I have decided flight simulation has a place here at Texas Aviation Online. The capabilities of home computers are giving real world pilots the oppurtunity to stay proficient by practicing navigation, instrument procedures, and air traffic communication. More importantly in my mind at least, is that flight simulation can be alot fun when you are unable because of weather or finances to fly in the real world.
I started bying Microsoft Flight Simulator if I remember correctly at version 3. It came on those floppy 5 inch disks. I still have the two 3.5 inch disks Flight Simulator 95 was provided on. Back in the days of the polygon scenery I will admit, that its usefulness to real world pilots was very limited. It was probably adequate I would think for some basic instructing of students, of couse even the latest version of Microsofts Flight Simulator X is not FAA approved.
FAA approved in my mind is beside the point, if as a real world pilot you benefit and become more proficient using a home PC based simulator.
I'll give you a great example of using Microsoft Flight Simulator for real world flight. In 2008 for my first solo cross country I had a copy of MEGA SCENERY Dallas Fort Worth satelite scenery. My instructor had told me if I followed the railroad tracks along HWY 287 to Corsicana's Campbell Airfield I would not get lost. The few days before my first solo cross country I used that satelite scenery to proctice flying the route and it was detailed enough that the rail road tracks the instructor had mentioned could be used as reference during the simulated cross country.
Today I own satelite scenery created by a gentleman named Larry Woodson, called "Massive Scenery" This scenery has most of the continental US in varying degrees of resolution, fortunately the resolution of the Texas scenery is about 50cm which is good enough to distinguish even cars and trucks on the highways in places that were photographed by the satelite. I have flown many of my real world flights across Texas, using my pc and FLIGHT SIM X combined with the Texas Massive Scenery, days prior as preperation to recognize land marks along the real world route.
Along with the Microsoft Flight Simulator X I own a copy of XPLANE 10 which is also alot of fun but honestly it does not yet have an addon for real world scenery that is accurate and detailed enough to recognise landmarks if flying low level VFR.
Some other simulators for the home p.c. I have found beneficial in real world flying is Garmin Software that trains you to use all the features of thier G1000 cockpit, and it was specific to the aircraft being flown, in my case the Cessna 172. "Communications VFR Training" from Comm 1 was very beneficial when I began my flight training. I never had true mike fright, I just was not confident in the beginning that I would be using correct verbage communicating to ATC. The COMM1 software gave me the needed confidence.
Finally another reason I believe flight simulation belongs on this sight is some of the add ons and stand alone flight simulation software which I have purchased has been worth the money and some of it has been a real waste of money and time. Recently I was ripped off along with several others by a supposed 3D flight simulator from a British company. I want to review and share the good and the bad as flight simulation continues to develope for the home pc so others can make informed decisions when it comes to flight simulation purchases.
Go to the tab "Flight Simulation" for commentary and screenshots on flight simulation software that you might fine beneficial for practicing real world flying or just for fun when you are unable to take off in a real aircraft.
By the way in May I did some cross wind training on the Red Bird flight simulator in San Marcos which I suggest for any real world private or novice pilot and no kidding, the scenery for that cross wind trainer and the larger Red Bird full motin simulators was FLight Sim X. So do not doubt that Flight Sim X is robust enought to benefit you in the real world. With a little creativity it really can be "almost" as real as it gets.
I started bying Microsoft Flight Simulator if I remember correctly at version 3. It came on those floppy 5 inch disks. I still have the two 3.5 inch disks Flight Simulator 95 was provided on. Back in the days of the polygon scenery I will admit, that its usefulness to real world pilots was very limited. It was probably adequate I would think for some basic instructing of students, of couse even the latest version of Microsofts Flight Simulator X is not FAA approved.
FAA approved in my mind is beside the point, if as a real world pilot you benefit and become more proficient using a home PC based simulator.
I'll give you a great example of using Microsoft Flight Simulator for real world flight. In 2008 for my first solo cross country I had a copy of MEGA SCENERY Dallas Fort Worth satelite scenery. My instructor had told me if I followed the railroad tracks along HWY 287 to Corsicana's Campbell Airfield I would not get lost. The few days before my first solo cross country I used that satelite scenery to proctice flying the route and it was detailed enough that the rail road tracks the instructor had mentioned could be used as reference during the simulated cross country.
Today I own satelite scenery created by a gentleman named Larry Woodson, called "Massive Scenery" This scenery has most of the continental US in varying degrees of resolution, fortunately the resolution of the Texas scenery is about 50cm which is good enough to distinguish even cars and trucks on the highways in places that were photographed by the satelite. I have flown many of my real world flights across Texas, using my pc and FLIGHT SIM X combined with the Texas Massive Scenery, days prior as preperation to recognize land marks along the real world route.
Along with the Microsoft Flight Simulator X I own a copy of XPLANE 10 which is also alot of fun but honestly it does not yet have an addon for real world scenery that is accurate and detailed enough to recognise landmarks if flying low level VFR.
Some other simulators for the home p.c. I have found beneficial in real world flying is Garmin Software that trains you to use all the features of thier G1000 cockpit, and it was specific to the aircraft being flown, in my case the Cessna 172. "Communications VFR Training" from Comm 1 was very beneficial when I began my flight training. I never had true mike fright, I just was not confident in the beginning that I would be using correct verbage communicating to ATC. The COMM1 software gave me the needed confidence.
Finally another reason I believe flight simulation belongs on this sight is some of the add ons and stand alone flight simulation software which I have purchased has been worth the money and some of it has been a real waste of money and time. Recently I was ripped off along with several others by a supposed 3D flight simulator from a British company. I want to review and share the good and the bad as flight simulation continues to develope for the home pc so others can make informed decisions when it comes to flight simulation purchases.
Go to the tab "Flight Simulation" for commentary and screenshots on flight simulation software that you might fine beneficial for practicing real world flying or just for fun when you are unable to take off in a real aircraft.
By the way in May I did some cross wind training on the Red Bird flight simulator in San Marcos which I suggest for any real world private or novice pilot and no kidding, the scenery for that cross wind trainer and the larger Red Bird full motin simulators was FLight Sim X. So do not doubt that Flight Sim X is robust enought to benefit you in the real world. With a little creativity it really can be "almost" as real as it gets.
