I've been a pilot for 23 years, both airplanes and gliders, and I've also
been a glider instructor for 7 years now.

MS FS has never been a GAME. It's exactly what its name implies : a
SIMULATOR.

I have trained pilots who never saw a simulator before and never been in an
airplane or glider before.
I have also had the fortunate experience of getting students with some
experience in MS FS.
The difference is remarkable.
Bottom-line, from my own experience, MS FS is in fact a good auxiliary tool
for an instructor, and it does teach a new pilot some of the physics
involved in flying, such as making some back pressure on the yoke while
turning otherwise the nose will go down, speed will increase, nose will then
come up...and that whole chain reaction.
MS FS is very accurate in that regard.
Aplying power will raise the nose, reducing power will lower the nose,
trim... all of these things are accurately simulated by MS-FS.

What MS FS can't do is give you the G-force in a 60 degree banked turn (2G),
or the visibility we have in the cockpit, or any of the sensory clues we
have such as noise, mushiness on the controls in a pre-stall, and things
like that.

I disagree with relegating MS FS to the status of a Game. It is not.
It is a SIMULATOR.

Try putting a real hardcore gamer in front of MS FS and you'll see a very
frustrated, bored person trying to master something he doesn't understand.
It's exactly like trying to put someone who never flew (simulator or real
thing) to sit in a cockpit and try to fly the thing off the ground. It just
won't happen.

Arnold

"mike popken" wrote in message
om...
The following was the original comment in this thread:

"See Wired magazine:

http://www.wired.com/news/technology...w=wn_tophead_6

People have criticized me in the past for suggesting that someone
could
learn much of the skills of piloting with FS, but it seems that I'm in
good company."
==============

If the poster is suggesting a wanna-be pilot could gain some insight
into ATC, he would be right. And ditto for a little background on
using VOR navigation, and with fs2004, the Garmin GPS. I would agree.
It is also helpful for a wanna-be pilot to experience how fast things
happen when you fly, how mentally quick one must be in order to safely
fly a plane. Here I agree again, but as one who has flown real planes,
I cound not disagree more if the poster is suggesting Microsoft
simulator planes fly like the REAL THING. Microsof FS is an eye candy
entertainment GAME. Got that word the:: G A M E!!!!!!!!
That's all it is, an eye candy game, to entertain people, to keep
their minds off the sewer society we are (and have) slid off into, to
keep people preoccupied with utter nonsense so they won't have time to
write or call their congressmen about what a mess the world is
becoming, so they won't have time to organize war demonstrations, etc.
That is the only purpose of this product. MS airplaines do NOT even
remotely fly like the real thing, and all one need do to prove it for
themselves is go fly a real plane and you'll see for yourself. Then if
you still believe MS simulator planes fly like the real thing, then
you are probably a devoute religious person that belives all those
wierd stories about God destroying His own creations, causing fire n
brimstone, hell, devils, etc. And just think, there are a couple
billion people who believe all this crap, so it does not surprise me
that millions of Flt Sim fans believe Microsoft's simulator planes fly
like the real thing.
BETWEEN EVERY MAN AND REALITY LIE HIS MOST CHERISHED ILLUSIONS.
M.P. Hall

Hope this helps
Mike