I just started using my AFPD simulator and I love it, but I keep losing my orientation to the field. When I come down for landing I am seldom in the right position relative to the landing strip. Any suggestions?

Mike H.

Hi.. Here are a few tips hope they help....
You have to fly lower!!! Keep ground based objects in view at the bottom of the screen. This will help let you know where you are. Pay attention to the cloud formations at the end of runways. Unlike clouds in real life they don’t move, so the can give you a clue as to where the runway is if you are too high for a ground based reference. Stick with the same flying site till you get some time on one field and learn your way around. You’ll catch on. It just takes some stick time. bert

The cloud tip is a good one. Computer simulators' lack of peripheral vision - the awareness of what's around us and where we are standing that we have in the real world - is a big drawback. I'm really surprised that all flight sims don't have a "Glance Key" on the keyboard that you could tap to momentarily get your bearings. Just the ability to shift the camera view down towards where you (the pilot) are virtually standing for a split second would completely solve this problem. Maybe some of them do.

How about a small overlay window with a top down "radar" view? Pointing out pilot location and model location (and heading possibly). Something like that would be very usefull.

HI ... Again

Keep in mind the limitations of the sims has a benefit in that the first thing it teaches you is that � You fly the plane .. The plane doesn’t fly you� You have to learn to stay ahead of the plane and make it go exactly were you want it to go. On the sim practice keeping the plane in a very small “box� right out in front of you If your sim has an indoor site master flying in there and the outside fields will come a little easier.

Reflex will display flight data altitude heading and speed and I find it is not necessary or of much help when flying.


bert

AFPD also displays heading, speed, RPM's, FPS, etc.

Jim

Thanks for the suggestions. PRACTICE DOES HELP. Can't beat the 3 second repair job between crash and new flight. I've been away from flying for seven years and took my old reliable Kaos with over 200 flights on it out a couple of weeks ago and totaled it after about 30 seconds of flight. Still don't know what I did exactly, but I thought I should get in some simulator time before I tried my Hog Bipe. Like the guy who sold me my first simulator 12 years ago said, " If it saves you one plane it's paid for itself".

I was/am using the humble FMS and found it quite helpful to use a field that is surrounded by mountains. Some buildings or tall trees might give a similar boost to orientation.

AFPD has PiP. When you are in the flying screen on the top(just move your mouse and the Title bar will show all the menus) #2 View can be set to chase mode and you can see EXACTLY where you are at all times and the planes orientation. Hope it helps, I found it by playing with all the stuff.

G3 has exactly that. Just tap down on the arrow keys if I remember right.