In case you guys don't all get AOPA Pilot Magazine, Rod Machado wrote a great article in the August issue on the release of this new product. I cut and pasted it below:
License to Learn
Getting real
BY ROD MACHADO (From AOPA Pilot, August 2003.)
Rod Machado has taught primary flight lessons in previous versions of Microsoft Flight Sim.
I've always been a big fan of PC-based flight simulators. As I see it, if I can't be out at the airport flying the real thing, then I sure like the option of flying a simulated version of it from my house. It's simply amazing that, for approximately $55 (and ownership of a PC), you can have a very useful and realistic in-house simulator that rivals what was once only possible with millions of dollars in equipment and a warehouse to put it in.
Microsoft, the 747 of software companies, has just released its latest iteration of the now-classic Microsoft Flight Simulator, dubbed Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight. The software celebrates the centennial of the feat of powered flight, and is itself quite a feat, with capabilities and realism that are enough to spin almost any pilot's prop.
Before we talk about the details, let's chat a bit about what flight simulators can and can't do.
The word simulator is the first big clue about the limitations of what you can expect with any simulation software package. Flight Sim 2004 is a simulator. It simulates things; it doesn't replicate them. If you simulate flying into a beautiful sunset, you shouldn't necessarily expect the same warm, aesthetic feelings you get when flying into a real sunset. If you're flying over your hometown in a simulator, you shouldn't expect the same nostalgic attraction you'd expect when flying over your hometown in a real airplane. You get the point, right? Then again, you might get an even warmer and fuzzier feeling with the flight simulator. Sometimes dreams are better than reality.
What about the ability to simulate an actual airplane in flight? Are flight simulation programs realistic? A common statement about any flight simulator program is that it doesn't handle like a real airplane. I chuckle at this because, over the years, I've flown many real airplanes that didn't handle like real airplanes. Yet most of the major aviation simulation programs on the market (produced by Elite, Jeppesen, and ASA, for example) offer close representations of how the real thing flies (and are sometimes better than how the real thing flies). That's because simulated airplanes are mathematical models of their solid counterparts. If there's one thing engineers are good at doing, it's mathematically modeling things, especially airplanes.
There will always be those who are unhappy with how any simulation represents reality. It's even a good bet that someone operating a PC-simulated diesel submarine will say, "Unless I'm inhaling partially refined petroleum while standing next to a bunch of sweaty, shirtless men, I just don't get the feeling that I'm in a real diesel sub." Fine. Vive la difference. Flight Simulator 2004, however, is sure to please most pilots on several educational levels.
Like most other flight simulation software, Flight Sim 2004 offers the user a great IFR simulation platform (more on this later). It is also one of the very few simulation programs that provide a highly accurate and detailed representation of VFR flight. This is the part that gets most folks excited when they first begin using the program.
First, the newly detailed cloud and precipitation features in Flight Sim 2004 are simply remarkable. You're sure to think that condensation is occurring inside your monitor. You might even feel compelled to drain your display after every poor weather flight. Those with an Internet connection can download real-time weather for the route of flight and see it simulated as they look out the window! Now that's what I call getting real.
One of my friends used this feature to his advantage when he wanted to show his wife why they couldn't fly to visit her parents one weekend. He downloaded the current weather on the day of the trip, sat his wife down in front of a screen full of clouds, rain, turbulence, and lightning, and said, "That's why we're not going to see your folks today." Oh, did I mention that you can create your own clouds, rain, turbulence, and lightning in Flight Sim 2004? A handy feature, right?
Student pilots are also sure to find the enhanced terrain features quite useful, especially when they pre-fly their upcoming dual cross-country routes in Flight Sim 2004. Imagine the instructor's surprise when he asks his young student, "Washington, have you been to Cherry Tree Airport before?" To which Washington says, "Well, I cannot tell a lie...yes and no."
One of the common queries posed by flight instructors concerns the usefulness of Flight Sim 2004 as a basic flight training aid. Apparently the people who train Navy pilots aren't too worried about this. The folks at Naval Education and Training in Pensacola, Florida, researched PC-based flight simulation and found that students using these products in the early stages of flight training had higher scores than those who didn't use this software. As a result, the Navy began issuing a customized version of Microsoft Flight Simulator to all student pilots and undergraduates enrolled in naval ROTC courses at many different colleges.
