MS Flight Sim As a Training Tool

Jon Kraus wrote:
Oh really. Have you flown in any clouds so you can make that statement
honestly?

I've done my share of cloud flying in a variety of light airplanes, and
I agree with him. I've also used quite a few FTD's, both for my own
training and as an instructor, including a full-motion (electric) with
visuals GA FTD certified for full IPC's (and helped fine-tune the
flight model) and must say that even the basic MSFS flight model is
superior to what you get in the certified world at the GA level.

In my always humble opinion there is a huge difference
between flying IMC for real and playing a computer game.

Not really. If anything, MSFS is more difficult because the feel of
the airplane (which provides some cues) isn't there - you have to do it
on pure scan. If you can fly the IFR procedures in MSFS, you can do it
in a GA airplane - and in most GA airplanes, it will be easier.

The only real difference between doing it on MSFS vs doing it for real
is that the consequences of not doing well are a lot more severe.
Flying an actual airplane does require more money, and more guts (or
tolerance for risk, if you want to be politically correct about it) but
it does not require more skill and knowledge.

If MSFS were
"as real as it gets" then why can't your time playing be logged?

Because the decision on what can be logged is made by FAA bureaucrats -
in other words, useless bloody loonies. The relationship between FAA
regulation and common sense is far from deterministic. I've got some
experience on old-style FTD's that could be used for logging time -
they are inferior to MSFS in every respect.

MSFS is an excellent flight training tool for IFR, and is decent (but
not great) for VFR.

Michael