May 23, 2024 / admin / 0 Comments
Hello to all my wonderful readers and followers of my blog site. I hope you are doing well. I received the following message from a new, young sim pilot who received Microsoft Flight Simulator for Christmas. This is his first introduction virtual aviation and simulation and he’s desperate to get some help. The reason I’m sharing his email and my responses with you is I believe the trap he’s fallen into is one that many others who are new to the hobby also fall into.
Hello Jerry! Can you help me please? For Christmas I received Microsoft Flight Simulator. I’m 14 years old and hope to one day become a real world airline pilot. But my hopes and dreams are somewhat being smashed in my inability to fly in the sim. I just can’t seem to control the airplane like I see others on YouTube and Twitch. While I can takeoff semi OK, my landings are really all over the place. Can you help me? Peter
For added context, over the past few days I’ve been having an email exchange with young Peter to try to understand his dilemma better. During this exchange of emails I’ve learned that he is mostly flying the default 747 as that is what he dreams of doing and this back and forth has allowed me to provide both Peter and anyone else in his situation some much needed, solid advice. So here goes…
Walk before trying to run
While I do not remember my parents teaching me to walk and certainly don’t remember my first steps, as infants we must first master the slower art of walking before we can ever attempt to run. The same concept is important to remember when attempting to fly an aircraft in the sim. The Boeing 747, while she’s an awesome aircraft to fly…the Queen of the Skies requires isn’t very forgiving towards brand new pilots. Just as in the real world, someone who decides they want to fly a Boeing 747 doesn’t just go out to their local airport’s flight school and say please teach me to fly the 747.
Learn the Basics First
Peter, or anyone like him should first learn the basics of flight in a much, much smaller aircraft. What I advised Peter to do, and this is solid advice to anyone else who is new to the world of flight simulation is to start with the Cessna 172. While there are other default aircraft such as the Cessna 152 or the CubCrafters XCub which would certainly be suitable to learn the basics in, I just really prefer the Cessna 172. After all, most likely this type of aircraft will be what he begins with when he goes out to his local airport to sign up with a flight school. Spend the necessary time to learn this aircraft inside and out. While the Cessna 172 may not initially scratch the itch Peter has to learn the 747, it will make the process much, much easier and much, much less stressful.
A Recommended Tutorial
Way back in 2017, I wrote a tutorial article which titled Your First Flight. While it’s a pretty basic tutorial in nature, I provide some information in that article which I’ve discussed with Peter. The reason why I suggested this route with Peter and suggest the same to anyone new to sims is because the Cessna 172 is a very forgiving aircraft and it will allow the new sim pilot the opportunity to learn the basics. These basics will carry forward to any other GA or even tubeliner aircraft one may want to fly.
Peter’s Progress
As is the case with a lot of the blog articles I write, it does often take me a few days or so to write, polish and publish. This one has been no exception, and from the time I first received Peter’s email to the point in time I’m wrapping this article up and publishing, it’s been about 3 weeks. I’m truly happy to report that Peter is taking my advice to heart and is spending time in the Cessna 172 and seems to be progressing well.
Additionally, on my advice Peter installed Volanta by Orbx. Volanta (if you’re not familiar with it) is a free flight tracker which is super easy to use and Peter has shared a few of his circuit training flights with me and he’s really doing a fantastic job. Over the next few weeks I’m going to provide Peter with some short cross country routes I’ve come up with and he’s excited to try these. While I’m certainly not a flight instructor, I’m capable of serving as a mentor to help Peter and others in situations like this and certainly enjoy doing so.
Final Thoughts
Yes, I almost always have a few words to close out my posts and this one is certainly no exception. The discouragement Peter experienced with his struggles of trying to fly a complex aircraft like the Boeing 747 almost caused him to stop using his new sim. The progress he’s making in the C172 has revigorated his new found love for virtual aviation and I know this basic knowledge he’s learning now will certainly corelate into other aircraft I’m sure he’ll also enjoy flying. I think the same will apply to anyone else new coming into the hobby.
Until next time…
Happy Flying!!!
Jerry
September 14, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments
Last week I wrote an article titled “The Wonderful World of Virtual Airlines”. I discussed the finer points of why one might want to join a VA and provided a short list of examples of those VA’s which I’ve had direct experience with. As I mentioned in that article, virtual airlines are not for everyone. For all the reasons why one might want to join one, there could certainly be an argument made towards all the reasons why one shouldn’t follow that path. It really boils down to the individual and what he/she wants to get out of the flight simulation hobby. There really is no right or wrong answer.
With a few rare exceptions, I’ve typically been a one VA at a time type of person. The free time I often have to enjoy my simulation hobby is sometimes limited. One of the points I tried to hammer home in that previous article was most (if not all) VA’s will require a minimum level of participation to remain active within the organization. While this is typically only 1-2 PIREPS per month, there have been times where I’ve completely burned out due to too much going on in my life and just need to take an extended break. Other times I’ve lost interest in flying online and if you fly for an online only type VA, then this can be an issue. But I digress…
With the gaining popularity of flight sim after the release of the new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, and my own enjoyment with the new sim, I’ve wanted to do more with my new investment. As I’ve pointed out in previous articles, for me…MSFS2020 will be used (for now) as mostly VFR GA flights. I just don’t feel the default aircraft are VATSIM ready and I do enjoy flying jets on the VATSIM network. So until such time as study level aircraft are available for MSFS2020, I’m going to stick with GA in that sim.
