Posted: 6/2/2017 5:01:23 PM EDT
| Let's take Flight Simulator X with the foot pedals and joysticks. Do they help student pilots as training aids or are they akin to playing GTA and then trying to make moves on the streets? |
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Absolutely yes.
After years of flying IL2 simulated dogfighting, I learned how to fly gliders faster than any student my instructors had ever seen (so they said) It wasnt from raw natural talent, thats for sure. Took me years on IL2 before I was regularly winning dogfight engagements. Track IR or VR is the only way to make it worth a darn for real life transitioning. |
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Quoted:
Absolutely yes. After years of flying IL2 simulated dogfighting, I learned how to fly gliders faster than any student my instructors had ever seen (so they said) It wasnt from raw natural talent, thats for sure. Took me years on IL2 before I was regularly winning dogfight engagements. Track IR or VR is the only way to make it worth a darn for real life transitioning. |
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I think so. I used MS FSX 10 years ago. I bought the yoke and the pedals, and I was able to download a version of my aircraft that was frighteningly close to the real thing, both in function and appearance. When I looked at the panel, it was like looking at my a/c. When MS upgraded FS, the version of the a/c I was using wouldn't work. I even wrote to the developer to ask whether he was going to update his app, and he said no. So I gave up MS FSX.
Just last week I got the bug again. I had heard how great X-Plane was, and it had a payware version of my a/c. So, I downloaded both with eager anticipation. I am disappointed with X-Plane. It's not as good as FSX was 10 years ago. I can't change the N number, I can't change the a/c appearance easily, and modifying the panel is a nightmare. The flight model is not very realistic, either. I just *wish* I could get to Vne in level flight in my airplane the way I can in XP. A Cirrus jet would have no appeal if I could.... The panel lights don't work, and I have a great deal of trouble reading the instruments. I posted to the boards, and have not received anything. I chatted with customer support, and the chat was abruptly terminated. That said, I still find it to be a help, for practicing instrument flying. You have to discipline yourself to scan and crosscheck. Each instrument backs up another, to a degree. Each instrument is capable of failing, and sometimes in very subtle ways. If you're not cross checking, you can follow a failing attitude indicator right into the ground. If you're scanning and cross-checking, you can pick up and resolve discrepancies. Flying the simulator is much more challenging than flying my real airplane, which is one of the easiest and best-behaved planes ever. Of course it's not a perfect simulation, but if you're interesting in flying and can master FSX or XP, I think you certainly have a leg up in instruction. |
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They are a terrible precedent to flying. The "student" has no outside reference and it's a helluva job to get them to stop looking at the instruments, especially the compass.
The kinesthetic sense is completely absent. On the other hand, I think a good desk top instrument procedures trainer with a complete set of realistic controls, knobs to twist, and buttons to push is a great device, say for perfecting ADF work(!  ), DME arcs, and so on. But that is for after learning the fundamentals.
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Quoted:
They are a terrible precedent to flying. The "student" has no outside reference and it's a helluva job to get them to stop looking at the instruments, especially the compass. The kinesthetic sense is completely absent. On the other hand, I think a good desk top instrument procedures trainer with a complete set of realistic controls, knobs to twist, and buttons to push is a great device, say for perfecting ADF work(! ), DME arcs, and so on. But that is for after learning the fundamentals.I had a completely different experience when I learned flying. I was by far the best student in my pre military flight school despite other young people there having real hours behind them when I had none. |
Here's my setup. Â Im at the console as IP with a Dutch Nato young fighter pilot. Â Hes early on in the program learning instrument flying. Â He's on ILS final at Tinker AFB rwy 18. Â He is in the box on the other side of all the monitors. Â I film the inside of the box on the 2nd vid but my phone vid never rotated to normal view for what ever reason. Â We do EPs, instrument flying, and basic fighter pilot shit like BFM and dropping BDU33s at the range. Â We can link 4 sims together and fly 4 ships etc. Â 45% of ENJJPT training is done in the simulators. Â Not really desk top but i fly them all the time when we do formation/BFM ACM etc. Â Only thing that sucks is lack of Gs.
 April 12, 2017 |
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So what is the Hivemind's take on a bare minimum computer set up, peripherals like yoke or pedals, and which of the programs is best for just flying (not a combat or dogfighting sim)? Flight Sim X and X Plane are the standards although FSX isn't being developed any more. DCS would be a great tool if they had a 172 model since they do VR out of the box while neither of the others do. |
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First thing I did when I went into serious simming is building something which would feel like sitting on a cockpit rather than on a desktop.
Especially if you are going to sim jets or aerobatic planes. Of course I'd say a proper HOTAS system (cougar or warthog) and rudder pedals is a must have. Track IR as well. VR headset is the icing on the cake. When i visited Aviano AFB for the first time the sim guy from the 555fs was really surprised how well we could run the block40/42 sim they had there... |
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Throttle quadrant, yoke, pedals are kind of the minimum. Flight Sim X and X Plane are the standards although FSX isn't being developed any more. DCS would be a great tool if they had a 172 model since they do VR out of the box while neither of the others do. |
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Throttle quadrant, yoke, pedals are kind of the minimum. Flight Sim X and X Plane are the standards although FSX isn't being developed any more. DCS would be a great tool if they had a 172 model since they do VR out of the box while neither of the others do. Honestly, with the VR it's extremely good. I have no real flight time in a p-51 unfortunately though... |