Budget Flight Simulator

My introduction to the world of Flight Simulation came back in 2003 (yes, I am still new relative to the other folks I know on some of the forums out there). I purchased a spanking new copy of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 (the first edition to include AI aircraft and ATC communications). My goal was to become a real certified Pilot so I decided to become acclimated to the peculiarities of aircraft handling before I dealt with the real thing.

I also purchased a pair of headphones with an attached mouthpiece, a Flight Yoke and Rudder Pedals (courtesy of CH Products) and optimized my stereo sound system for surround sound. It felt like a religious experience even from early on! I then went on sites like Avsim and Posky to download add-on aircraft. I then experimented with sound file replacement so that the airplanes sounded like the real thing!

I learned later on that even though I could now be considered a hardcore simmer, there were folks out there with far more impressive software AND hardware! I saw a couple of uploads of images of Simulators with multiple monitors to simulate 3D views of the outside cockpit environment, and stacks of manually workable flight instruments! I began to feel rather inadequate with my single monitor and my yoke and pedals! I could only look around outside the cockpit as far as the hat switch on my yoke would allow!

I noticed some issues arising as I transitioned from Flight Sim to the real thing…

There was the real issue of my constant tendency to become fixated inside the cockpit. Whilst learning to land in a real airplane with an instructor, I also had to unlearn some potentially dangerous habits I had picked up in teaching myself to land using the Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Flight simulators can be fun and exiting as a basic learning tool, but I am still out when it comes to analyzing them for the danger they could present in terms of developing flying habits that could prove difficult to undue once you decide to fly in the real world.

There are all sorts of aircraft out there for basic flight training. A new model (or in some cases an entirely new design) seems to come out every other year! The more famous manufacturers include Cessna, Piper and Cirrus (at least on the American side). Other countries are developing and flying trainers as well but the American models are still the most popular worldwide.

I started my Private training in the Piper Warrior II – the Cherokee - back in 2005. It was a dated bird (a model built back in the early 80s) but a sturdy and well kept one! To date, my smoothest landing was in that model! It was a greaser! Moreover, I currently have over 80 hours total flight time (I am still a novice in aviation terms!).

I started flying the Cessnas earlier this year. I have flown the 172SP (the latest design in Cessna’s relentless pursuit of Skyhawk perfection) and the Cessna 172N (a 1977 model with that bothersome carburetor heat valve!).

I was flying out over a training area in the 172SP back in February with an instructor, listening to the radio exchange between the other pilots in the area. There were about six other airplanes maneuvering out there in different pockets (crowded airspace)! You can learn a lot about different types of training aircraft by just listening to the chatter! I learned early on that there were Cirrus, a Piper Seminole, a Piper Cherokee and another Cessna 172 in my immediate airspace.

The exchange between the flight instructors of the Cherokee and the Cessna, which seemed friendly at first, got progressively testy as they argued over which training aircraft was better, or more student-user friendly. Cooler heads prevailed only after some chiding from the pilots of the Cirrus and the Seminole. The Seminole pilot even jokingly (though I was not fully convinced) suggested that he would report the incident to the tower on the way in if he could get their tail numbers!

That incident (though irresponsible on the part of the instructors involved because their respective students lost valuable flight time – and money – as a result) gave me cause for reflection. I could compare both models quite easily because of personal experience.

I can say that I liked the Piper for its handling characteristics on the ground and its tendency to forgive less than perfect landings (my instructor at that time was not a real asset to me in terms of my landing training). My only serious gripe with the airplane involved the fuel tank configuration. I kept an alarm stopwatch handy to remind me not to run my tanks dry.

I like the Cessna 172 for its over-the-dashboard visibility and the great visibility of the landscape from the air. Landing was always a challenge (there are very few instructors who can truly teach you how to land a Skyhawk!).

I know that the opinions about Pilots who have flown both models would vary, but I think I have covered the most popular ones!

