Hey Gang,



today I was invited to have a test fly at the local RC Meet.


I was hooked up with an instructor and given control once airborne of their plane.


After weeks and weeks on a sim it all paid off as I took control of an RC Plane for the first time ever and it was just as the sim simulated it to be.


Nothing felt strange or out of place as all the moves I performed worked out correctly with the sim.


So, i must stress to budding pilots who are tossing a coin about whether to get a sim or not.


DO IT..........You will not regret it.




Eng

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Years ago my son Matt, who was about 15, was ready to solo after three flights. He did not have sim time per se but was a big time video gamer who had spent a lot of time flying a Top Gun aerial combat game. (Sims back than had wire stick aircraft and were not very impressive.)

Club instructor said all those hours of game time must have given him great eye hand coordination.

Glad the sim is helping you have magic thumbs.

Tom

When I take on a new student I send him home with my sim, a G-2. They tend to help some people more then others. I see nothing about the sim that is anything like really flying but it gives a person more understanding of stick control so they know what stick does what. My younger students are all like Toms son, they were borne with a joy stick of some kind in there hands, my older students still take a lot of stick time on the buddy box. To date I have never had a student go out and buy a sim, after a while they just sit under the computer and collect dust. Mine only sees daylight when I'm learning a new stunt so I can get my brain working with my fingers. Instead of buying one there are a lot of club members that will loan there sims out to new people, other people have mine a lot more then I do. Good tool yes, go out and buy one no.

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While the simulator is a good tool to use for training, it should in no way be considered an instructor tool. I have seen many people use the simulator before ever contacting an instructor and often they will pick up and develop bad habits from the simulator. Often times these bad habits will have to be "un-learned" when an instructor is contacted. Don't get me wrong, I think that the simulator is a great tool to help decrease the training time needed when learning to fly. But this must be done properly It should be used to PRACTICE skills that are taught each training session. When done in this manner it is indeed a cheap and safe way to practice these new skills. </p>

There are some things that most simulators aren't as accurate on as in real life, and these differences can often times give new pilots a false sense of security as to what they are capable of. A simulator is nothing more than a teaching tool, just like a buddy box is. It has a specific set of circumstances where it's use is applicable and it needs to be used properly like any other tool.</p>

Here's a list of some of the "bad" habits one can develop:
1) Failing to keep the plane straight during takeoff run.
2) Climbing out too steep.
3) Not maintaining a constant altitude while turning.
4) Turns that aren't smooth, too sharp, etc.
5) Forgetting that there is a left stick.
6) Not lining up with the runway during landing approach.
7) Using ailerons instead of rudder to make course corrections when landing.
8) Using the elevator to extend the landing when you realize you're short.
9) Failure to learn the signs that a plane is about to stall, and what to do to avoid it, or recover from it. </p>

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The sim is NOT</p><ul><ul/>[/list]</font>

Going to teach you how to tune your engine </p>

Going to teach you how to correct fuel system problems </p>

Going to teach you how to set up your linkages </p>

Going to show you about lateral inbalance and surface warp </p>

Going to locate errors in assembly </p>

Going to teach you how to maiden a plane </p>

Going to trim out your plane </p>

Going to simulate other flyers at the field </p>

Going to blow a hard gust of air at your plane at just the wrong time </p>

Going to simulate that hard sink thermal just off the runway threshold, though doable in G4 </p>

Going to have a bird come out and attack your plane in the air </p>

Going to give you the weak knees you'll get the first time you fly

Going to throw a bug in your face and the sun glare in your eyes at the wrong time</p>

I really do like the pop up new plane though!!!! That's saved me a lot of time and money!! The new sims are a lot better then mine too and getting better with each new model.

G5 allows settings for gusts of winds. You can set frequency and wind speed.

thanks for the replies.<div>
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</div><div>I have to agree with all comments above.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>For me, the sim gave me a slight sense of the physics involved in the control of the craft.</div><div>
</div><div>I completely agree in having a human instructor involved as I did as a computer will never show you the finer points.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>But I still have to give credit to it from the perspective of novice pilot who has never controlled an RC Plane before.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>Cheers</div><div>
</div><div>E</div>

I agree sims are great! That's how I learned to flyand you really don't need an instructor.. Yes It can be done! Old school way is you have to have one but most of the new pilots I know have never used one.. Bad habbits? Most guys I know have some bad habbits including the old timers..lol Just have fun! Tuning an engine? Read the manual.

