations.  I fly the airplane for work so I've never used entry level YouTube tutorials.  I watch a few channels like the Boeing 737 Technical Channel (made by the folks who run the Technical Site), but that's not what you're looking for.  I know I've come across stuff though; I feel like I've even seen tutorial series posted by a few low cost European airlines on YouTube used in their actual training programs.  My point was just that you don't need to limit yourself to Max, sim, or iFly focused results.  Just "how to fly VNAV descent in 737" will turn up probably more than you could ever need. 

As far as APU, hey, it's a sim and gas is free 😉.  I just start it in the iFly as soon as I load the airplane, for no other reason than it saves me the time of going into the EFB to select ground power just to have to go back in and deselect it later. 

In reality, sure, saving fuel when able is good.  This is the kind of thing some companies will heavily proceduralize, while others will leave it more to crew discretion.  We take more of a tack of "let captains be captains", as Standards likes to say.  So my technique is simple: leave the APU off when that makes sense, and start it when THAT makes sense.

Edited August 6, 2025Aug 6 by Stearmandriver

On 7/31/2025 at 1:54 PM, Virtual-Chris said:

but I’m finding a lot of it to be not very helpful as a practical guide. But maybe my standards are just too high.

A "practical guide" is a relative term (as are most statements regarding usefulness in a specific situation).😊   What would be practical for you, may be boring for some, over-complicated for others.  Like the old Goldilocks story, you're looking for one that is "just right", hehe.  

As far as your standards being too high (again, a relative statement), they may be too high for person looking for the perfectly specific guide to learning the iFly MAX, or as @Stearmandriver notes, rare is the occasion where you'll find the tutorial perfect for your needs.  Like all of us not type-rated in the 737, we crave the specific info we're looking for, in just the right amount, tempo, and flow, that will put us behind the yoke the fastest with a good understanding of what we're doing.  LOL, I'm going thru the exact same dilemma as you with the Fenix Airbus at the moment. 🤣

I consider myself competent in the basic workings of the iFly MAX,as a beta tester for the outstanding aircraft and many hours in it.  My transition from the NG from another popular developer to the MAX was pretty seamless, except for waiting for that "Motoring" text to disappear on the display before flipping the fuel on (and learning the reasoning behind it, which is fascinating to any aviation nerd who craves any new info on the plane he's flying)...Oh, and getting used the fact that I don't have an EGT dial to watch when the APU is starting, hehe.  Other than watching the taxi speed as the LEAPs push out a LOT of air and the big, beautiful, easy-to-read displays on the MAX, not much difference to the NG in my limited and novice experience. 

Like I said in a previous post regarding the EFB, hands down the hardest thing to learn in the iFly MAX.  Its UI is clunky, un-intuitive, and frustrating until you finally stop trying to compare it to a modern tablet-style unit, and just learn how to operate it for your specific needs.  The biggest tip I can give you when operating it is committing to create muscle-memory for clicking the "Save" button after making changes to the settings in the EFB!

With most modern tablets, any change in settings is "committed" as soon as you click it...in the iFly MAX EFB however, it is not committed, nor does it warn you it's not committed if you click a setting and move off that page without "saving". 🤪

This can lead to substantial frustration and confusion as many have experienced.  Like I said...commit yourself to memorizing the need to click that "Save" button, and you may start to conquer the MAX's quirky EFB. 

Here is the important note in the manual highlighting this...

 

and if you haven't already, the excellent manuals are a click away when you open the iFly Manager.  NOTE: There is an EFB Supplement, but it only shows you how to use the charts and other features for navigation, not how to use the aircraft config settings...those are in the User Guide. 😉

 

Keep at it Chris....learning to operate this add-on is a very rewarding experience (at least for me)...and in my opinion, it is one of the top aircraft addons for flightsim. (and my most-flown aircraft by far).

4 hours ago, Steve Dra said:

A "practical guide" is a relative term (as are most statements regarding usefulness in a specific situation).😊   What would be practical for you, may be boring for some, over-complicated for others.  Like the old Goldilocks story, you're looking for one that is "just right", hehe.  

As far as your standards being too high (again, a relative statement), they may be too high for person looking for the perfectly specific guide to learning the iFly MAX, or as @Stearmandriver notes, rare is the occasion where you'll find the tutorial perfect for your needs.  Like all of us not type-rated in the 737, we crave the specific info we're looking for, in just the right amount, tempo, and flow, that will put us behind the yoke the fastest with a good understanding of what we're doing.  LOL, I'm going thru the exact same dilemma as you with the Fenix Airbus at the moment. 🤣

I consider myself competent in the basic workings of the iFly MAX,as a beta tester for the outstanding aircraft and many hours in it.  My transition from the NG from another popular developer to the MAX was pretty seamless, except for waiting for that "Motoring" text to disappear on the display before flipping the fuel on (and learning the reasoning behind it, which is fascinating to any aviation nerd who craves any new info on the plane he's flying)...Oh, and getting used the fact that I don't have an EGT dial to watch when the APU is starting, hehe.  Other than watching the taxi speed as the LEAPs push out a LOT of air and the big, beautiful, easy-to-read displays on the MAX, not much difference to the NG in my limited and novice experience. 

Like I said in a previous post regarding the EFB, hands down the hardest thing to learn in the iFly MAX.  Its UI is clunky, un-intuitive, and frustrating until you finally stop trying to compare it to a modern tablet-style unit, and just learn how to operate it for your specific needs.  The biggest tip I can give you when operating it is committing to create muscle-memory for clicking the "Save" button after making changes to the settings in the EFB!

With most modern tablets, any change in settings is "committed" as soon as you click it...in the iFly MAX EFB however, it is not committed, nor does it warn you it's not committed if you click a setting and move off that page without "saving". 🤪

This can lead to substantial frustration and confusion as many have experienced.  Like I said...commit yourself to memorizing the need to click that "Save" button, and you may start to conquer the MAX's quirky EFB. 

Here is the important note in the manual highlighting this...

 

and if you haven't already, the excellent manuals are a click away when you open the iFly Manager.  NOTE: There is an EFB Supplement, but it only shows you how to use the charts and other features for navigation, not how to use the aircraft config settings...those are in the User Guide. 😉

 

Keep at it Chris....learning to operate this add-on is a very rewarding experience (at least for me)...and in my opinion, it is one of the top aircraft addons for flightsim. (and my most-flown aircraft by far).

Thanks! I’m getting there. Appreciate the tips.