The program allows naval flight students to learn and practice basic procedures, such as flight control manipulation and navigation, before they get into an actual airplane. There's no reason it can't do the same for a non-government-issue student pilot. Over the years I've received many letters from rated pilots who used Flight Simulator as an aid in helping them learn to fly. Nearly all were extremely enthusiastic about how it helped them learn and practice their basic flying lessons. One of the great advantages of an at-home simulation program is that you can afford to practice as long and hard as needed in order to perfect a particular skill, or clarify a concept that went by a bit too quickly during a training flight.
Imagine taking a flying lesson, then going home, giving your computer the boot, and practicing what you've learned (or what you had trouble learning). Without a doubt, your instructor will soon become suspicious of your rapidly improving performance. He'll probably ask, "Lincoln, have you been taking flight lessons on the side over at Log Cabin Fliers?" To which you might offer a tidy response such as, "Well, I only did it to free all the slaved compasses."
Students and experienced pilots alike are sure to benefit from Flight Sim 2004's enhanced air traffic control features. Yes, Flight Sim 2004 talks. In fact, it's practically alive. By selecting a route in the program's flight planner, you can listen and respond (with one-touch keyboard commands) to ATC communications for your chosen route of flight. This means real-to-life ATC talk, just like you'd hear in the airplane (except you can understand it all the time because there's no noise or static). You can even improve your navigation around the airport by following runway signage, as directed by ATC. The ATC feature also offers the ability to create an IFR flight plan and receive ATC communications appropriate to that route, as well as the ability to request pop-up IFR clearances.
Primary, instrument, commercial, and airline transport pilot students can all use Flight Sim 2004 to help improve their flight skills. For instance, in addition to a few of the primary flight lessons I wrote for previous versions of Flight Simulator (basic maneuvering such as straight-and-level flight, slow flight, stalls, steep turns, and landings), there are now several commercial lessons available, too. You can learn about flying complex airplanes, with emphasis on using manifold pressure, the prop control, cowl flaps, and retractable landing gear.
ATP students can learn how to operate a Boeing 737, and instrument students can fly actual GPS approaches using a Garmin GPS 500 (think Garmin 530 without the radios). Yep, that's a functioning Garmin GPS unit that works exactly like the real thing. If you want to learn about using a state-of-the-art GPS unit for flying instrument approaches, this is the place to start. You need only select, activate, and fly the GPS approach just as you would in real life.
Once you've mastered flying a Mooney or Baron, you might want another challenge. If the Starship Enterprise is booked for the weekend, then take a checkout in the Boeing 737. You'll enjoy creating an IFR route in the flight planner, picking up your clearance from ATC before departure, listening to the controller's instructions en route, then flying a GPS approach at the destination airport — all at speeds a lot faster than a Mooney flies.
If that doesn't tickle your pistons, then forgo the IFR stuff and do pattern work in the 737. Try putting your jet on the 1,800-foot runway located at Cashmere-Dryden Airport in the State of Washington. Please, whatever you do, don't dress up in your cashmere sweater for the occasion. You won't need it. One peek at that tiny runway and you'll be a sweater before you ever touch down.
If you're a flight instructor, there are many other neat things you can do with Flight Sim 2004. If you teach ground school and have a laptop computer and a projector, you can bring the airplane right into the classroom (sort of). Imagine projecting a Flight Simulator screen onto a large screen and showing your students how to use a VOR for navigation in real time. Imagine demonstrating short- and soft-field takeoffs and landings, or even stalls. If you're daring, you might even try giving flight instruction from home. Flight Sim 2004 has an instructor station that allows an Internet linkup between two PCs. The instructor can observe a Flight Simulator lesson while changing weather, failing instruments and systems, and offering comments via a chat window. Can you really show someone about flying this way? Let's put it this way: It's got to be better than trying to explain an aviation concept over the phone, doesn't it?
Marty Blaker, Bruce Williams, and the other wonderful folks in Microsoft's Flight Simulator division have created an incredible educational product. So, if I sound enthusiastic about Flight Sim 2004 as a learning and teaching tool, it's because I am. There are many other wonderful flight simulation products on the market. I've used many of them over the years. Each offers its own unique qualities. But in terms of features, realism, and education, Microsoft Flight Simulator offers a great flight for less than the cost of renting a Cessna 152 for one hour.