MS Flight Simulator
- Thread starter Chrispee
- Start date
Snow
'Not a new member'
Having lots of time playing FS I admit when I first started flying for real I looked at the instrument panel too much for VFR flying but I was bang on with my altitude and headings from my first flight, my instructor was amazed. It is good for learning the instrument scan, how the instruments work and somewhat how the ATC system works. I played FS using real time voice ATC through VATSIM and I think that helped my radio calls in real life immensely. I know people who use it to practice an approach into an airport before flying there for real. Use flight sim for it's strengths and have fun with the rest. I see it more as a flight procedure trainer than a flight sim per say, least on a realism level. Most of the time when I play it i use autopilot anyhow.
FlyChicaga
Vintage Restoration
I used MSFS like every day in high school and college. Actually, when we bought our first computer, my Mom said I could get one game to take home with it. What did I get? MSFS 5.1! From there I had 95, 98, 2000, and 2002. Got tons of add-ons with it too. Stopped playing it much after my junior year in college. Now, don't play it at all. I was thinking about re-installing it, we'll see.
I never really used it for anything more than fun. Flying the 757, 767, L1011, 727, 737, DC-9, etc... downloading all the panels, sounds, and other stuff. It was a hobby, and a fun one at that. I wouldn't really fly cross countries or anything. Just take off from ORD, fly 50 miles away, turn around, do an approach and land. Lots of takeoffs, landings, and ILS approaches to mins. Downloaded some of the old DC-2s, DC-3s, and Connies in TWA scheme and did harrowing approaches to mins using range and stuff. Lots of fun.
I'd think of it less as a "training tool" and more as a great way to have fun flying around doing some of the "fun" stuff that you wouldn't otherwise get to do for years... like shooting a CATIII autoland in a 767-300ER at JFK, then pulling up to an add-on terminal that is picture perfect. Even doing that stuff will help you grow your aviation knowledge to a point. Just don't try and use it for something it's not... and don't let it interfere with your real training.
I never really used it for anything more than fun. Flying the 757, 767, L1011, 727, 737, DC-9, etc... downloading all the panels, sounds, and other stuff. It was a hobby, and a fun one at that. I wouldn't really fly cross countries or anything. Just take off from ORD, fly 50 miles away, turn around, do an approach and land. Lots of takeoffs, landings, and ILS approaches to mins. Downloaded some of the old DC-2s, DC-3s, and Connies in TWA scheme and did harrowing approaches to mins using range and stuff. Lots of fun.
I'd think of it less as a "training tool" and more as a great way to have fun flying around doing some of the "fun" stuff that you wouldn't otherwise get to do for years... like shooting a CATIII autoland in a 767-300ER at JFK, then pulling up to an add-on terminal that is picture perfect. Even doing that stuff will help you grow your aviation knowledge to a point. Just don't try and use it for something it's not... and don't let it interfere with your real training.
BrettInLJ
Well-Known Member
Remember that visualization can make a huge difference when learning and practicing maneuvers and procedures. Even sitting in a chair, closing my eyes and imagining myself doing my commericial maneuvers (even moving my hands to setup throttle, etc) shortly before a flight would tend to make me perform the maneuvers better.
Flight simulator can be a more sophisticated visualiztion tool than sitting in your chair... not like flying the real thing, but helpful none the less.
Flight simulator can be a more sophisticated visualiztion tool than sitting in your chair... not like flying the real thing, but helpful none the less.
mtsu_av8er
Well-Known Member
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Flight simulator can be a more sophisticated visualiztion tool than sitting in your chair... not like flying the real thing, but helpful none the less.
[/ QUOTE ]
My friend, the folks that hate MSFS would have you believe that reading a textual description of riding in an airplane, written in Farsi, will do you more good than practicing with Flight Sim . . .
Flight simulator can be a more sophisticated visualiztion tool than sitting in your chair... not like flying the real thing, but helpful none the less.
[/ QUOTE ]
My friend, the folks that hate MSFS would have you believe that reading a textual description of riding in an airplane, written in Farsi, will do you more good than practicing with Flight Sim . . .
