Flight Simulator now being used by flight instructors

"Angus Lepper" wrote in message
...
It may be being used, but it is not certified for use. I.E you can't log
flight hours in it. As far as I could tell, I couldn't be bothered reading
it all. There is no point in it being reccomended if it really doesn't
count
towards your PPL, IFR or anything else!

Well, If it shortens the amount of dual time required it counts. It also
counts if its flexible and fun, meaning you will probably use it more thus
learn more. I use FS9 all the time to stay IFR/VFR sharp. The truth is
that it's a pretty good program with tons of aftermarket support and a lot
of depth and flexibility. It has plenty of problems, but I've seen much
worse problems in programs that pretend not to be entertainment packages.

Here is another example of flight schools using FS9
http://www.realairsimulations.com/ These guys have a free 172 model for
FS9 that is very accurate. Another add-on is Reality XP's Garmin 500 series
GPS trainer ported from Garmins own trainer. FS9 has the same GPS built in,
but some of the features got lost in translation.

I keep learning new tricks I can do with FS that really help me stay
current. I have a lot of saved flight situations in categories like
emergencies, approaches, holds, basic skills, etc. The saved flights have
notes as I load them. I run through these from time to time, then when I
fly for real, it pays off as it did during a recent IPC. Just my 2. Each
to there own. ... Aaron

What has changed between FS 2002 and FS 2004? I'm particularly
interested in IFR and ATC changes. I've heard that FS 2004 is even more
of a dog performance-wise than FS 2002--true?

--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.

You can change to IFR inflight, change your destination and request
different altitudes (based on 1,000 feet increments) by a simple menu
command. This feature alone is worth the upgrade, IMHO - No more
"call sign, your IFR flight plan is terminated..." which used to
really irritate me.

It takes a hit, but if you play with the settings it'll get where you
want it, performance wise. I've heard some say it runs faster for
them.

On Wed, 22 Oct 2003 23:50:32 +0200, Mxsmanic
wrote:

What has changed between FS 2002 and FS 2004? I'm particularly
interested in IFR and ATC changes. I've heard that FS 2004 is even more
of a dog performance-wise than FS 2002--true?

George Lewis writes:

You can change to IFR inflight, change your destination and request
different altitudes (based on 1,000 feet increments) by a simple menu
command. This feature alone is worth the upgrade, IMHO - No more
"call sign, your IFR flight plan is terminated..." which used to
really irritate me.

Cool.

Is it possible to define your own flight plans in some simple way, by
specifying waypoints and altitudes? I've always wanted to include
departure plates in my IFR flight plans, but changing the flight plans
by hand to insert the necessary waypoints and stuff is really tedious
(in FS 2002).

It takes a hit, but if you play with the settings it'll get where you
want it, performance wise. I've heard some say it runs faster for
them.

Faster as compared to FS 2002?

--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.

yes and yes.

compared to FS2002, I have heard some say that FS2004 was faster. I
personally didn't experience this, but I started with the full
graphics to "see what my setup could handle" but I was able to make
adjustments and I'm usually in the 30fps locked rate. I have a 2.8 P4
with 1GB ram but only a GF4 card - one of those MX ones. I'm wanting
to get a GeForce FX 5600 ultra or an ATI Radeon card but that won't be
happening for a while yet.

You can select open an IFR flight plan from the ATC menu and then
it'll take you to the flight planner (the same one you use before
starting a flight). when you are done, it will ask you if you want to
move your airplane to the departure airport? just say NO and your GPS,
etc is all set. Just get your clearence from ATC and you're all set.
I imagine you could also just go to the flight planner while in VFR
flight and setup a VFR flight plan and again say NO when asked to be
moved to the departure airport. It should put you back where you left
off, but your GPS should have all that stuff programmed in for you.

On Thu, 23 Oct 2003 07:20:21 +0200, Mxsmanic
wrote:

George Lewis writes:

You can change to IFR inflight, change your destination and request
different altitudes (based on 1,000 feet increments) by a simple menu
command. This feature alone is worth the upgrade, IMHO - No more
"call sign, your IFR flight plan is terminated..." which used to
really irritate me.

Cool.

Is it possible to define your own flight plans in some simple way, by
specifying waypoints and altitudes? I've always wanted to include
departure plates in my IFR flight plans, but changing the flight plans
by hand to insert the necessary waypoints and stuff is really tedious
(in FS 2002).

It takes a hit, but if you play with the settings it'll get where you
want it, performance wise. I've heard some say it runs faster for
them.

Faster as compared to FS 2002?