Hard core flight simmers come in a variety of interests and aspirations. I met some guys who are solely into the whirly birds. They have flown every class and model of helicopter out there. Then there are the military simmers searching for the ultimate challenge online in sorties against fellow virtual fighter pilots. Many egos go down in flames…

I prefer to exist in the virtual world of civilian fixed wing aircraft. I relish the thrills of flight planning. I have all my Flight Simulator settings set to realistic so that all my planning mirrors that of the real world. I fly short hops between the Hawaiian Islands, or short trips throughout the Bahama Islands. My most recent long haul trip was between Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv (Israel) and Lester Pearson Intl. (Toronto, Canada).

I have my preference in terms of software (both free software and software that is no so free). I highlight my favorites:

Active Sky – Simulates actual weather conditions (including cloud layering) in every geographical location of the world in which you are conducting your flight. It automatically transformed the virtual skies to a thing of great beauty.

Flight Environment (courtesy of Flight 1 software) – In collaboration with Active Sky, the clouds appear in 3D layer and in many different forms, and every cloud type (at the correct height according to cloud type as well). There are great water textures, along with animated waves and great reflections.

FSPassengers (courtesy of Daniel Polli) – this is an add-on that enables the virtual airline pilots to simulate passengers on board and control in-flight services like food and movies, among other features. I can also create a virtual airline and simulate earning money by flying for the airline. This software also grades the quality of the entire flight, including the landings!

Aerosoft AES (Airport Enhancement services) – This wonderful add-on includes among other things:

• Aircraft Pushback with sound, animated objects and automatic perfect alignment.
• Push-In for backward parking positions
• Pushback using the TBL (towbarless) that lift the nose wheel and conventional that uses a tow bar to move the aircraft
• Animated gates that link up perfect to the doors of the aircraft
• Moving service vehicles that link up perfectly to the aircraft (catering, air stairs, cargo, buses, cleaning and refueling services)
• De-icing in winter

Ultimate Traffic (courtesy of Flight 1) – This add-on includes the airline schedules and animated AI aircraft model representation of every scheduled airliner in the world. All the aircraft take off and land according to a time schedule as they do in real life. All AI aircraft has movable parts and lights.

I came across another piece of interesting software recently. It is called the Squawk box. It is an online air traffic control for virtual pilots. I am learning more about it.

As I write this blog, I am reminded that many persons who start their flight experience in front of a PC have a very good chance of becoming real pilots, even if it doesn’t happen until years later. I got my private pilot’s license years after sitting in front of a PC for my first sim flight. I am currently sitting in my room in front of a “PC cockpit” purchased on a budget. I had been collecting new add-on software (i.e. scenery – airports/vegetation/city landscapes/water/clouds, weather, aircraft, virtual passengers, virtual ground crew) over the past 5 years.

I earned a myriad of new things about technology, history, and weather. I have flown to virtually every corner of the world in real time, with real weather downloaded from the internet. I got to become familiar with new airports that I had never flown into before. This experience was enhanced by acquiring add-on software that was modeled after the airports in exact and brilliant detail.

I enjoyed medium haul flights between Seattle-Tacoma airport (courtesy of FlyTampa software) and Phoenix Intl. (courtesy of Flight Scenery/ Flight Zone); and flights between Miami Intl. (courtesy of FlyTampa) and Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, Bahamas (courtesy of Imagimesim) as captain of a Boeing 757-200 (courtesy of Captain Sim), all the while maintaining contact with the Control Towers and Centers en route.

I’ve flown long haul flights between Logan Intl . in Boston to Dubai Intl. in the United Arab Emirates (both airport sceneries courtesy of FlyTampa), as pilot in command of a Boeing 747-400 (courtesy of PMDG). These flights brought an enormous sense of accomplishment after I had spent time planning and executing my virtual trips.

Real pilots can practice a flight for an upcoming real world flight to become familiar with the navigation and airspace procedures for that trip. He can also become familiar with a new airport.

While simming will not literally get you off the ground and into the air, it can teach the sim pilot a lot about the natural sciences such as physics and geography. It can also teach you a lot about proper navigational planning and time management.