Preflight

Flood of e-mail brings recurring themes

Did the use of a simulator help you through the process of learning to fly? When I posed that question in my December 2006 column ("Preflight: Upping Age 60?"), I was specifically asking about consumer products, such as Microsoft Flight Simulator, that run on personal computers--and for which training time does not count toward minimum FAA requirements. So far, I have received nearly 60 substantive responses to that column, and they're still coming in.

The verdict? A resounding yes. Although a few readers warned of specific bad habits that can develop when a simulator is used without an instructor, everyone who wrote reported that their training benefited from the use of Flight Simulator, X-Plane, or other products. For most, Flight Sim was the inspiration that eventually got them into the cockpit of a training airplane.

Several recurring themes became clear as I navigated this virtual mountain of letters. Flight instructors praise students who use Flight Sim for their rapid mastery of maneuvers, navigation, attitude instrument flying, and other concepts that many student pilots struggle to comprehend. A number of Flight Sim users said they were ready for the private pilot practical test before they'd logged the 40-hour minimum required by the FAA for students at Part 61 flight schools; some, like Bob Ackerman, finished up that requirement while flying to the airport where they would take the flight test. And only a few responses came from young people; most were middle-aged or older, mirroring the overall pilot population pretty accurately.

When Manfred Brecker of Delray Beach, Florida, retired nine years ago--at age 70--he bought a computer and Microsoft Flight Simulator '98. "I used it on days when the weather was not good for playing golf, then found myself using the simulator on days when the weather was good," he said. One day he asked a pilot friend to tell him how he was doing. "I was told that I was doing so good that I should go to the airport and start taking lessons." Brecker became a private pilot at age 75, then added multiengine and instrument ratings. He owns a Cirrus SR22 and has ordered a Diamond DA42 Twin Star. "The simulator has helped me to become a better pilot, and I just love working with it. I believe if I did not begin flying with the simulator, I never would have become a pilot."

George White had always wanted to learn to fly. Inspired by a trip to Alaska in 2005, he purchased Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 and completed the flying lessons integrated within the program--they're presented by AOPA Flight Training columnist Rod Machado. Once he took an introductory flight, he was hooked. "I used Flight Simulator to practice some of the techniques before or after an actual lesson," he said. "Later, when having trouble understanding VORs, I again turned to Flight Simulator for practice. I think my use of the simulator helped me gain my private pilot certificate sooner."

Kevin Berry of Orem, Utah, attributed his ability to fly the airplane better at an earlier stage of his flight training to time he spent flying a simulator on his home computer. "My instructor told me I was the fastest student to solo--I'm age 41--in the history of the flight school," he wrote. "As good as [simulators] are, flying a real plane is so much better. I can't imagine anyone being happy flying a lot on simulators once they know the difference."

Instructors' perspectives

Several flight instructors are using these products in their teaching. "I am an avid user of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 with my students. Instrument students benefit the most because of the accuracy of navigation frequencies and locations, runways, and terrain. Many of my colleagues would stop there and never use the simulator with a primary student. I disagree. I use it with primary students to work on maneuvers, landings, and cross-countries," said Paul Fortner.

"If a primary student is having problems procedurally, I will put them in Flight Sim to practice. Even though it does not have the same feel or look of the real plane, it brings to life the idea of 'chair flying' and allows the student to practice on his/her own without paying for an instructor or an airplane," he said. "All my primary students practice landings in Flight Sim. I have found dramatic improvements in landings after just one hour."

Chris Polek used Flight Sim during his own training, when he could fly only on weekends. "I recommend my students use flight simulators on their PCs to help them prepare for their lessons because in my opinion it helps reduce costs of flight training by reducing the amount of time you spend going over the last lessons for those students who only can fly once or twice a week."

Bruce Williams, an active flight instructor who used to head Microsoft's Flight Sim team, just authored a book, Microsoft Flight Simulator as a Training Aid: A Guide for Pilots, Instructors, and Virtual Aviators, published by Aviation Supplies and Academics (see "Pilot Products," p. 43). I'm looking forward to reading the book, and I'm particularly interested in the flight training community's reaction to it.

Heading off bad habits

Mike Shoemaker of Grand Rapids, Michigan, sees several potential risks in flying a simulator, especially without supervision. "First is dependence on the use of instruments, which makes it harder to keep your head on the proverbial 'swivel' when actually flying. Second, there is a risk of ingraining bad habits with respect to procedures. Third, if not using a yoke and pedals, much of the psychomotor benefit may not transfer to aircraft control, especially crosswind landing technique and use of right rudder on the climbout and with power changes. And finally, if the aircraft and panel used on the computer simulator do not match those of the plane you fly, there may be a negative impact on learning and transfer to the real aircraft."

For Mike Davidson, the major disadvantage came when, after about 100 sim hours, "I started actual lessons and found my head inside on the instruments rather than finding the right horizon/glare shield angles for varying degree turns in both directions," he said. "I don't recall anything other than that that my CFI had to 'unlearn' from me."

Other applications

Microsoft Flight Simulator is not the only game in town. I heard from a couple of pilots who got their start with X-Plane, a similar product--and the only flight simulator available for Macintosh computers. Another reader found the use of ASA's On Top instrument flight simulator to be very helpful, both in getting the instrument rating and maintaining proficiency.

If your experiences with these products differ, I'd still like to hear from you. And if you've never tried one, it might be time to look at them in a new light.

AOPA members using Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 can download a software add-on of AOPA's 2006 sweepstakes airplane, the Win a Six in 2006 Piper Cherokee Six, for free from AOPA Online--Ed.