meritflyer
Well-Known Member
Any CFIs here have their students practice holds on Microsoft Flight Sim?
If so, has it worked?
If so, has it worked?
FlightSim for Holds?
- Thread starter meritflyer
- Start date
I had my students fly them on our PCATD. MSFS will work just as good BUT make sure you are there to issue holding instructions and can monitor whether they are doing it correctly. No reason to tell someone to go home and practicec and have them think they are doing it right when in fact they are not.
tgrayson
New Member
Agreed. I use ASA's OnTop and early on, I encouraged my students to acquire a copy so they could practice at home. I eventually regretted that, because they would indeed practice incorrectly. I later actively discouraged students from buying the program.
Main reason I use OnTop is that my laptop would choke on FlightSim, and I do much of my early instrument training at Starbucks. I initially focus on VOR orientation and interception, followed by holds, then by instrument approaches. I want to them to understand how to fly the procedures before we ever get into the airplane. Typically takes 10-15 hours. I'm sure I could create learning experiences for much, much longer than that, but it really gets too boring.
MidlifeFlyer
Well-Known Member
Doesn't this depend on at what point in the training you are doing this? Asking them to learn them alone or practice for hours in the earlies stages is asking for the development of bad habits. But I don't see the harm of doing a few between lessons to see if the lesson "stuck." It would be like saying that your primary students shouldn't practice maneuvers during solo flight since they might practice them wrong. Have them print out the tracks the first few times.
Doing them a few times wrong on MSFS when you are not there is better than doing them in the air the day after the checkride when you are not there, isn't it?
I like the idea of integrating a home PC-based sim into training.
I agree. I think initially however they should have some guidance as holding entries don't provide a right or wrong answer in the end. If you do them wrong you still will probably end up back at the fix and therefor the student might believe they have done it correctly. Maneuvers usually have a ending that shows you performed it correctly, with the PTS as your guide for standards. Your idea of printing out a ground track is a good one. After learning them I think home PC-based training is excellent for recapping and practicing. Throwing some wind in there and seeing if you can get the timing down is a good tool.
FlyEDouglas
New Member
Microsoft Flight Sim can be an incredible tool. I know many people that have had flight sim and when they started flying it took them no time to get their license. Also, when I was working on my instrument my instructor wasn't too keen on NDB approaches. So I went home and hopped in the kingair (I think it was the kingair) and taught myself how to do NDB approaches. I also changed the wind conditions a bunch of times so I could apply the correct techniques and test them. It's a wonderful learning tool. It might not be great for actual stick and rudder skills, but it's great for learning procedures and such.
Happy simming!
Happy simming!
Nick
Well-Known Member
I've done it as a student and a few of mine are doing this now and yes, I notice they improve faster than those who play Battlefield 1942 and WarCraft.