FSX to supplement Real Pilot Training?

[codeseven]

I will be entering Flight School and wanted to know if a Flight Sim in 2016 can 'realistically' be used to help with getting my Pilors License. Having previously dabbled in flight sims many years ago, the state of sims, computers, yokes, ticks, pedals, ect, left much to be desired as far as realism and certainly fell short in terms of use for actual training.

I wanted to post this question around (Prepar3D, XPlane) to get a feel for what a particular sims enthusiasts would have to say.

So, can FSX be used to supplement real pilot training? Have any of you used FSX for that purpose? If not FSX, then which other flight sim?

Thanks!

[jschall]

http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyT...764588222.html

[SpaceWeevil]

I'm friendly with a private pilot who used it to practice instrument flying & navigation while studying for his PPL a few years back. Come to think of it that was FS2004, but anyway most people will say get Prepar3D because that's exactly what it's intended for. Check out the Prepar3D site for information about which licence you'd need to buy to use it in the circumstances you describe. http://www.prepar3d.com/product-over...se-comparison/

[falcon409]

I will be entering Flight School and wanted to know if a Flight Sim in 2016 can 'realistically' be used to help with getting my Pilors License. Having previously dabbled in flight sims many years ago, the state of sims, computers, yokes, ticks, pedals, ect, left much to be desired as far as realism and certainly fell short in terms of use for actual training.

I wanted to post this question around (Prepar3D, XPlane) to get a feel for what a particular sims enthusiasts would have to say.

So, can FSX be used to supplement real pilot training? Have any of you used FSX for that purpose? If not FSX, then which other flight sim?

Thanks!

Considering the advances in all the peripherals you mention, as well as the current state of realism both in FSX and P3D, the easy answer is "of course it can help". You have your pick of any aircraft you wish to learn, especially through A2A (pricey to be sure, but their Accu-Sim module is what puts them ahead of any other developer as far as realism). Also, as you only "dabbled in Flight Sim" many years ago. . .I would imagine there is no comparison between that and what you'll see with these current Sims.

As mentioned, Prepar3D from Lockheed Martin is first and foremost a "Training Simulator" used by Civilian and Military Pilots alike. . .that doesn't mean that FSX wouldn't also fit the bill as well. . .just your choice is all.

[menef]

I'm a PPL licence owner and I use FSX only to revise ADF/VOR operations. IMHO real flight is another world : manual skill to fly
safely an airplane from takeoff to landing managing unforeseen
events can be achieved only sitting many hours in the real plane.
Visual references inside a VC are very differents as respect with
the real one, real ATC environment is another aspect that keeps your brain more busy than the virtual one.And so on. I'll repeat : to
learn very well how to intercept or follow a QDR/QDM or a VOR radial FSX or whatewer simulator are OK. Good luck

[fsafranek]

I recall taking an online survey once for aptitude to be a pilot. Whether you had other experience or not, if you answered
"Yes" for using Flight Simulator your score went down. Apparently they had it in the "game" category rather than "sim".

[codeseven]

Thanks everyone.

I agree that a flight sim is in no way a substitute for actual flying. As mentioned, things like ADF/VOR work, perhaps Instrument Flying and airport/topography familiarization could also be useful. I've read some folks have used it to become familiar with panel and control layout of the aircraft they are going to be instructed in.

And yes, I'm sure things have dramatically changed, I used to mainly 'fly' CFS2 using the old Microsoft Force Feedback 2 stick back in the day and had a blast!

Good to know P3D was meant for flight training.

[Victory103]

Yes, used FS2004 extensively in instrument flight training and over my helicopter years for proficiency. It can help for larger aircraft when learning systems if the payware model supports that to "chair fly". I recommend it to all my co-workers, but few listen.

[Mach3DS]

Posted this in the p3d forum as well.


The tough part about a home flight simulator is the sight picture. If you just don't have the same sight picture as you get in the real aircraft even with something like track IR, moving your head around, peripheral vision, the sim just doesn't simulate the real world flying experience no matter how good it is. the movement you feel in your seat as the aircraft moves is just not translated in flight simulator. However those things aside, anything data driven, is basically (or can be) spot on. So things like instrument training, approaches, xcountry flying, dead reckoning, pilotage...anything that's not a specific maneuver. Im not saying you CAN'T learn how to perform the maneuver in the sim. Im saying that you SHOULD NOT learn a maneuver for application in real world flight training by using the home flight sim. Things like slow flight, power on and off stalls, spins, can definitely be practiced in the sim no problem because of the nature of the maneuver, very straight forward, to perform or recover from in static and dynamically stable GA aircraft. However th I ng like S turns, lazy 8s, chandelles, 8s on pylons...I find are much more difficult in sim and more frustrating to perform because of the excessive situational awareness that is needed. For example. With 8s on pylons I can feel the aircraft climbing before I see the movement translating into my visual picture on the wing and I can compensate for it. Once you've learned it, know it and can do it in your sleep, then the sim becomes a real tool for proficiency. As you can easily identify issues in your flying. Just my POV.

[malibu43]

IMHO, you're better off doing 15 minutes of real world flight related stuff than spending any amount of time in the sim. Flying a real plane, talking to instructors, talking to other pilots/students, reading stories/stuff online, or just listening to the tower at your local airport are all much better for your learning than spending time on FSX/P3D.

Actually, I stopped simming while I was learning because there always so much other stuff to do that would help me toward achieving my goal (studying the weather, flight planning, ground school homework, reviewing speeds and procedures, etc...). It wasn't until my real life hours tapered off that I started simming again to fill the void.