Will flight simulator help me?

I

ilove747s

New Member
I'm starting on my PPL next Monday and I'm really shooting to do this in 50 hours or less which I know is a pretty aggressive goal, however with the aid of MS Flight Simulator could I to accomplish this? Would it be worth it?

What will be the most challenging part of the PPL? I guess what should I expect?

Thanks
 
If you have a basic grasp of flight controls and how airplanes work then I would stay away from the flight sim...especially at first.

Youre private license involves 95% of your time spent looking outside the aircraft and MSFS tends to make people want to focus only on the instruments...youll have a hard enough time not doing this in the beginning without training yourself to do it on the the computer.

If you plan to continue your training and get your instrument rating then it will help you there.

If you really want to help yourself and get through training quickly spend allot of time in the books and chair flying...that will help you tenfold what the flight sim would at this point.
 
FS is quite useful for instrument practice but I don't think you will find it particularly helpful in the EARLY part of the PPL.

There are 3 specific reasons why it's not so great for learning basic FLYING (e.g. aircraft control and aerodynamics). This is true for ANY "game" type PC-simulator:
1. The flight dynamics (especially control responses) are considerably different from the real plane;
2. The lack of peripheral vision makes visual flying considerably more difficult than the real thing, causing you to use strange procedures to avoid crashing that you don't do in the real plane; and
3. The trim characteristics, specifically pitch, are very different from the real plane. Without getting too long-winded, joysticks are spring-loaded to a center position. This is grossly different from the way a yoke/stick operates (its neutral position moves back and forth when you trim to different speeds).

You may find it helpful for practicing PROCEDURES like going through checklists, generally familiarizing yourself with the kinds of systems in the plane, etc. You could get a similar benefit through "chair flying" with an instrument panel diagram or poster in front of you.

It is also good for practicing NAVIGATING, i.e. plotting a course, finding checkpoints, compensating for wind drift, etc.
 
For certain procedures, yes. For most of what you need to accomplish to get your PPL, no.

For instrument training, it may be worthwhile.
 
It helped me a whoolllleee lot.

It helped me during PPL training.

It helped me during IFR training.

It even helped me during COM training.

When I was in Airline Pilot School, even the feelThere ERJ-145 sim helped me!
 
for PPL, it doesn't help much cuz you can't replicate physics of a real plane (i'd say same for comm)

but for IFR, oh yeah! I'm doing that right now actually :) (on a maddog though)
 
The biggest adjustment for me in a real airplane was lining up the taxiway stripe to be just by my right foot, whereas I was used to being several feet left of the line in my 777 in FS.


"2" on the outside. I was a sucker for the instruments. (and my CFI's legs). Skymates guys, feel free to ring in. Comon Ryan.
 
You might stay away from FS until your IFR training. If you can get into an FTD I would suggest doing that to pratice checklists and stuff. Usually a school will let you sit in there for free while it is off to flip switches etc.

BTW taseal... Your sig... I actually thought there was a fly on my screen!!
 
It teaches radio communications, IFR procedures, and basic procedures and the basic principles of "What will the airplane do if I apply these control inputs".

But as a night and day difference for the actual flying part of the PPL, it never helped me. I used it sparingly.
 
A couple years ago when my medical was pulled and I couldn't continue my training, I got on with a group called eskyworld.com - there an online FS community that hosts sessions where you can fly with live, interactive ATC. I found this to be an excellent use of my time in terms of becoming confident with radio communications and procedures. You might check it out - I think it's pretty valuable.
 
frog_flyer said:
The biggest adjustment for me in a real airplane was lining up the taxiway stripe to be just by my right foot, whereas I was used to being several feet left of the line in my 777 in FS.
if I line myself up (for me, thats putting the taxiline between my legs) I am DEAD on the taxi way, so i'm not sure what you're talking about, works with any plane (from 172 to PMDG 747)

juxtapilot said:
BTW taseal... Your sig... I actually thought there was a fly on my screen!!
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thats the whole point. you're also not the 1st one :D
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Don't use it until instrument training, and then just use it as an aid. It helps with situational awareness and understanding the nav instruments and IFR procedures, but I'm not sure it really even helps that much with developing a scan, etc., especially partial panel stuff.

If you do choose to use it, go ahead and buy your instructor a few packs of sticky notes/instrument covers.
 
Flight dynamics of the flight sims are pretty awful in comparison to what you'll experience in real life. That being said they are really great for a few things:

1. Developing a scan.
2. IFR procedures
3. Radio confidence.

If you "fly" in one of those groups that allows you to have live ATC then you will develop the necessary skills to sound like a seasoned pro on the radio. Most of my students are scared to talk on the radio at first but if you practice on the computer, you won't be.

FS9 & X are great fun, remember that and you'll be sitting in clover.
 
How to pass your PPL in less than 50 hours:
1. Fly 3 times a week.
2. Read about flying every day, even 15 minutes.
3. Have a good CFI.
4. Be a natural pilot.
 
Travisimo said:
How to pass your PPL in less than 50 hours:
1. Fly 3 times a week.
2. Read about flying every day, even 15 minutes.
3. Have a good CFI.
4. Be a natural pilot.
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go part 61

my friends are finishing at like 40 hours, when i finished at about 60, because I had to follow an outline. I was one of the guys who finished with the least hours out of the group that was getting PPL at the time (I was the 1st and least hours to fiinish)
 
taseal said:
go part 61

my friends are finishing at like 40 hours, when i finished at about 60, because I had to follow an outline. I was one of the guys who finished with the least hours out of the group that was getting PPL at the time (I was the 1st and least hours to fiinish)
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If I were you I'd check their logbooks and should you discover that this is actually the case I probably wouldn't take a nap when they're flying.
 
esa17 said:
If I were you I'd check their logbooks and should you discover that this is actually the case I probably wouldn't take a nap when they're flying.
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BULL!! Are you saying it's safe to go with a 60 hour guy and not a 40 hour guy? Please!

I can't understand people who don't think it can be done around the 40 hour mark. I only had two students take longer than 45 hrs. and that's because they owned their own airplanes. And I'll be the first to say I'm not that great of an instructor! If people study, pay attention, and fly at least twice a week, then 40-45 hrs is very likely.
 
I support what everyone else has said, that it is better for your instrument rating. However if you are completely new to airplanes and have never seen an instrument panel, then sure, flying a little bit around will help you understand what all the gages are for. You can also use it to get a very rough idea of what your airport will look from the air as you approach it or do patterns.

I would def recommend part 61 for your private, enjoy it. It is supposed to be a fun rating and you don't want all the structure for it. I did mine in 43.5 to include checkride. I did it in 30 days flying either twice a day or once with ground. Also let the instructor know your goals from the go and if he doesn't think it can be done, get another.

I asked mine if a PPL could be done in 30 days and he straight up told me that it was unlikely and that it usually takes 60 hrs but that he was willing to get me there if I did everything that he ask and I did. I think the reason I was able to is that he and I clicked well. We were able to adjust the lessons to concentrate on what I needed at the time, that's the advantage of part 61.

For the rest of training, Instrument and commercial part 141 really worked well for me.
 
tinman said:
BULL!! Are you saying it's safe to go with a 60 hour guy and not a 40 hour guy? Please!

I can't understand people who don't think it can be done around the 40 hour mark. I only had two students take longer than 45 hrs. and that's because they owned their own airplanes. And I'll be the first to say I'm not that great of an instructor! If people study, pay attention, and fly at least twice a week, then 40-45 hrs is very likely.
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Wait till the guy on the left is trying to kill you, then you'll see a huge difference in the skill level of such low time pilots.
 
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