There are many people who want to learn to fly a helicopter or an airplane and experience the feeling of being up in the air. However, most people won’t do it because it is so unfamiliar to them and besides, where do you start? If you’ve read a few of my other posts, I have talked about Discovery Flights often. Discovery Flights are a great way to get into the air and learn about flying before jumping into it full-force. Discovery flights are not very expensive either.
But today we are talking about the benefit of flight simulators if you are not ready to actually fly.
The Flight Simulators
Flight simulators are a great alternative to actually flying if you who want to experience flying before venturing into the real thing. Microsoft Flight Simulator has always been one of the leading home-based computer flight simulators in the industry and is an excellent, affordable program to start with. This flying series simulator,i.e., a simulator that contains many different airplanes, is one way to experience flying. It even allows you to visit different parts of the world and have some fun.
Before I Flew For Real
I remember when before I had even thought of flying professionally, I had purchased MS Flight Simulator. This was many years ago and though my computer was slow compared to computers today, it still provided me with a nice perspective on flying. At the time I used a joystick to fly the airplane and the keyboard to control the instruments and power of my simulated airplane but today you can simulate flying by connecting a yoke (control wheel), realistic throttle lever quadrant and rudder pedals to your flight simulator airplane for that real-life experience (and practice).
Deluxe CH Products Flight Simulator Bundle – MS Flight Sim X, Yoke, and Rudders – This bundle includes the Microsoft® Flight Simulator X Deluxe Edition, CH Yoke, and CH Rudder – everything you need to start flying at home for $255.
MS Flight Simulator isn’t the only simulator available. You will find many other programs on the market that will support the flying series simulator, as well. This gives you a chance to feel what it is like to possibly fly many different types of airplanes. Today’s technology has allowed the flying simulation games to very nearly resemble the real-world. For example, when I started flying simulators, I would fly out of Meigs Field in Chicago. Unfortunately, Meigs Field doesn’t exist any more because of Mayor Daley’s decision to close it illegally. If you would like to read more about this historical event, check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meigs_Field. Anyway, I would do touch-and-goes and you would see the skyline just like it really is in Chicago.
Today’s Simulators, More Real Than Ever
The latest programs today for flying series simulator will enable you to choose from hundreds of airplanes to fly like a P-51 Mustang to a Cessna 172 to a Beechcraft Duchess to a Boeing 737 or even a Boeing 777. The flight decks on the simulator are nearly identical with what you would use on the real airplane. You can choose from a number of airports that you want to take off and land from. You can even define your weather and shoot different approaches. It is all great experience because you will need to know how to operate the plane in order to be able fly. This can be great preparation later if you decide to learn to fly and move towards more advance certificates and ratings. Though you can not log flight time in these types of simulators, you can refine and improve your skills. When I was just learning to fly instrument landing system (ILS) approaches, my simulator was essential to my learning the techniques I would use later.
The flying series simulator are also developed to provide realistic sceneries and views. It provides a map of the world for easier navigation when you prepare a flight plan for your flight. You can plan your travel from any two points in the world, like from Paris to New York, and do this in real-time. You may even have to overcome some weather disturbances at some point.
Of course, the visual effects provided by the simulator will give your senses a good feel as you take a plane ride. You get a good idea of what the views look like from a flight deck. However, the more useful feature for you will be to expose yourself to the control panel perhaps of the airplane you are flying now or may fly in the future because the flight controls and control panels all vary depending on the kind of plane you choose to fly. When I was learning to fly the CRJ200, I used full-scale posters from True Training Graphics. They are as real as it gets!
Flight Training Devices Really Sharpen Your Skills
If you do decide to learn how to fly there may be a time when you move on to a “flight training device” often called an “FTD.” The FTD that I used while I was learning how to fly multi-engine airplanes was a Frasca simulator. FlightSafety Academy in Vero Beach, Florida, had a row of Frasca simulators that were occupied continuously. By using a FTD, I was able to explore the concepts related to flying multi-engine airplanes that would have cost me hundreds of dollars to experience in the airplane. Then, when I moved on to my Instrument rating, again, the basic principles of instrument flying were taught in the FTD and then reinforced with actual flying. Again, it saved me hundreds of dollars in training cost and most of the simulator flight time in the Frasca could be applied towards my flying certificates and ratings.
Another time I used an FTD was when I did my interview with Trans States Airlines. Part of the interview required me to fly their FTD through a couple of approaches and enter a hold. Luckily, I had lots of experience in flying Frasca simulators and knew exactly how to fly it and passed the interview.
Full-Motion Simulators: The Most Fun You Can Have Flying Without Leaving the Ground
If you ever become a professional pilot, the simulators you will learn to fly your airplane on are really a step up. The simulator I trained on to learn the CRJ200 and the CRJ700 was a level-D flight simulator which is a full-motion simulator that seems extremely real. So real in fact that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allows you to get your type-rating in this type of simulator for that airplane. During very intense training sessions, I would find myself sweating as I dealt with whatever emergency was being thrown my way. It is difficult to separate reality from make believe in the simulator. These types of simulators, though very expensive to operate are still a lot cheaper and safer than using a real airplane. It allows you to practice emergencies in a safe environment without danger to anyone. Plus, if something goes wrong or you crash the simulator, which I’ve done, you can stop the simulator, discuss what happened and then either do it over again or continue with the flight.
I remember once during my CRJ200 first officer checkride I had to shoot an ILS approach. I was very nervous and sweated buckets during the whole ride that day. During the ILS approach, once I found the runway, my call-out was suppose to be, “Landing” and then disengage the autopilot. Only I forgot to disengage the autopilot. I physically over-powered it, thus disengaging it and landed safely. Unfortunately though the checkairman was amused, he made me do it over again because that wasn’t the way it was “suppose” to be done. So we backed up the “airplane” to a five mile final and did it again. I did disengage the autopilot this time.
Now, every six months, since I am a captain, I’m required to go back to the simulator to practice different emergencies, abnormalities, and approaches that I will hopefully never have to experience in real life.
Conclusion
Using a flying series simulator like Microsoft Flight Simulator is a good starting point if you are interested in flying. You can learn the basics and some advanced skills in the airplane you may eventually fly or just learn how to fly an airplane that you have always wanted to fly. You can train yourself on some technical things and it will give you a preview of what it is like to be up in the sky. Nothing compares to the real thing but simulators help bridge the gap and help you experience some of the joys of flying. So pick up a flight simulator today and start flying. I guarantee you will be hooked and you will want to do a Discovery Flight more than ever. If you are an experienced pilot and you haven’t flown for awhile, head to your local flight school and fly their simulator to keep your skills sharp and to keep you proficient.
To Your Flying Success…
Jeffrey
Dear Fellow Pilot:
