[yinewang]

Hi
I've been practicing on the simulator for about two months. (I'm practicing every single day). it seems like those aerobatic planes are a lot easier to fly (mostly landing, and turning) compare to those highwing trainers. i noticed aerobatics have much larger control surfaces which is always helpful for saving the plane at last second, where as for highwing trainers, you have to get it right at the first place otherwise hard to save. so does it make sense to get a real aerobatic as a trainer? and a question that i've considering for so long: how does simulator compare to real flight? are they almost the same? totally different? I've flying simulator, i've seen people fly real ones, and i still haven't quite catch it. the club's training program won't start till april but i can't wait to fly a real one. lol
thanks
Mark

[Nev]

What sim you flying ?

My 10 cents....

If you can take off fly a controlled circuit and land safely from both directions with a "boxed" approach you are set to enter the real world ! But I think sims will help you with orientation and I like them when I am practicing or learning something new but the real thing is a little more challenging, nerves, wind, vision, sounds, smells and rules will add to the mix but having your orientation 100% on the sim will be a big help when you get into real air.

Best of luck - welcome to the drug !!

[static80]

It's good to hear that you're getting lots of sim time in.

In my opinion the purpose for high wing trainers is to give you more time to react while you are getting familiar with controlling an airplane. The extra stability will actually allow you to let the airplane fly itself for a few seconds at a time so you can plan your next couple maneuvers.

Once you get to a flying proficiency where you don't have to think about controlling the airplane any more, you won't need the docile nature of the high wing trainer.

One big difference I notice between my sim (phoenix) and real airplanes is the stall characteristics. On the sim I can hold full back on the elevator and the airplanes basically float to the ground. In real life it's not so nice, all airplanes will stall differently and if your airplane isn't perfectly balanced or there is some small differences from one wing to the other, or many other factors you won't stall straight forward like on the sim.

You also mention the ability for aerobatic airplanes to make larger input on the approach and landing. The key to a good landing is setting yourself up to not need to make large corrections. Think of it in a full scale sense, high wing Cessnas and large airplanes like 747 are much less maneuverable than an aerobatic plane but make safe landings every day. You might find yourself in trouble every once in a while and need to do some fancy flying to get back in track but as a rule you should learn to set up for landings so that they are consistent, predictable and successful every attempt.

Before you pick out your trainer go talk the the instructors at your club. Tell them about all your sim time and see if they are responsive to it. If you show up with an airplane that they think is unsuitable for you to train with they may just refuse to help you. So ultimately you'll have to get something that both you and your instructor feel comfortable with. Given your sim time though, you may find that after a few flights to get used to your new airplane you can fly better than many of us that have flown for years.

Good luck and have fun, it sounds like you should be able to have great success in this hobby.

Myles

[Guest]

Mark, I agree with Myles.

Now is the time to seek out the local clubs to you (MAAC's website is a great help, or you can give your major intersection here and we can tell you which club's are teh nearest.)

Drop in at the next club meeting and find out who the chief flight instructor (or similar title) is and introduce yourself. Ask what equipment you'll need to get started.

Many clubs do have a club-owned trainer that you can learn on (generally to the point of being ready to start take-offs and landings). If they have such a program, take advantage of it. THis gives you time to see if the hobby is really for you before you start spending large amounts of hard-earned money.

It's also swap-season time so cruising the swap meets with another club member to get your basic equipment at a good price is an option. Watch out for total junk but that's why you hyave another club member with you -- to point out the gold and the brass amongst the dross (sorry about the $5 words) -- the useful amongst the useless.

Warning: the hobby is not only building and flying but discipline. Not marching in lines but everyone doing basically the same things for the same reasons. That's the core purpose of the flight instruction program (WINGS) that most clubs follow.When you get your wings, any club that you go to will know that you have the basic skills and can be trusted to fly on your own in a safe manner.

Welcome to the hobby!

[calone76]

the difference between sim and real flight:
my heart's beating fassst and my knees shaking... lol

[static80]

Originally Posted by calone76

the difference between sim and real flight:
my heart's beating fassst and my knees shaking... lol

Very true.

My 2 year old daughter sits with me and demands that I fly the airplanes on the computer. It doesn't take long until she tells me to "crash it, crash it"

[Tyler P]

Sims are great, in my opinion! I'd be nowhere near the flying level I'm at if I didn't have a sim.

One word of caution about sims: many have difficulty settings. Always set the difficulty to the hardest setting, as that will be the most realistic in comparison to the real thing.

[yinewang]

thanks guys, I'm using the phoenix sim like Myles. and i set the sim speed to 125% which force me to react faster. i also set the gusts speed to 11km/h.i'll take all your comments and keep practicing.
Mark

[Riddick]

It sounds like your coming along nicely. So what maneuvers have you mastered so far? I like to practice touch and go's in a cross wind. Stick to the trainers on the sim so once you fly for your first time you will be familiar to how they fly. and crank the wind up to 20kph,

[yinewang]

Hi Riddick
mostly what i do is i take off, circle around, then land, sometimes i do play around with aerobatics just for fun though. ( i fly the highwing trainer most of the time. to land is not a problem anymore, but it is hard to land in designated run ways. yeah, i guess touch and go is a good thing to practice.
Mark