On 26 Nov, in article

"Roger Messer" wrote:

I've just got X-plane, and am wondering what would be the best way to
learn how to use the thing.

I need answers to questions such as:

What are the various instruments on the control panels. Is there a
'hint' mode, where floating the mouse above an instrument can reveal
its name and purpose?

I need to learn how to use the various instruments. Can anyone
recommend appropriate books (if appropriate, relevant to UK/Europe).

I need to start with some basics, for instance, taking off is no
problem, as is flying, but I have yet to find out how to identify and
set a bearing on an airport. Suffice to say, I am landing my 747 in
some pretty strange places.... :-)

Starting with a 747 is probably a little optimistic. Though since you
can walk away from every landing...

You can learn a lot from any decent book written for Flight Simulator.
I still use one written in the FS4 days of more than a decade ago,
because it tells you a lot about how to fly, rather than how to use the
sim, with details of stuff such as Approach Plates (the maps which show
how to get to the runway using radio navigation) and the basic
procedures.

The British publishers Ian Allan put out a series of books under the
collective title "From the Flightdeck" which tell you a lot about how
the real planes are operated. The one for the BAe 146 has a lot about
flying in British airspace.

There have been MSFS add-ons which include video shot from the aircraft
cockpit during an approach, or provide Approach Plates. They're not
dependent on any particular version, and since the airports are real
places, they should be usable with other real-world sims.

But I'm probably the wrong person to give advice. While I might
struggle with setting the VOR on another sim, I've been using them
enough that I can recognise them on the screen. I've picked up the
basic tech and jargon, which transfers between sims. And that's what
you have to learn before so many resources make sense.

--
David G. Bell -- SF Fan, Filker, and Punslinger.

"History shows that the Singularity started when Tim Berners-Lee
was bitten by a radioactive spider."