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J. Szpara
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from J. Szpara
wrote 8 years 25 weeks ago
from J. Szpara
wrote 8 years 25 weeks ago
I recently ended a 12 year layoff from flying (for real). I used every version of flight sim, all the way back to the original on the apple II. There are some things that it is very useful for, and other things that it cannot reproduce. I discovered that I had lost my touch for doing a good landing flare, even though my landings in the sim had been very good. There are two things missing here: 1) you don't have the feel of the real airplane, with control pressures and motion, and 2) the aerodynamics of the sim are good, but not precisely the same.
As far as procedures, like IFR, approaches and navigation, it's very good. The sim helped me a lot, and I wouldn't have been as far along with retraining without it. But nothing can be a true substitute for the real thing.
As far as procedures, like IFR, approaches and navigation, it's very good. The sim helped me a lot, and I wouldn't have been as far along with retraining without it. But nothing can be a true substitute for the real thing.
from J. Szpara
wrote 8 years 25 weeks ago
Date: 10/18/2004 10:08:45 AM
Anonymous Wrote:
Not sure if anyone mentioned this, but even though the Cirrus has a constant speed prop, it is controlled like a fixed pitch. There is only one lever, and it changes pitch automatically. The big issue with it, and I say this because I am a new pilot myself, is that the Cirrus models pick up speed quickly, and don't want to slow down. I would have needed a pretty on-the-ball instructor if I had learned landings in the Cirrus.
Bill
Baltimore
I have a good example of this. I've been doing a long refresher BFR after a long layoff from flying. We were doing pattern work at Livermore (KLVK), and a Cirrus 22 joined the pattern. The controller was scolding him to "SLOW THAT THING DOWN"! I don't know if they were doing dual in it, or it was a PIC flying it, but he was having trouble slowing down to the right speed for a very busy pattern. With the Cirrus barrelling through, and a very busy pattern, I thought the poor controller was going to lose it.
Anonymous Wrote:
Not sure if anyone mentioned this, but even though the Cirrus has a constant speed prop, it is controlled like a fixed pitch. There is only one lever, and it changes pitch automatically. The big issue with it, and I say this because I am a new pilot myself, is that the Cirrus models pick up speed quickly, and don't want to slow down. I would have needed a pretty on-the-ball instructor if I had learned landings in the Cirrus.
Bill
Baltimore
I have a good example of this. I've been doing a long refresher BFR after a long layoff from flying. We were doing pattern work at Livermore (KLVK), and a Cirrus 22 joined the pattern. The controller was scolding him to "SLOW THAT THING DOWN"! I don't know if they were doing dual in it, or it was a PIC flying it, but he was having trouble slowing down to the right speed for a very busy pattern. With the Cirrus barrelling through, and a very busy pattern, I thought the poor controller was going to lose it.
from J. Szpara
wrote 8 years 25 weeks ago
I don't think that statistics can quantify your "chances of dying", especially for a GA pilot. Your chances of dying are primarily up to you. If you make a mistake, neglect an important detailj/procedure, lose concentration, or God forbid choose to fly into extremely adverse conditions, your chances of being killed are significantly better.
On the other hand, if you are dilligent about flying, safety, following the rules, etc, I'm sure your chances are much better.
When they post the "odds" regarding flying safety, they are simply giving you raw, random chance numbers. There is rarely anything random about it. If the mechanic made a mistake, your chances might not be good. If the airline captain had a bad day or makes the wrong decision, his passenger's chances are much worse.
As for weather, winter, thunderstorms, wind shear...those are not random occurances. If you fly in the winter, into a snowstorm, you have a good chance of icing up or hitting zero visibility on approach, and your chances are not good. In summer, a thunderstorm and/or wind shear can swat you to the ground. What are your chances if you avoid flying in/near a thunderstorm? It ain't a question of random.
As pilots, let's make sure we aren't making the numbers for ourselves and our passengers worse. The potentially most dangerous piece of machinery in flying is between our ears.
On the other hand, if you are dilligent about flying, safety, following the rules, etc, I'm sure your chances are much better.
When they post the "odds" regarding flying safety, they are simply giving you raw, random chance numbers. There is rarely anything random about it. If the mechanic made a mistake, your chances might not be good. If the airline captain had a bad day or makes the wrong decision, his passenger's chances are much worse.
As for weather, winter, thunderstorms, wind shear...those are not random occurances. If you fly in the winter, into a snowstorm, you have a good chance of icing up or hitting zero visibility on approach, and your chances are not good. In summer, a thunderstorm and/or wind shear can swat you to the ground. What are your chances if you avoid flying in/near a thunderstorm? It ain't a question of random.
As pilots, let's make sure we aren't making the numbers for ourselves and our passengers worse. The potentially most dangerous piece of machinery in flying is between our ears.
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I would absolutely recomment the yoke and pedals. That makes a BIG difference over the keyboard, mouse or joystick (unless you fly a plane with some kind of stick).
I also found it helpful to fly the bigger, faster planes. I probably have a 1000 hours flying the 737, King Air and Cessna 421. You get accustomed to everything happening faster, and having to be (way) ahead of the airplane. When I finally went back up for real, in a 172, everything was happening at what seemed like a slow, manageable pace.
The sim can't substitute for the real thing, but it is very valuable for certain things.