Tutorials on Flying

I have been using the FSX lessons to learn how to fly. I had cheated in order to pass the Private Pilot License by editing its script.

It was too frustrating to fail without knowing the reason for failing. It was due to my lack of understanding of the terms used in the test. The previous lessons didn't help much partly because we can pass without knowing everything.

Recently I tried the lessons in FS9 as well and I notice that their scripts are the same. I transfered my edited PPL for FSX to FS9 without any problem. It is necessary so that my daughter can use the same script as well.

FSX cannot run on a normal notebook equipped with standard graphics card even with the lowest graphics settings. With FS9, it is possible to run with frames per second locked to 10 frames per second, the lowest setting. I was able to set other graphics parameters to the highest settings.

After listening the lesson instructions more carefully, the most important message was to adjust pitch for speed and power for angle of descent. This is opposite to what I had been doing previously. After changing to this method, flying has become much easier. All flight simulator pilots should take note of this.

Another revelation was that attitude is the most important aspect to remember. Climbing is at 80 knots with a positive pitch. Power should be full but pitch adjusted in order to achieve this speed. This nose high attitude makes it difficult to see in front of the pilot.

The most important purpose of flaps is to lower this pitch so that we can see the runway more clearly. Speed must be maintained at 80 knots on landing at a vertical speed of minus 500 foot per second. (Better change to foot per second because FSX tutorials are all in imperial units instead of metric.) When descending, lower power setting to about 1600 RPM, and adjust pitch until speed is at 80 knots.

This has just been reminded to me by a tutorial that comes with flightgear. I was directed to this webpage http://www.flightgear.org/Docs/Tutorials/circuit/index.html, from flight_simulator_tutorial.html in docs directory of flightgear installation directory. The author is Curtis L. Olson.

Olson recommends slightly different settings for landing and climbing. 70 knots for climbing and landing, and at 1500 RPM for descending. He is flying at Canadian air space.

I have mastered the VOR and ILS flying but have difficulty with the Instrument Flight Check Ride. I was asked to do a holding pattern based on the chart on a miss-approach, or going around as the tester announces it. The lessons previously implies that the holding pattern that must be held should be around a VOR but the miss-approach precedure indicated by the chart does not indicate a VOR, but labelled as 5.8 SEA( SEA is the name of a VOR that is used by the airport for landing procedures).

The technique for VOR flying is actually simple. The VOR setting called OBS, is actually the heading that we want to go to the VOR. If you set the OBS to 0 degree, it means that the desired heading is 0 or 360 degrees. This is the line of sight from the plane to the VOR, not the direction that the nose of the plane is heading.

If the indicator points to the right, it means that the VOR is to the right. We must intercept by going to the right of 0 degree heading, not to the current heading of the plane. The fastest way to intercept is at 90 degree heading, for a desired 0 degree VOR approach. The trouble is that, it will also overshoot fastest.

As we get near to the VOR as indicated by the DME, we should not intercept at the highest angle, but at just a few degrees. If we are at 1 nm from the VOR, we should intercept at the most, 5 degree heading, i.e. 5 degree to the right of the desired VOR setting.

For the ILS GS(Glide Slope). We only need to maintain a vertical speed of minus 500 fps or whatever the recommended vertical speed is by adjusting power.

I am still learning but it is getting easier. I have managed to get hold of a few books. These books appear to recommend using GPS for the landing. Without GPS, we need to use the stop watch in order to maintain the holding pattern as taught by the lessons in FS9 and FSX.