Realistic Instrument Training using MSFS 2004

Blanche writes:

Anyone know how to turn on the DME and set the freq? The HELP in
MSFS is completely useless, AFAIK.

Which aircraft?

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On Feb 14, 11:24 pm, Blanche wrote:
Anyone know how to turn on the DME and set the freq? The HELP in
MSFS is completely useless, AFAIK.

The DME in the default 182 uses the frequency selected on either nav1
or nav2 (R1 or R2 toggle slide switch). On my simulator, it's always
on.

I do fine with
holding a heading, but I find it very difficult to maintain an
altitude. The real plane is much much easier.

Yep.

I also noticed that
even when the scenery flies by smoothly (when I'm in VMC!) the
instruments seem to update at a slower rate.

Yep.

I was just wondering how you have it set up.

Probably the same way you do. I just put up with it.

Jose
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wrote:
I'm a longtime lurker here, but now I have a question I hope the group
can help me with. I am working toward my instrument rating (21 hours
so far), and want to use MSFS to practice (cheaply). I do fine with
holding a heading, but I find it very difficult to maintain an
altitude. The real plane is much much easier.


Absolutely the real aircraft is easier. You can feel the pressure against your
hand in the real airplane. MSFS has never duplicated that accurately.



I also noticed that
even when the scenery flies by smoothly (when I'm in VMC!) the
instruments seem to update at a slower rate. Not quite a slide show,


When I'm flying the sim IFR (which is 99% of the time... I fly a real airplane
when I want to see something), I have the sim set to fly solid IFR with 300 foot
ceilings at night. I waste very little resources on outside views.



FYI...I'm using the CH products USB Flight Sim yolk, and the CH USB
rudder pedals. The computer seems plenty fast enough with a 256MB
graphics card.


Yolks are the yellow parts of eggs; I think you mean the yoke. But I digress.
On the top of the left horn of that yoke is a vertical toggle; assign the trim
to that toggle so it's just like the electric trim in a Cherokee. Trim is
everything in getting your altitude hold under control.

You know, the first thing to go when you don't fly enough solid IFR is your
instrument scan. That's where the flight sim comes in very handy. I had been
out of flying for 15 years and then passed a IFR comp check with minimal
difficulty because I got my scan going with MSFS. I was all over the sky to
start with (in the sim) but by the time I climbed into a real airplane with a
CFII, my scan was sharp again. And the leading cause of difficulties in flying
IFR is a slow scan. You fixate on something while everything else is going to
hell in a handbasket.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

On Feb 13, 10:03 pm, "Mortimer Schnerd, RN"
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com wrote:
wrote:
I'm a longtime lurker here, but now I have a question I hope the group
can help me with. I am working toward my instrument rating (21 hours
so far), and want to use MSFS to practice (cheaply). I do fine with
holding a heading, but I find it very difficult to maintain an
altitude. The real plane is much much easier.

Absolutely the real aircraft is easier. You can feel the pressure against your
hand in the real airplane. MSFS has never duplicated that accurately.

I also noticed that
even when the scenery flies by smoothly (when I'm in VMC!) the
instruments seem to update at a slower rate. Not quite a slide show,

When I'm flying the sim IFR (which is 99% of the time... I fly a real airplane
when I want to see something), I have the sim set to fly solid IFR with 300 foot
ceilings at night. I waste very little resources on outside views.

FYI...I'm using the CH products USB Flight Sim yolk, and the CH USB
rudder pedals. The computer seems plenty fast enough with a 256MB
graphics card.

Yolks are the yellow parts of eggs; I think you mean the yoke. But I digress.
On the top of the left horn of that yoke is a vertical toggle; assign the trim
to that toggle so it's just like the electric trim in a Cherokee. Trim is
everything in getting your altitude hold under control.

You know, the first thing to go when you don't fly enough solid IFR is your
instrument scan. That's where the flight sim comes in very handy. I had been
out of flying for 15 years and then passed a IFR comp check with minimal
difficulty because I got my scan going with MSFS. I was all over the sky to
start with (in the sim) but by the time I climbed into a real airplane with a
CFII, my scan was sharp again. And the leading cause of difficulties in flying
IFR is a slow scan. You fixate on something while everything else is going to
hell in a handbasket.

--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com



I guess the yolk's on me! Indeed I am not trying to fly using the
yellow part of an egg.


