Flight Simulator?

RWBRWB Icrontian
edited October 2005 in Gaming
I am curious if those MS Flight Sim's are accurate to where you can actually learn to fly a real airplane with it? I don't plan on actually flying on, just kinda curious what all it takes to fly.... the dynamics of it all.

Comments

  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited October 2005
    www.ifdg.net (panzerkw's site) is an excellent place for this sort of question. Those guys are REALLY into Flight Sims. I highly recommend.
  • panzerkwpanzerkw New York City
    edited October 2005
    RWB wrote:
    I am curious if those MS Flight Sim's are accurate to where you can actually learn to fly a real airplane with it? I don't plan on actually flying on, just kinda curious what all it takes to fly.... the dynamics of it all.

    Flight Simulator can help you learn alot about the procedures involved with flying, how the instruments work, and stuff like that. Some add-on aircraft packages are extremely comprehensive to where you could actually climb into the real aircraft (being proficient with the simulated version) and be able to operate the engines, avionics, navigation equipment, and so forth.

    For actually learning HOW TO FLY, however, there is no substitute for the real thing.
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited October 2005
    Combat Flight Simulator III is fun! :thumbsup:
  • QeldromaQeldroma Arid ZoneAh Member
    edited October 2005
    Being in the business, RWB, I can tell you that MS Flight Sim can take you about as far as you can reasonable go with a standard PC setup. As PanzerKW has said, it can teach you about how fly without really doing what I call "the work". My experience with MS only goes to 2002, but I will say that the aircraft "flies" reasonably like the actual and many of the controls and avionic features are representative.

    However,

    A real aircraft makes you do the work- and it's do the work or you may die. There is a checklist of things to do and look for both inside and outside the aircraft. A story was told about a pilot in Korea who was "grounded and not seen again" when he jumped into an aircraft that didn't have an engine in it during a scramble. You shouldn't even get through VFR ground school if you can't figure center of gravity, understand stability, etc. There is simply too much missing to expect much of a PC simulation.

    A real simulation (this is your oxymoron for the day) places you in the cockpit. You would need like 5 uber-sized monitors- one for each aircraft window- to give you the sense. The cockpit is realistic with actuall seats, controls, etc. Then you also have to go through all the checklists there too. Pull breakers that can be behind you, throw switches, etc. Many older aircraft had a second officer's station that had things like fuel guages as well as cabin pressures and temps. They also have force-feel so you can actually feel the strain of dynamic air pressure on the controls. The whole simulation platform can move as well to give you the sense of G forces, etc. Such a facility has instructor stations that can be inside or out of the simulation cab and they can introduce abnormal modes of flight operation whenever they feel like it. Things like collision avoidance, engine-out, etc.. Such simulators pilots actually can achieve ratings in.

    But there's nothing like the real deal. There is something special about just having freedom in the clouds and most any pilot would trade a 747 for a durable and agile crop duster if it paid well enough.

    Nuff said.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited October 2005
    So to summarize: FlightSim is cool to get a feel for what flying a plane might be like, and it would be a good primer to actual flight school. Do I have that right?
  • RWBRWB Icrontian
    edited October 2005
    Then I'll be buying it.... my idea is to eventually learn to fly a real craft, I just figure that for now I can get the jist of things to be better off for the real deal way way way down the road someday.

    Any versions in particular?
  • panzerkwpanzerkw New York City
    edited October 2005
    Flight Simulator 2004 is the only current version
  • QeldromaQeldroma Arid ZoneAh Member
    edited October 2005
    prime, that is a good, question.

    To answer your question fairly, I think I would have to qualify what part of flight school we are talking about. There is both VFR and IFR Grounds School, then Flight School. Then there are what are called ratings for VFR, IFR as well for multi-engine, etc.

    You can learn the controls dials, switches, and buttons and basic operation. It is educational. But that is about it. On a PC, the "danger" is to pick up a cheap joystick or even fly the mouse and keyboard and say I know how to fly. You may even know how to work the avionics. However there is also what uhhh they don't tell you- or Microsoft.

    In the industry, we have a professional saying about this sort of thing. This system is for pilot familiarization and NOT pilot training

    I think you know this, and I'll leave it at that. :: :)
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