Skyhawk_Pilot

AS Real as it Gets????I have been flying FS for a long time and got FSX when it first came out.After upgrading my PC I can fly with the scenery almost maxed out.When I fly I have the aircraft realism maxed out along with detect crash... Just to keep me honest!! LOLI am a RW Private pilot working on my instrumsnt and Commercial ratings.I got my Lic in the early 70's. With a Family and all that goes with it, I stopped flying in 1978. I started flying the FS98 then up to FS9-FSX.3 years ago I decided to go back to RW flying. I had flown all the lessons in FS9 . I had downloaded "photoreal" cockpits and purchased a Cessna 172 from Flight One.I got information from AOPA , got the Faa Medical then went to the airport.I took a refamiliarization flight that was planned for only 20 min. but ended up being a 1.5 hr flight.I did every reference maneuver, put the hood on for some simulated IFR then full emergency procedures including simulated engine out flight. On the way back to the airport the instructor quizzed me about how long it had been since I had flown. He said he wanted to check my flight Log to verify the 28 years. That is when I told him I had been flying FS9. He said that explains alot. He had a 16 yr old student pilot land the aircraft on his first flight. He also had been working on FS9.I made the approach and landed a little long past the numbers but no bounce.When We met with the chief pilot he asked "well how did he do"??? The instructor said.. "he knows how to fly" will just have to get up to day with FAA procedures. So I flew 11.0 hrs with the instuctor, flew 3 different aircraft, flew is the worst wind so that I could practice Xwind landing. One flight the wind was @25Kts gusting to 35knt with a 30 deg crosswind. Now there was some "Pucker Power" going on. Had to use full rudder and alerion to crab into the wind just to align with the runnway.. and this was in the dark!! Passed my Flight review and the rest as they say is history.I am using FSX to fly all the IFR and Commercial flight lessons then just adapting to the real aircraft. This really reduces the cost!!So how real is it??? I have been in several full cocpit simulators and except for their 3D motion there is not much difference.Skyhawk51