I’ve gotten back into simming recently. Haven’t flown in years-using the sim to prepare for getting back into flying IRL. Setup is MSFS 2020, Honeycomb alpha/bravo, pedals, and an old joystick used for housekeeping buttons-views, headtracker controls etc. Have a GNS530 physical replica but plan to replace it with a better unit, and a physical radio stack. My space is very cramped, similar in feel to a real cockpit. Kneeboard strapped to my leg. No the sim won’t prepare you for the kinematics of real-world flight, but SO many things can be practiced to advantage, especially checklists and procedures. That said, the plane I’m using at the moment is the FSreborn Sting LSA, very similar to the Gobosh I learned in, and the flight characteristics are pretty good. in particular, a slip to landing works and feels exactly as I remember it! It also has a very faithful G3X which, being a touchscreen, goes a long way toward preparing you for the real buttonology and logic of Garmin glass. I also fly the steam-gauge Black Square Bonanza using the 530 (the Garmin most likely to be encountered IRL). The sim has really helped me learn the basics of these units. The thing that really changed simming for me is a new ATC app called Say Intentions. I flew on PilotEdge for a while, but it’s expensive and the controllers were, let’s say, a bit grumpy. (But highly recommended if you need serious radio help.) With Say Intentions, the sim is a reasonably realistic learning environment with a lot less radio fright. I research and prepare flights as I would IRL, start cold & dark on the ramp, run paper checklists, enter flight plans manually, copy down ATC instructions on the kneepad, change frequencies and squawk codes manually, look out at landmarks, keep my ears open for my callsign, practice moving through nav pages in flight, practice mental math for descents and such, practice patterns and pattern entries… not only learning but having fun as well! Much more to learn-VOR nav, IFR, etc. But for a low time sport pilot, what I’m doing now is good prep for getting back in the seat. Glad I found your podcast. Want to check out ChrisC as well. p.s. there is a highly regarded TBM 850 steam gauge model for MSFS 2020, from Black Square.
I’ve gotten back into simming recently. Haven’t flown in years-using the sim to prepare for getting back into flying IRL. Setup is MSFS 2020, Honeycomb alpha/bravo, pedals, and an old joystick used for housekeeping buttons-views, headtracker controls etc. Have a GNS530 physical replica but plan to replace it with a better unit, and a physical radio stack. My space is very cramped, similar in feel to a real cockpit. Kneeboard strapped to my leg.
No the sim won’t prepare you for the kinematics of real-world flight, but SO many things can be practiced to advantage, especially checklists and procedures. That said, the plane I’m using at the moment is the FSreborn Sting LSA, very similar to the Gobosh I learned in, and the flight characteristics are pretty good. in particular, a slip to landing works and feels exactly as I remember it! It also has a very faithful G3X which, being a touchscreen, goes a long way toward preparing you for the real buttonology and logic of Garmin glass. I also fly the steam-gauge Black Square Bonanza using the 530 (the Garmin most likely to be encountered IRL). The sim has really helped me learn the basics of these units.
The thing that really changed simming for me is a new ATC app called Say Intentions. I flew on PilotEdge for a while, but it’s expensive and the controllers were, let’s say, a bit grumpy. (But highly recommended if you need serious radio help.) With Say Intentions, the sim is a reasonably realistic learning environment with a lot less radio fright.
I research and prepare flights as I would IRL, start cold & dark on the ramp, run paper checklists, enter flight plans manually, copy down ATC instructions on the kneepad, change frequencies and squawk codes manually, look out at landmarks, keep my ears open for my callsign, practice moving through nav pages in flight, practice mental math for descents and such, practice patterns and pattern entries… not only learning but having fun as well!
Much more to learn-VOR nav, IFR, etc. But for a low time sport pilot, what I’m doing now is good prep for getting back in the seat.
Glad I found your podcast. Want to check out ChrisC as well. p.s. there is a highly regarded TBM 850 steam gauge model for MSFS 2020, from Black Square.
Hey could you post a link to ChrisC’s content?