Pre instrument rating question.
- Thread starter cwu50
- Start date
PhotoPilot
New Member
It's not reading, but I think it would be worth your while to buy a sim program like Jeppesen Flight Pro. You'll need something that can be controlled easily with your mouse, records your flight ground track, and isn't so bogged down with 'realism' that the realism gets in your way.
Use the program to practice flying procedure turns, hold entries, holds, approaches, radial intercepts, NDB tracking, etc., until you're blue in the face. The goal isn't to learn aircraft control, scan, etc. The goal is to learn situational awareness and bombproof knowledge of the procedures themselves. It's a whole lot easier and less expensive to practice hold entries until you're perfect while in front of your computer than it is in the air. In the beginning, don't bother with a joy stick - use the autopilot to concentrate on learning the procedures and maintaining your situational awareness. Worry about aircraft control (the 'how') AFTER you have a solid knowledge of the what, why, when, and where of the maneuver.
When I was teaching full time, my students wouldn't fly a radial intercept/hold/procedure turn/etc. in the plane until they could get it right on a simple computer sim to demonstrate their understanding of the procedure. I think it saved them time and money and made learning easier. Afterall, if you make a mistake, you can watch the ground track, see your error, and figure out the right way to do it without having to worry about controlling a hunk of metal cruising around the sky at 120 kts.
Use the program to practice flying procedure turns, hold entries, holds, approaches, radial intercepts, NDB tracking, etc., until you're blue in the face. The goal isn't to learn aircraft control, scan, etc. The goal is to learn situational awareness and bombproof knowledge of the procedures themselves. It's a whole lot easier and less expensive to practice hold entries until you're perfect while in front of your computer than it is in the air. In the beginning, don't bother with a joy stick - use the autopilot to concentrate on learning the procedures and maintaining your situational awareness. Worry about aircraft control (the 'how') AFTER you have a solid knowledge of the what, why, when, and where of the maneuver.
When I was teaching full time, my students wouldn't fly a radial intercept/hold/procedure turn/etc. in the plane until they could get it right on a simple computer sim to demonstrate their understanding of the procedure. I think it saved them time and money and made learning easier. Afterall, if you make a mistake, you can watch the ground track, see your error, and figure out the right way to do it without having to worry about controlling a hunk of metal cruising around the sky at 120 kts.