Use of simulator for experienced pilot of heavier aircraft

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xportpilot

Filing Flight Plan
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Sep 20, 2022
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xportpilot
Hi All,

I did my main training years ago and have been flying cargo for quite some years. But I want to get back into general aviation.

So you all think a home simulator will help much with the transition?
 
Would it help? Sure. Not much for the flying itself but for the procedural changes. They're great for chair-flying and getting acquainted with where all the controls and gizmos are, especially if you take the time to build a custom sim panel. But I agree that sims don't have much, if any, value for actually flying the aircraft. Even the full-motion Redbird I used for a while did little more than make me a little nauseous.
 
Yes.

Especially if used in conjunction with Pilotedge.

Regarding the flying itself - while it's not going to replicate the feel, sims at very least generally provide good feedback procedurally - e.g. put out flaps, pitch goes up x degrees, altitude increases x feet, speed drops by x kts, etc.

Generally it won't precisely match real-world conditions (heck, even real-world conditions don't match published numbers) but stepping through checklists, panel stuff, enroute tasks, etc....

Well, I'd argue that reading about it and thinking about it is just as illegitimate as doing it in a sim ;)

FYI Here's a shot of my previous setup using FSX.

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An alternate:

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I disagree. It does help.

I took 20 years off from flying. I set up X-plane with yoke, rudder pedals, and throttle setup. It reminded me of some things. And if you have been flying glass cockpits, it will reintroduce you to a classic 6 pack.

It is nor perfect, but it will shorten the time in the aircraft to get back into it.
 
Helps me... with the new MSFS some of the small fields I fly into are very accurate. Has given me a good sense of the terrain, VFR landmarks, etc.
 
Thanks. For this purpose, would X-Plane or MSFS likely be better?
 
Xplane

If you're getting back into it, go ahead and get Xplane 12, as it will come with a license to use XPlane 11. XP12 (being in beta) is not all there yet, but XP11 is very there.
 
If you don’t already have a home simulator set up, use the money to go fly instead. There’s 10-12hrs flying money tied up in just buying the computer and peripherals.
 
xportpilot said:
Thanks. For this purpose, would X-Plane or MSFS likely be better?
Click to expand...

Generally, I think you won't go wrong with either, at the moment, though X-Plane 11 (which you get with a purchase of X-Plane 12) makes it fairly easy to create a 2D panel, so you can make something similar to what you might be flying with.

What's your main goal?
 
xportpilot said:
Thanks. For this purpose, would X-Plane or MSFS likely be better?
Click to expand...

Xplane is great for IFR procedure training. MSFS is great for enjoying the view (especially with VR goggles). You are looking to transition your cargo experience to GA. I am not sure where that falls.
 
I play X-Plane mobile on my iPhone quite often in multiplayer. Full working cockpits. Working ils approaches and all. Impressive how much detail is provided on the mobile app. I spend the real money on flight lessons.
 
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X-Plane is better at simulating actual flying. MSFS has better scenery.
 
Forgot to mention, I know the X-plane will interface with ForeFlight to use it with the sim.

And if you want to simulate G1000 cockpit, X-plane works with the Simionic G1000 PFD and MFD simulators on iPads.
 
I flew cargo for over 30 years and retired last December. When I got the flying bug after three months I went to my local airport and met with several CFIs. I told them to not be intimidated by my heavy jet time. My criteria was I want to be safe. I also didn’t put an hour number on my checkout. After five flights he signed me off in a Warrior and a 172. The thing that helped me the most was a lot of touch and gos. The pitch attitude on touchdown would be a major tail strike in a 767. Go out and fly and have fun doing! My .02. Fly Safely!
 
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