Derek_S
New Member
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It really is sick the people that hate it. It's a great tool and brings many new people to aviation.
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It got me all the more interested in flying and now here I am as a ASEL pilot. True, it did give me the bad habit at first of staying inside the cockpit but that was easily broken after a few flight; I'd say the hardest thing for me was to remember that pitch controls your speed while throttle controls your alttitude, but that came over time. I think it also tramendously helps your skill of accuracy, since when flying by instrument on flight sim you learn to be precise. Also, it helped me learn a ton of rules about flying and restrictions. Not to mention it was fun to play during those past years before I got my PPL.
It really is sick the people that hate it. It's a great tool and brings many new people to aviation.
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BrettInLJ
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It really is sick the people that hate it. It's a great tool and brings many new people to aviation.
[/ QUOTE ]
It got me all the more interested in flying and now here I am as a ASEL pilot. True, it did give me the bad habit at first of staying inside the cockpit but that was easily broken after a few flight; I'd say the hardest thing for me was to remember that pitch controls your speed while throttle controls your alttitude, but that came over time. I think it also tramendously helps your skill of accuracy, since when flying by instrument on flight sim you learn to be precise. Also, it helped me learn a ton of rules about flying and restrictions. Not to mention it was fun to play during those past years before I got my PPL.
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Yeah, I was flying VOR to VOR and making up my own flight plans on an early version when I was 14 (I think maybe Sublogic owned FS back then). When I was 18 in my PPL ground school understanding VOR tracking and triangulation was a breeze.
[ QUOTE ]
It really is sick the people that hate it. It's a great tool and brings many new people to aviation.
[/ QUOTE ]
[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, I was flying VOR to VOR and making up my own flight plans on an early version when I was 14 (I think maybe Sublogic owned FS back then). When I was 18 in my PPL ground school understanding VOR tracking and triangulation was a breeze.
Aaron_Kearney
New Member
I think you could almost compare flightsimming to running a massive model train set. No one claims that it's as realistic as the real deal, but it's fun and cheap.
Personally, I just bought a spectacular photorealistic SoCal scenery. Take a look at the screenshots on this page and I think you'll be impressed. If you live in SoCal and are working on, say, your PPL, I think something like this would definitely prepare you for a long cross country. Along with this scenery I also bought an LA Sectional, Los Angeles and San Diego TACs, and a booklet of instrument procedures (unfortunately I mis-ordered and got the NorCal one instead of SoCal. Doh! Anyways, it's great fun checking out all the nooks and crannies in SoCal. If I was in flight training, the $50 or so I spent on all this stuff could buy me maybe an hour in a 152 at a local flight school. The way I see it, however, is that even though MSFS time can't be put in a real log book (thank goodness), this is $50 that I can use anytime I fire up the computer, day or night, rain or shine, for FUN. Would I have spent it at the flight school, that $50 would be down the drain once I entered the time in a log book. If I wanted to do it again, however, it'd be another $50 down the drain.
Personally, I just bought a spectacular photorealistic SoCal scenery. Take a look at the screenshots on this page and I think you'll be impressed. If you live in SoCal and are working on, say, your PPL, I think something like this would definitely prepare you for a long cross country. Along with this scenery I also bought an LA Sectional, Los Angeles and San Diego TACs, and a booklet of instrument procedures (unfortunately I mis-ordered and got the NorCal one instead of SoCal. Doh! Anyways, it's great fun checking out all the nooks and crannies in SoCal. If I was in flight training, the $50 or so I spent on all this stuff could buy me maybe an hour in a 152 at a local flight school. The way I see it, however, is that even though MSFS time can't be put in a real log book (thank goodness), this is $50 that I can use anytime I fire up the computer, day or night, rain or shine, for FUN. Would I have spent it at the flight school, that $50 would be down the drain once I entered the time in a log book. If I wanted to do it again, however, it'd be another $50 down the drain.
IndianaPilot
Well-Known Member
Hey Steve !!! Welcome