I do have the trim set up the way you describe. I will also try
putting grease on the YOKE like you suggested in another post. I have
noticed that with the yoke at rest and everything in trim, the springs
never seem to return it to the exact same position after making an
control input. This just makes things harder. I can see where grease
may help.

I will keep up the good fight (at least it seems that way sometimes)
and see if I can quicken my scan, and never ever fixate.


Thanks for responding.

"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" wrote:
wrote:
... want to use MSFS to practice (cheaply). I do fine with
holding a heading, but I find it very difficult to maintain an
altitude. The real plane is much much easier.

Absolutely the real aircraft is easier. You can feel the pressure against your
hand in the real airplane. MSFS has never duplicated that accurately.

Neither X-Plane. As Steve, I tried using both X-Plane and MSFS 2002 to
reinforce the procedures while getting my SEL private rating.
Specially landing procedures. (Here I slow down, here I open the flaps
one notch, etc.)
In the final stages, when I was getting consistently good comments on
my landings from my flight instructors (on three planes: C152, C172,
Cherokees) I still couldn't hold a stable approach on a simulator.
(And I also got a CH yoke & pedals, not via a joystick.)



Roberto Waltman

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On Feb 14, 11:12 am, Roberto Waltman wrote:
"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" wrote:
wrote:
... want to use MSFS to practice (cheaply). I do fine with
holding a heading, but I find it very difficult to maintain an
altitude. The real plane is much much easier.

Absolutely the real aircraft is easier. You can feel the pressure against your
hand in the real airplane. MSFS has never duplicated that accurately.

Neither X-Plane. As Steve, I tried using both X-Plane and MSFS 2002 to
reinforce the procedures while getting my SEL private rating.
Specially landing procedures. (Here I slow down, here I open the flaps
one notch, etc.)
In the final stages, when I was getting consistently good comments on
my landings from my flight instructors (on three planes: C152, C172,
Cherokees) I still couldn't hold a stable approach on a simulator.
(And I also got a CH yoke & pedals, not via a joystick.)

Roberto Waltman

[ Please reply to the group,
return address is invalid ]

I having using MSFS from way back. I had many simulator hours years
before I finally got my private ticket in '99. Contrary to popular
opinion, I think it helped immensely (even with stick and rudder
skills) when I finally got around to flying for "real".

The one thing I didn't like on the simulator was crosswind landings, a
concept which took longer for me to get through my thick skull than it
should have!

You are right about holding a stable approach on the simulator. It
seems especially hard for me during an ILS approach. With a real
airplane it I have never have seen a full deflection of the needles;
it's common on the simulator!

Thanks Roberto.

wrote:
The one thing I didn't like on the simulator was crosswind landings, a
concept which took longer for me to get through my thick skull than it
should have!

You are right about holding a stable approach on the simulator. It
seems especially hard for me during an ILS approach. With a real
airplane it I have never have seen a full deflection of the needles;
it's common on the simulator!


I couldn't care less about landing the airplane in the sim, crosswind or
otherwise. I already know how to do that and I can't remember the last time I
made a hard landing. OTOH, almost every landing I've made in the sim has been
little better than a controlled crash. Sometimes it's an uncontrolled crash...
but WTH. I don't worry about it be cause I have the skills necessary to land
smoothly in real life.

I use the sim for the instrument practice: no scenery, panel in 2-D... it's all
about procedures and keeping my scan speed up to snuff. That's the stuff I work
on with the sim.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

Roberto Waltman writes:

In the final stages, when I was getting consistently good comments on
my landings from my flight instructors (on three planes: C152, C172,
Cherokees) I still couldn't hold a stable approach on a simulator.

You're probably depending a great deal on physical sensations. You can
probably get away with that on the aircraft you've been flying, but not all
aircraft (it's hard to fly by the seat of one's pants in an Airbus).

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VFR flying is different than IMC - when using VFR rules your eyes should
be outside the cockpit - not inside on the instruments. In many ways an
instrument approach - even partial panel - is simpler - there are fewer
things to look at/be aware of.

Of course, if your flying experience is limited to MSFS then it is all
the same.

Mxsmanic wrote:
Roberto Waltman writes:


In the final stages, when I was getting consistently good comments on
my landings from my flight instructors (on three planes: C152, C172,
Cherokees) I still couldn't hold a stable approach on a simulator.


You're probably depending a great deal on physical sensations. You can
probably get away with that on the aircraft you've been flying, but not all
aircraft (it's hard to fly by the seat of one's pants in an Airbus).