OK, I am not a total newbie; I used to fly sailplanes when I was a kid, because they were all I could afford back then.

I am building an LT-40; about 85% done. When I go to the HS to get more airplane parts, I always make it a point to play with the flight simulator (G2, I think). I can fly the aiplanes on the sim semi-well, but someone please explain to me why I find it much easier to fly the aerobatic airplanes (Cap 232 and especially the Super Skybolt) than the sim's PT-40 trainer?

Yeah, the Skybolt and the other aerobats are a lot faster than the PT-40, but that's easy to manage - just stay out of the throttle. Give a little throttle and elevator in your turns to counteract the drop in altitude and mix in some rudder with the aileron and the Skybolt seems to go right where I point it. Of course, I am not trying 3-D yet. And the Ultimate is a handful, at any speed.

So where am I going wrong??

It's probably because the more advanced Airplanes go where you point them... And simply can do more...

You think you are flying better because you can change directions faster etc...

In reality you will also change directions faster although there is a good chance if you start with an Extra, CAP etc... you will hit the ground really fast...

Although everyone will disagree... The facts is "Sims" are actually "Sims" Simulations of reality, NOT reality...

They are good for a taste but you need to experience the real thing so to speak...

Once you can fly the Areobatic Airplanes are a lot nicer to fly than a Trainer... But far less forgiving...

Get the Trainer finsihed and have a go...

Matt

Actually the bigger ones are easy to fly, just intimidating.

I put 10 scale on the mustang it was cool. I spent a whole week before solo on the sim. It helped alot after the first night. But after the week it taught some bad habits. One thing is the flaring on landing you stall alot easier in real life.

I think my sim is good for my 'directional dyslexia', but beyond that, it is just a video game. I hate that I can't see the runway. I have reflex XTR.

The primary relationship in flying is among the pilot, the bird, and the wind. You can't get that on a simulater. Reality is the only thing that truly works, teaches. The simulator CAN give you basic instincts: the reversals of controls, coming and going, up and down, inverted flight, but where is the discipline of commanding the complexities in simulated flight? Remember to put your transmitter on the bird number you're flying. Remember to extend your aerial. Check all the mechanics and electrical components.

In simulated flight, all that is done for you, and just focuses on control inputs. The reality is where the rubber hits the road--and a dumb thumb loses you--not a space bar replacement--but hard cash down the tubes. You can crash a "simulated" bird without cost. In reality you pay the big bucks.

All the more reason to start with a nice and easy, and hopefully good value plane when you start flying.

Don't worry, I plan to go the slow and steady route: finish the Kadet (need yet another roll of MonoHide) re-learn with an instructor as a total newbie, etc.. I realize that a simulator is limited at best.

But I did not crash the Skybolts and other aerobats, (except for the Ultimate, which was a handful) while I had a harder time with the PT-40. I found their parkfiler almost unfliable. Go figure.

Once you've got the basics down, the various "second plane" choices are, in fact, easier to fly than a trainer. Because the trainer is trying to "help". When you're learning, that stability and tendancy to seek straight and level flight on it's own helps.

Once you can easily establish straight and level on your own, in any direction and any location you want, then the planes that go where you point them become easier to fly. Learning how to get your fingers to do the right thing to get from straight and level in to a turn, through the turn, then back to straight and level, and learning to take off and land is what trainers are for, after all.

Of course, more acrobatic planes often have faster control response as well, and travel faster as you noticed, so that can make up for the improvements in the "go where you want it" factor. I've noticed that (at least some) sims don't seem to model the effects of slowing down quite right. Throttleing back works to a point on many planes, but there are cases where throttling back and flyign slower makes the plane sluggesh and hard to handle in the turns a lot sooner than you might expect.

Also, keep in mind that every sim I've tried or heard about makes it much easier to take off than in reality, and "different" to land than reality.

Depending on how much glider flying you did, and how well you flew the glider, you might, in fact, find the LT-40 overly easy. Were you able to thermal as long as you wanted, or slope as long as you wanted? Or was it launch and land type flying? IMHO, keeping a glider up in thermals, and the energy management involved is harder than flying an LT-40 around the patch.

Don't underestimate the fun factor of an LT40! Its great fun seeing that big trainer hang straight up in the air on the prop and then slowly tun one way, stop and then have it slowly turn the other way at 3/4 throttle. Then throtlle up, level out and start flying again! [8D]

One thing too about the sims is that you don't have the fear factor that have can have while flying the real plane. You're out on the flight line flying the real thing, there's people behind you watching you fly, and then you make a critical error, and there's no space bar to re-start the plane. ARRGHH!!! Sims do help a lot though. They can give you some confidence and that is what a lot of people are lacking when it comes to flying.

I have yet to see a plane on a simulator that fly's like the real thing. Some of the simulators are good for the basics, like figuring out which way to move the sticks, etc. However most all the planes on the simulators I have used have a tendancy to float much more so than real planes do.

Sim's are good for eye hand coordination,they pitted children ages 10 through 15 against the military with those laser tag guns kids beat them hands down they attributed it to video games that the children were playing.Ive taught my 7 year old daughter to fly on a LT60 she learned on a simulator because it was difficult for me to get her to understand the relationship of the airplane coming at her as opposed to going away.you are right though there is nothing like the real thing and we all have crashed once or twice I'm sure.all forms of learning cat add to experience.

We have a couple of copies of the new G3 Real Flight sim, and i aggree, its nothing more than a 'feel' for the sport, rather than a simulation of the real thing. It does help new people into the habbit of which fingers do what, and how a plane will react accordingly.. but you can't factor in a changing wind direction, or any form of naturally occuring interference. The other problem i have foudn with it is that, landings are totally off reality, in both glide speed/pattern and also sight, and sight once its further than the distance between you and the runway becomes stupid with some of the smaller planes. Its good for fun but don't rely on it... and don't be fooled, its a lot mroe predictable to fly a real plane.