Realistic Instrument Training using MSFS 2004

Ray Andraka wrote:
FWIW, the Elite simulator suffers the same issues with the yoke inputs
not feeling realistic and being difficult to trim. ....

I don't find it difficult to trim at all even with wind shear and wind
gusts turned on. I do have two of the buttons on the top of the
joystick set for trim. I click in either direction gets it fine tuned.
Maybe it is your method of trimming? Normally in a real plane, you
hold the pitch so you have 0 on the VSI and then trim for zero force.
In MSFS, I do the same for more gross trimming and then end up flying by
trim for the fine tuning. This is obviously wrong technique for a real
plane but as long as I know the difference I don't find it necessarily
bad.

BTW, I found trimming correctly to be one of the most important
techniques learned in IFR (and VFR) flying with regards to being able to
fly the plane completely hands-free which lets you do all the
"paperwork" (charts, plates, setting avionics, etc.) much more easily.

Use MSFS for procedures and also to fine tune your scan and your 'gain'
(sensitivity) for doing approaches to perfection. I regularly fly CAT
II approaches partial panel and without the aid of a G430 (DTK vs. TRK).
Did this recently after a few beers. ;-) My friends thought it was
easy to do since the needles don't move at all. I wouldn't do this
for real but if schitt hits the fan, I know I did some pseudo-training
for this even if it doesn't count for currency. Next up is planning
(rate of descents) and doing approaches with an engine failure. I'll do
it on MSFS and then on my next (or sooner) BFR do it in the plane.


Gerald

G. Sylvester wrote:

Ray Andraka wrote:

FWIW, the Elite simulator suffers the same issues with the yoke inputs
not feeling realistic and being difficult to trim. ....


I don't find it difficult to trim at all even with wind shear and wind
gusts turned on. I do have two of the buttons on the top of the
joystick set for trim. I click in either direction gets it fine tuned.
Maybe it is your method of trimming? Normally in a real plane, you
hold the pitch so you have 0 on the VSI and then trim for zero force. In
MSFS, I do the same for more gross trimming and then end up flying by
trim for the fine tuning. This is obviously wrong technique for a real
plane but as long as I know the difference I don't find it necessarily bad.

BTW, I found trimming correctly to be one of the most important
techniques learned in IFR (and VFR) flying with regards to being able to
fly the plane completely hands-free which lets you do all the
"paperwork" (charts, plates, setting avionics, etc.) much more easily.

Use MSFS for procedures and also to fine tune your scan and your 'gain'
(sensitivity) for doing approaches to perfection. I regularly fly CAT
II approaches partial panel and without the aid of a G430 (DTK vs. TRK).
Did this recently after a few beers. ;-) My friends thought it was
easy to do since the needles don't move at all. I wouldn't do this
for real but if schitt hits the fan, I know I did some pseudo-training
for this even if it doesn't count for currency. Next up is planning
(rate of descents) and doing approaches with an engine failure. I'll do
it on MSFS and then on my next (or sooner) BFR do it in the plane.


Gerald


To be fair, my Elite is a very old copy (ca 1994). IIRC, it runs on
DOS, not under windows. I stopped upgrading when I got my instrument
ticket because I found I wasn't really using it very often and the
upgrades I did do didn't add much for the money. The yoke is an old CH
products yoke that connects to an old PC game port (it is connected to
the AzureSoft interface box for Elite). I found that it was very
difficult to get it trimmed up using the trim buttons, partly because
there was no force feedback in the yoke, partly because the yoke did not
output the same pitch when the yoke got pushed in or pulled out and then
returned to the same position. WIth that in mind, the only way to
effectively trim it without spending an inordinate amount of time
trimming was to engage the altitude hold, let it trim it up and then
release the altitude hold. Basically, I found Elite (we're talking
early version again here) to be superb for procedures training and
developing your scan. The aircraft model seemed to be pretty good as
well, and I understand that has been improved drastically. I didn't
bother with rudder pedals, as I wasn't interested really in perfection
as far as the control inputs.

As far as the real plane goes, yeah, getting it trimmed properly is a
key item for reducing workload. I fly a Cherokee Six with electric trim.
It is very easy to trim for pitch, and once set it'll hold altitude
all day. Good enough that I only went for a single axis AP.