Jay Honeck writes:

Uh oh, we've crossed an existential barrier here that is becoming
fuzzier all the time. When will virtual reality become
indistinguishable from "reality"?

It's all a matter of degree and context. Dreams often seem completely
real ... until you wake up.

Are your experiences in the sim valid, if they precisely reproduce
reality? Yes, in many respects, they are.

If they precisely produce one aspect of reality, they are identical to
reality for that aspect. That's a fundamental principle of
simulation, although it is one that many people have trouble
understanding.

However, as good as MSFS is, it simply does NOT precisely reproduce
reality, especially in the standard simmer's set up.

Which part of reality? And which reality? General aviation?
Airliners? Helicopters?

I don't know what kind of computer rig you're running flight sim on,
but from past posts I am presuming a standard PC with a joystick.

Yes. An average PC with a joystick and throttle quadrant, and pedals.

I can guarantee you that this is not a valid reproduction of flight, and
therefore invalidates your advice and observations on many aspects of
flight.

Which aspect of flight does it fail to reproduce? Your general
statement is neither valid nor invalid, because it is too general.

That said, you *might* be a good source of knowledge regarding IFR
procedures, depending on how religiously you reproduce the
experience.

I'm very diligent.

As many people have pointed out, a sim is an excellent
IFR trainer, as IFR flight is closer to "programming" than real flying
in many phases of flight.

An IFR flight is much closer to flying a jet airliner than VFR flight
is. Flying a jet airliner in commercial service is pressing VNAV and
LNAV at 2000 feet.

It won't, however, allow you to comment on the IFR flight experience
itself, since you can't possibly reproduce the "leans" that you get
when flying in the clouds, nor can you feel the actual emotional
release you get when you break out at minimums.

Actually, I know the former sensation, because it occurs in ordinary
airliners--the passengers feel exactly the same sensations as the
pilots, since they are in the same aircraft.

Basically, your contentions are invalid, and will be invalid until you
are able to afford a more advanced full-motion simulator. And even
THEN many of your observations will be invalid, simply because it's
not real.

The irony is that many people make invalid observations even after
having flown a real aircraft. It's just not that simple. Flying in a
real aircraft is not magic, and it's not the huge barrier or partition
that many people here like to believe.

--
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