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A Microsoft Simulator Pilot
Tries Flying for Real
Peter A. Stokes - October 13, 2003
mpts at sympatico dot ca
For
almost three years, I have developed an interest in aviation and have become an
enthusiastic Microsoft Flight Simulator pilot. I have achieved the private
pilot, instrument and commercial proficiency levels in the simulator. I have
purchased charts and flight supplements and read greater than ten
aviation-related books (mostly technical in nature). One might wonder: in what
way might this provide some background if I were to try flying for real? I was
very fortunate recently to sit in the left-hand seat of a Cessna 150 and fly for
a half hour while under the close guidance and assistance of a seasoned pilot
and instructor with thousands of hours. What follows are rough notes that
outline this real piloting experience as compared to simulation.
Cockpit
familiarization
• Cockpit exactly as expected. Instrument panel layout, dials and knobs all
very familiar due to the flight simulator experience.
• Unfamiliar with rudder and brake pedals as these are simulated via
buttons on the simulator joystick.
Startup and checklists
• Engine startup and checklists exactly as expected. My simulator
experience made me familiar with magneto checks, electrical load check,
carburetor anti-ice rpm drop check, etc.
• During the flight, we performed a startup checklist, taxi checklist,
takeoff checklist, landing checklist, and more.
Communications
• All of the communications during the flight were as expected. This is
largely because I have listened a lot to flight communications on radios and the
air traffic control in flight simulator is pretty good.
• It didn’t take long to monitor the air traffic control radio and
carry on a cockpit conversation through the headsets. My amateur radio
background probably helped here.
Taxi
• “Taxi right and follow the yellow line”.
OK, let’s go!
• Plane moved (taxied) according to the throttle as I expected (apply thrust
and then reduce to 1000 rpm to taxi at a reasonable speed).
• It is a lot easier to look back, left and right in a real plane! •
Differential braking had to be quickly learned.
• Steering the nose wheel via the pedals had to be quickly learned.
Take-off
• Operation of the yoke had to be learned during the takeoff and initial
climb! Although the simulator joystick operates in roughly the same way (left,
right, push, pull), the yoke in the plane is different (turn left, turn right,
push, pull) and its sensitivity, range of travel , etc. where largely unknown
until after the first few minutes of use.
So we were a little all over the place during take-off and initial climb!
• Need to better understand how far back to pull the yoke during the takeoff
roll. understand it should be back far enough to take some weight off of the
front wheel. Would do better next time on this.
• The first few minutes of flight were hectic: should I look at the VSI?
Altimeter? Out the window? Airspeed? Am I maintaining runway heading? Do I need
to reduce to a climb thrust? Is there something I should be doing that I don’t
know about? I ended up watching the instruments carefully, especially the
vertical speed indicator and attitude indicator.
• The initial climb did not feel right because the angle of ascent felt
way too steep. Why? Probably because when using the simulator, you don’t feel
any angle of climb. Your office chair stays level. With encouragement, I finally
nosed up to maintain a 67 knot climb speed.
• The throttle took getting used to. I didn’t realize you should keep
your right hand on it most of the time. I didn’t and had to be constantly
reminded. I was unsure if the engine would shut off if I pulled it out too much.
It was quite different than the lever on my joystick that is used in with the
simulator.
Climb
• Finally, during climb, I relaxed a tiny bit. Trimming the aircraft
with the wheel on the instrument panel took a little figuring out. I know which
buttons to push on the joystick to trim up or down. I didn’t know which way
the wheel should be turned. It didn’t take long to figure it out though.
Trimming the Cessna 150 for a climb or level flight attitude and keeping it
there was a lot easier than in the simulator. The simulator seems more sensitive
or unstable.
Turns and level
flight
• Turns felt strange because in fact the airplane banked (unlike your
office chair in the simulator situation which stays level). The banking in a
turn often felt excessive which caused me to make 5 or 10 degree turns instead
of 15 degrees. Maintaining altitude during maneuvers felt very much like in the
simulator (small nose up/down attitude changes at the same time of banks).
• After leveling out around 1800 feet, I was able to relax a little and
apply some of the stuff I learned in the simulator
o Look out of the windows. Look for a level horizon
left, right and ahead. Watch for other traffic. Listen to the controller to hear
about other traffic.
o Scan the instruments. Make small attitude changes as
necessary and wait for the instruments to settle (i.e., don’t chase the
needles)
o Trim the plane o Monitor and adjust the engine rpm
• I made a number of turns, got my picture taken, and kept in contact
with the tower to keep abreast of other traffic in the area. Some of the very
basics taught by flight simulator are very useful. I was asked “Using a
15-degree bank, turn left to a heading of two-seventy, maintain altitude, check
for traffic before the turn”. know what that means!
Miscellaneous
• With full control shifted to the instructor, we made a steep left turn
(45 degrees) while losing minimum altitude. You can sure feel 1.4 Gs while at a
45 degrees. He also demonstrated a stall and recovery while losing less than 50
feet of altitude! We performed a pre-stall checklist before the stall
demonstration.
Landing
• “Turn left to heading seven zero, descend to 1300 feet, fly to
mid-field by intersecting runway one nine at 90 degrees”. Although it took me
a minute to correctly pick out runway one nine in the distance, I was largely
able to follow through on this. Was reminded several times that maintaining 1300
(as we reported into the tower) was important, especially close to an airfield
where there is a higher concentration of other traffic.
• With a lot of the instructor’s assistance and instruction, we made
two landings, the second of which was a full stop landing. Flight simulator
background helped here. I was familiar with concepts such as making left
traffic, being number two for landing, waiting to be at 45 degrees from the
threshold while on the downwind leg, reducing throttle, speed, and descending at
around 500 fpm on the base leg, aligning a spot on the windshield with the
threshold, flaring, etc.
• On the second time around, I was better able to maintain attitude
during flap deployment while on the base leg.
• Overall, landings were mediocre at best, but probably not bad for a
first try. All in all an excellent experience. May just have to get my real
private pilot license soon….
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