A few days ago I saw a Facebook posting in the VATSIM group regarding UK Virtual being compatible with MSFS2020. I had heard great things about UK Virtual over the years and decided to check out their website. I really liked what I saw with regards to the number of airlines they feature (over 120) and the airlines schedules (over 35,000). But what really caught my eye was their GA (general aviation) tours. The wheels in my brain began to turn and within a few minutes I had filled out my application and was anxiously awaiting the approval confirmation.
UK Virtual, but not virtually all UK
The name might imply that this is mostly a UK based virtual airline. Not true! While the vast majority of members might be from the UK, UK Virtual has members from all over the world. The 100+ airlines they feature are also from all over the world. All the major US airlines including the major freight carriers are represented. So the possibilities are truly endless.
Touring with MSFS2020
Those wheels in my head I mentioned a few minutes ago now have me flying the default Cessna 172 in the new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 as I’m flying along the old Route 66 from Chicago all the way to Santa Monica, CA. This tour (the first one I’ve attempted with UK Virtual) is divided into two parts. Part one consists of 15 flight legs with the first leg departing Chicago O’Hare (KORD) and ending at Tucumcari, New Mexico (KTCC).
Departing Joliet Regional (KJOT) on leg 2 (part 1) of the Route 66 Tour.
The tour ends on 30 September, but as I’m half way through part 1, I shouldn’t have an issue making it all the way to Santa Monica.
Somewhere over southern Illinois on my way towards St. Louis.
Flying VFR and following the old Route 66 towards St. Louis.
The mighty Mississippi River as we near St. Louis.
Part two of the tour will depart Tucumcari, New Mexico and end in Santa Monica, California. I’m sure I’ll provide an update as part two as I begin in a week or so.
Over all I’ve been very pleased with the way this tour was setup. There’s a mixture of large airports and smaller municipals mixed in for variety. When flying VFR with GA aircraft I do prefer the smaller municipal/regional airports to the larger airports as it cuts down on taxi time. But all-in-all I’m having a fun time with this tour and with UK Virtual.
Of course UK Virtual offers plenty of tour options for jet aircraft which I’m sure I’ll explore in time. I’ll also provide a similar update in a few weeks as I explore the many airline schedule offerings so stay tuned.
Until next time…
Happy Touring!
Jerry
September 17, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments
As a follow up to last weeks article on “Learning a Study Level Aircraft”, I thought I would follow it up with my recommendations for your first payware, study level aircraft purchase. Because not all virtual pilots are interested in jet tubeliners, I’m going to throw out two recommendations with the first being a GA or General Aviation type and the second being a jet tubeliner.
The Fine Print
The recommendations I will provide are add-ons that I own and enjoy very much. Neither are overly complicated assuming you approach both with an understanding that their operational characteristics vary greatly from the freeware/default type aircraft you may be accustomed to flying. In addition, I will also just (as a reminder) encourage you to conduct your own research just to make sure your PC meets the recommended specifications to run the payware add-on aircraft. While it really makes very little difference regarding the flight sim platform you use (FSX, FSX:SE, P3D v2, P3D v3 or P3D v4) just keep in mind that if you are running something other than P3D v4, you may be required to repurchase the add-on when/if you upgrade. Let’s get started…
A2A Cessna 172 Trainer
I’m almost of the belief that every virtual pilot should own this aircraft. I think it just makes sense. After all, pretty much all the basics of flight can be learned and that knowledge finely tuned in this aircraft. The A2A Cessna 172 Trainer is available from A2A Simulations and most will agree is the finest study level general aviation aircraft you can purchase. Depending on your sim platform, this wonderful aircraft will run you from $49.99 – $79.99. The A2A Cessna 172 Trainer is feature rich and designed to be flown by the book. I’ve spent hours and hours and several more hours just flying around. It’s the perfect airplane for really taking in all the eye candy available in Orbx sceneries.
PMDG 737NGX
My readers shouldn’t be surprised that the PMDG 737NGX is my recommended and truly “must have” jet tubeliner. Much like the A2A Cessna, the PMDG 737 is one that should be in everyone’s virtual hangar. Yes, I know it’s extremely difficult to perhaps not choose the beautiful PMDG Queen of the Skies Boeing 747-400 or the incredibly beautiful PMDG Boeing 777. Likewise, the QualityWings Boeing 787 Dreamliner is also gaining a lot of traction in the community. But if you’re a Boeing fan, and you are interested in jet aircraft…then the PMDG 737NGX really should be in your hangar.
Once you master the 737 and understand the “Boeing Way”, the rest of the Boeing family of aircraft will almost be a piece of cake. The other advantage with starting with the NGX is this aircraft truly is the workhorse in the airline industry. Just about every major airline has (or have had) a fleet of Boeing 737’s and it’s the perfect short to medium haul aircraft.
Depending on your flight sim platform, the PMDG 737NGX (-800/900) will run you $69.99 – $89.99. The 737-600/700 expansion will run you another $24.99.
In Summary
As I often say, there’s no right or wrong way to do things. The hobby of flight simulation is no different. There are virtual pilots who only prefer general aviation and there are those who only enjoy flying the jets. Of course, there are lots who enjoy both and the A2A Cessna 172 and the PMDG 737NGX are the best in class for these two flight sim areas. Get one or get both and enjoy the experience. Thanks for reading!
Until next time…
Happy Flying!!!
Jerry
