Consider it done. My instructor is currently out of state, and so I'm
between lessons. I don't "learn" much by simming, but I can practice what
I've learned (to an extent nearly beaten to death here).

There one real advantage to simming. I have had two attitude gyros die on
me, so far under bright VFR conditions. I set the sim for random instrument
and radio failures during my approach. That keeps your cross check honest.
It just isn't the same to slap a suction cup over an instrument. (I also
don't have those nagging worries about whether the guy who towed the plane
to the maintenance hangar exceeded the nosewheel turning angles, and whether
that new noise I hear is the nosegear falling off.)

I also use simming to anticipate new flights. If I am going to a new and
complicated airport, I will set the time of day and weather to my
anticipated arrival, and sim a few landings. This has proven to be an
excellent tool to use in addition to traditional flight planning.

I find the sim to be much more difficult to, er, "manipulate" (I dare not
say "fly" after reading the past posts) than the airplane.

Simming will never replicate the sheer exhilaration of controlling a machine
as it leaves the earth below and returns, but the other day watching the
snow out the window and the very same thing on the screen, I was truly
struck by how well an inexpensive program, with a few little additions, can
simulate the mechanical motions flying requires.


"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
...

Just do me a favor will you please? Don't go out and try to fly IFR with
all that "no instructor or safety pilot needed" simulator time in your log
book without getting some of that "instructor and safety pilot needed"
stuff as well.
Don't EVER be misled into believing that what you can do and what you see
on MSFS will replace the actual experience needed to safely fly the
airplane.
It's nice to enjoy MSFS, and God only knows I have even reviewed it for
its role in real world aviation and found it has many a useful purpose,
but MSFS will NEVER replace actual flight instruction and produce a safe
pilot, especially a safe instrument pilot.


--
Dudley Henriques
CFI/MVP2007 MSFS