Realistic Instrument Training using MSFS 2004

Tim writes:

VFR flying is different than IMC - when using VFR rules your eyes should
be outside the cockpit - not inside on the instruments.

The manipulation of controls required to fly the plane is identical for both
IFR and VFR.

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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).

Without (re)opening a discussion on the validity / goodness of
simulator time vs. actual-in-the-air time, and/or what flying means to
you or others, I would like to state that (talking for myself only):

(a) I have no intention, plans or desires to fly an Airbus (as a
pilot. I will continue to fly them as cargo.)

(b) I have no intention, plans or desires to pilot a jet airplane.

(c) I have no intention, plans or desires to pilot a multi-engine
airplane.

(d) I have no intention, plans or desires to pilot a complex airplane.
(Except to get a commercial rating)

(e) I have no intention, plans or desires to pilot a "modern" GA
airplane with it's increasingly complex avionics. (*)
(In some flights, while getting my private rating, I carried with me a
hand held GPS - For emergencies. I had it on for a few minutes to
verify it was working OK, and then it was switched off and went back
to the flight bag for the rest of the flight. Working with a sectional
is much more interesting.)

(f) I do have intentions of flying a couple of homebuilts airplanes
(both are restoration projects at these moment.) One is a "Nordo", (no
'lectrics), both have the simplest instrumentation you can get away
with, neither one is IFR equipped, or even night flying equipped.
(Why these? Because I can not afford a Stinson Reliant or a Stearman.)

(g) I do have intentions of getting IFR and commercial ratings, to
become a better pilot, to keep myself challenged, (maybe to become a
CFI after retirement?), but not to start a career in aviation.

(h) I do have intentions of flying gliders again some day.
For both (f) and (h) the thing immediately above the seat is a very
useful instrument, second only to the yaw-string. (When properly
calibrated, of course. )

(i) I have invested a small sum of money in flight simulator related
materials: Software, yoke, pedals, a faster computer for the sim, etc.
I will continue to do so, I am even thinking of building a Cessna
152'ish cockpit with a believable panel.
And while I consider the simulator a valuable training aid for flying,
after having "slipped the surly bonds of Earth", I do not consider,
even for a second, that any amount of time spend in a simulator
qualifies as "Flying".

(YMMV, of course. And I am aware the of the FAA regulations regarding
simulator time for currency, ratings, etc.)


(*) Before somebody calls me a Luddite, at work I am currently trying
to debug a new system based on one of the latest-and-greatest,
"screaming-edge" Digital Signal Processor, hooked to a rat's nest of
wires leading to a 1Ghz Lecroy sampling oscilloscope and other
instruments, blah, blah, blah.
I am getting all the high-tech fixes I need here. Flying is for
something else ...

Roberto Waltman

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wrote in message oups.com...
Hi All,

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. 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,
but harder than it should be to control. I've tried fiddling with
the realism and sensitivity settings to no avail. I have noticed a
number of folks posting on this group use this simulator to maintain
proficiency, and I was just wondering how you have it set up.

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. Like I mentioned before, everything is very smooth
except for the instruments refreshing.

Thanks everyone!

Steve

Perhaps you're focusing on the wrong factors there, Steve.
Any training value of hobby-type simulators lies in practicing procedures,
and not in merely learning to control that simulated airplane.
Procedures-training is much more than just a video game.
Concentrate more on the procedures, less on the simulator.
As others said here, you'll have to accept imperfect simulation.

That said, though, it's smart to keep the simulated speeds and times
generally similar to those of the airplane you fly in real life.
You want those procedures to become comfortable habit patterns,
so they don't demand your undue attention as other things turn to worms.
After 21 IFR hours, I'm sure you know by now what that means. :-)

On Feb 13, 10:41 pm, "John R. Copeland"
wrote:
wrote in ooglegroups.com...
Hi All,

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. 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,
but harder than it should be to control. I've tried fiddling with
the realism and sensitivity settings to no avail. I have noticed a
number of folks posting on this group use this simulator to maintain
proficiency, and I was just wondering how you have it set up.

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. Like I mentioned before, everything is very smooth
except for the instruments refreshing.

Thanks everyone!