The SIM is what you make it, a TOY or a TOOL. Depends on the person useing it what you get it to do,(learning or playing) I love mine

This is why I loan my sim to all of my new students. I want them to know what the sticks do before they are on the box. It's hard for someone to understand the sticks only need to be moved a little bit to make the plane respond so new students tend to over control. Sims have there place in the hobby and I really like them. I just wouldn't have anyone go out and spend the money on one when there are so many of us that will loan them out. When I got G-2 my old basic instructor had me buy G-2 lite then down loaded all of his upgrades. It was the cheap way to go. It worked for a long time until something happened to my puter and I lost it all. G-2 lite is still all a new student needs though for normal use. I do crash a lot trying different things so the Sim is a cheap way to go before I try it something with a plane and it is a big help to students. I do question the high price though.

One thing is it alway's Helps to have a man that can help in a pinch Where were we with out the PC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Doing quite well and even better without the cell phone!!!

Yes it is great to have a go to guy in a pinch. Between my LHS, this forum and the guys at my club I can pretty much find an answer and get advise when needed. Old school ornew school, it doesn't matter as long as we all end up flying and having fun. I did have an instructorcheck outandmaiden my first plane for me though...</p>

The Idea is to help each other. Any way that is what I thought this hobby is all about. Man how times have changed in the last few years

I had my basic instructor and my advanced instructors doing the maidens for me for a very long time. It just freaked me out having a new plane and gear, knees shaking, sweat on my fore head. Then one day my advanced instructor couldn't do it any longer and there was no one at the field I trusted better then myself. Today I enjoy maidens, I look forward to the surprises we sometimes get. I also enjoy the shakes and sweats I don't get flying my old planes.[8D]

You can not be as old as I thiught you were We are just KID'S

I kinda like the shaky knees also.lol Terrified but happy at the same time. lol

Just part of the HOBBY

I think it has changed for the better. While MANY people here on this forum believe you HAVEto have an instuctor because that's the way they had to do it, doesn't mean that sims don't work. Technology is a beautiful thing!We still help each other,old or young I don't think that will ever change.
If it wasn't for the sims I wouldn't be in this hobby. With my schedual it's almost impossible for me to get together with an instructor. I chose a sim, It worked and i'm flying.I continue to hone my skills by watching,talking to alot of people and asking questions.

I maidened my first sim.  Awesome.  <div>
</div><div>I maidened my first plane.  Awesome.</div><div>
</div><div>Yeah, you can practice trimming on the sim.  Simply whack the trim outrageously, "red button" a new plane and trim.  Do this to all models.  pretty fun stuff.  sure there are stuff that doesn't translate to real world.  But then again, u can't do stuff u in real life like u can in the sim, such as flying through yourself.  </div>

I actually had been struggling to learn to fly collective pitch heli's (6ch +) for almost a year and a half on my own before I was able to able to get Phoenix set up on my iMac at home.
After one week on the sim (and no heli time), my very next flight's performance on my 50 sized nitro 3d helicopter was like night and day ....... SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much easier and 'natural' in feel thanks to the sim time I was able to get over that week.
While I agree that they will NEVER replace stick time on a real aircraft, they do help while trying to master particular points, as I'd have had to win the lottery To pay for all the aircraft I have crashed in the sim if they'd have been real, and to date, since getting the sim, I have not had a single issue with what I have tried to do with my real aircraft (have a .61 powered fixed wing trainer now too).

In a nut shell, they are a FANTASTIC tool that pay for themselves in no time (re less crashes) if used correctly in accordance with their design purpose, and secondly, if you want to be a total clown and do stupid stuff with them should the mood arise ..... they are a total blast when I have a few friends over (and I'm pushing 40 too!!)