So my sister tells me, "I want to take flight lessons..."

[Navy Chief]

Actually, she wants to take flight lessons, beginning on her 60th birthday, which won't be for three more years, BUT she is serious about wanting to learn how to fly.

So I naturally said to her, "Ok then, you should start practicing with flight simulation now!"

My question is, what aircraft would you folks suggest for a beginning trainer in FSX? Piper Cub? Cessna 172?

Gosh, I haven't had my CH yoke hooked up for ages!!

NC

[Tako_Kichi]

I would go with the C172 rather than a tail dragger but the default Maule is a much overlooked aircraft IMHO if she want's to try tail draggers.

I would seriously avoid the default J3 Cub unless you've changed the FDE to one of the more realistic ones.

[airtj]

Piper Warrior/Archer

[Daveroo]

the flight school near me is using a non turbo C206 with "steam gauges"..they have a "glass cockpit" 206 for more advanced..

[Victory103]

If she has no clue about aviation, I would highly suggest the sim for her to "chair-fly" the first few lessons. The terrible stock C-172 is ok for this, unless she is planning on training in something else. Besides the pre-flight, she can run through the checklists in the sim and actually learn the individual instruments. Besides purchasing actual charts, I'd get her a VFR sectional or look on Skyvector.com and have her go over the marginal info/legend as well.

[Navy Chief]

Thanks all for your suggestions. Plenty of time for my sis to prepare for this. For that matter, she could (and probably will) change her mind.

But it might be fun to get her interested in flight simulation.

NC

[Sundog]

FYI, I think Realair is talking about redoing their update for the C172 for FSX, IIRC. You may want to keep an eye out for that release.

[CP1207]

My uncle got his license at 65 after he retired.
Worked for a major carrier doing engineering for their specific versions of Lockheeds, Boeings and VISCOUNTS! (first plane I ever flew in).
I flew with him once when he was in his early 70s. Had to handle all the radio traffic as he could not hear it, but only had to bump the wheel a couple of times to head us back towards the airport when he was slightly off in the wrong direction.
I'm convinced the airport we flew out of announced when he was in the air and that extra watch to collision avoidance should be paid attention to.

Simpler times then. He was pretty well known in his field and had one of those "lets take the beach even if we don't want it" attitudes, which is how I think he passed his flying test and then convinced the FBO to rent him airplanes.

He quit flying after concocting a plan to buy a floatplane on the west coast and fly it back east in order to land it in the river in front of his old yacht club. But only because a nephew ratted him out. I wish he would have called me instead...

Anyway, trying to get back on topic (yet another relative failed to wake up last week, therefore the above, sorry), does Cessna still offer the Intro Flights? Or anybody at the local airport?
Has she flown in small planes before?
If not, get her a demo flight somewhere in something.

Solo controlled flight is something never to be forgotten.