Steve

Perhaps you're focusing on the wrong factors there, Steve.
Any training value of hobby-type simulators lies in practicing procedures,
and not in merely learning to control that simulated airplane.
Procedures-training is much more than just a video game.
Concentrate more on the procedures, less on the simulator.
As others said here, you'll have to accept imperfect simulation.

That said, though, it's smart to keep the simulated speeds and times
generally similar to those of the airplane you fly in real life.
You want those procedures to become comfortable habit patterns,
so they don't demand your undue attention as other things turn to worms.
After 21 IFR hours, I'm sure you know by now what that means. :-)

I was trying to use the simulator as both a procedures trainer, and to
help me with my scan and ability to precisely control an airplane by
reference to instruments alone. And yes I know all about things
turning into worms!

My biggest issue right now is that when (in a real airplane) I'm only
focusing on the instruments, things go very well. When I have to look
up a procedure or find an intersection and take my attention away from
the instruments: that's when the worms can come out of the ground!

Thanks for your time.

When I have to look
up a procedure or find an intersection and take my attention away from
the instruments: that's when the worms can come out of the ground!


Ah, that's why single pilot IFR in Germany requires a two-axis autopilot
(with alt hold) by law.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Thomas Borchert writes:

Ah, that's why single pilot IFR in Germany requires a two-axis autopilot
(with alt hold) by law.

Everything is either required or prohibited by law in Germany.

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On 02/13/07 20:53, wrote:

[ snip ]


My biggest issue right now is that when (in a real airplane) I'm only
focusing on the instruments, things go very well. When I have to look
up a procedure or find an intersection and take my attention away from
the instruments: that's when the worms can come out of the ground!

That's a common problem for us "green" IFR pilots ;-)

My instructor would always say "Fly a little, look a little" as a reminder
to not lose focus on the attitude of the airplane while fiddling with the
GPS or some such task. It sounds so easy, but in practice it takes some
getting used to.


--
Mark Hansen, PP-ASEL, Instrument Airplane
Cal Aggie Flying Farmers
Sacramento, CA

On Feb 14, 9:13 am, Mark Hansen wrote:
On 02/13/07 20:53, wrote:

[ snip ]



My biggest issue right now is that when (in a real airplane) I'm only
focusing on the instruments, things go very well. When I have to look
up a procedure or find an intersection and take my attention away from
the instruments: that's when the worms can come out of the ground!

That's a common problem for us "green" IFR pilots ;-)

My instructor would always say "Fly a little, look a little" as a reminder
to not lose focus on the attitude of the airplane while fiddling with the
GPS or some such task. It sounds so easy, but in practice it takes some
getting used to.

You are right about that! Maybe someday I will finally learn how to
divide my time effectively.
--
Mark Hansen, PP-ASEL, Instrument Airplane
Cal Aggie Flying Farmers
Sacramento, CA

On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 20:53:10 -0800, wrote
(in article .com):



My biggest issue right now is that when (in a real airplane) I'm only
focusing on the instruments, things go very well. When I have to look
up a procedure or find an intersection and take my attention away from
the instruments: that's when the worms can come out of the ground!

Thanks for your time.


It does get a lot easier with experience. You just need to get to the point
where you are controlling the airplane with a very light touch most of the
time.

A good practice is to take your hands and off the controls and see how long
the airplane stays where you put it. If it starts to drift immediately, you
might want to check your trim.

--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

writes:

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.

Difficult in what way?

If you have an autopilot, use it. Flying by instruments concerns the
method(s) through which you obtain situational awareness, not the methods you
use to control the aircraft.

Trimming the aircraft is time-consuming in MSFS because it's hard to tell when
you have the trim just right. You can save time by using the autopilot to
hold altitude and set trim, at which point you can turn off the AP and fly by
hand, if you wish.

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.

To some extent, that depends on the aircraft model. There's a setting in MSFS
that controls gauge quality that might help. Add-ons sometimes have a
separate setting for gauge update speeds (which are independent of scenery
update speeds).

In any case, if you are using the simulator for instrument practice rather
than flying practice, frame rates are a bit less important, unless you are
taking off or landing.

Set the weather to a constant heavy fog, and frame rates should improve all
around.

The default aircraft on MSFS don't have the resolution of some add-ons, so you
may see them snap from one degree to the next on a dial, instead of moving
smoothly. Instruments such as those from Reality XP behave as smoothly as in
real life, but they cost extra (some aircraft include them).

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