Flight training

[Sean_Smith11]

Hello All,

 

My name is Sean and I will be beginning my flight training in a month or so, Is there anyway I can possibly prepare ahead of time for flight lessons?

 

Thanks again,

 

Sean :-)

 

 

[Camel]

Yes right here, enjoy reading. http://www.recreationalflying.com/tutorials/

 

 

[facthunter]

If you have decided on which school you are using get their recommended references and If you need to fill in time read "Flight Without Formulea" By Kermode Nev

 

 

[Butch]

Hi Sean,

 

If you have a computer get yourself a flight sim for the aircraft you will be flying.

 

It helped me to get familiar with the cockpit layout and the basic control operation.

 

You can practice and get a mind set of what to expect when you start instruction.

 

Good luck and enjoy ! Remember to relax and take one step at a time, before you know it you will be off on your first solo flight.

 

cheers Butch

 

 

[Pearo]

Hi Sean,If you have a computer get yourself a flight sim for the aircraft you will be flying.

It helped me to get familiar with the cockpit layout and the basic control operation.

 

You can practice and get a mind set of what to expect when you start instruction.

 

Good luck and enjoy ! Remember to relax and take one step at a time, before you know it you will be off on your first solo flight.

 

cheers Butch

It also teaches you to fly by instruments, which is a bad thing.

 

 

[recflyer]

Hello All,My name is Sean and I will be beginning my flight training in a month or so, Is there anyway I can possibly prepare ahead of time for flight lessons?

Thanks again,

 

Sean :-)

Gday! Great work on starting.

 

I guess if you are super keen:

 

- buy the ground training manual and read that.

 

- ask the school for a copy of their checklist they use for the aircraft (if it varies from the pilots operating handbook version)

 

-ask the school for their standard radio calls and practise a few

 

- learn the phonetic alphabet (if you don't know it already)

 

-watch youtube videos of people flying the type you are going to fly (noting your school procedures taught may be different)

 

-talk to previous students from your school who have trained with the same instructor and get lessons learnt from them.

 

- read the syllabus and be prepared for every lesson

 

Someone once said that the aircraft is a terrible classroom so practice everything you can on the ground first.

 

Most of all enjoy your flying!

 

 

[Jabiru Phil]

Someone once said that the aircraft is a terrible classroom so practice everything you can on the ground first.

 

Most of all enjoy your flying!

 

Couldn't agree more.

 

Practice your radio calls in the car to and from work.

 

i.e downwind, base final etc . This will save you time and cash opposed to leaning it at $$$ hour in the air.

 

Good luck with your adventure, it's a great sport and character builder.

 

Cheers.

 

 

[Butch]

It also teaches you to fly by instruments, which is a bad thing.

What a load of bulls!t,

 

Commercial airlines use flight Sims to train and practice all forms of flight simulation.

 

The whole point of using a flight sim is to familiarize yourself with the aircrafts characteristics, cockpit layout , take off , landing, and the ability to replicate aircraft flight at a low cost.

 

Why pay $200 an hour to have your instructor tell you where the altimeter , Tacho, etc,etc. is when you can practice at home on your computer.

 

You wont learn to fly a real aircraft on a sim but you can take the parts you need to learn and practice and save that for when you are at the controls, you soon learn to differentiate between the real thing and what you have learnt and practiced on your flight sim.

 

Just my opinion!

 

 

[Ada Elle]

Commercial airlines use flight Sims to train and practice all forms of flight simulation.The whole point of using a flight sim is to familiarize yourself with the aircrafts characteristics, cockpit layout , take off , landing, and the ability to replicate aircraft flight at a low cost.Why pay $200 an hour to have your instructor tell you where the altimeter , Tacho, etc,etc. is when you can practice at home on your computer.

1. Commercial airlines fly IFR. When I did some instrument training the instructor commented that I must have simmed before, because I was very comfortable flying by instruments only.

 

2. The takeoffs and landings are unrealistic, at least when comparing MSFSX to anything I've flown.

 

3. I don't know of any flying school that charges for engine-off briefing time (within reason).

 

 

[Butch]

1. Commercial airlines fly IFR. When I did some instrument training the instructor commented that I must have simmed before, because I was very comfortable flying by instruments only.2. The takeoffs and landings are unrealistic, at least when comparing MSFSX to anything I've flown.

 

3. I don't know of any flying school that charges for engine-off briefing time (within reason).

No ones saying that flight sims are 100% realistic , but you can learn a lot about the aircraft you are flying.

 

You can practice circuit calls , run up check lists , stall speeds and all of the things that have to become second nature if you are to fly safely.

 

At one stage I had to stop using my flight sim because I was using a joy stick with little rudder input and when flying the real aircraft my feet became lazy.

 

Its all about using the sim to practice the basics, and as I did if its not helping don't use it.

 

 

[Pearo]

What a load of bulls!t,Commercial airlines use flight Sims to train and practice all forms of flight simulation.

The whole point of using a flight sim is to familiarize yourself with the aircrafts characteristics, cockpit layout , take off , landing, and the ability to replicate aircraft flight at a low cost.

 

Why pay $200 an hour to have your instructor tell you where the altimeter , Tacho, etc,etc. is when you can practice at home on your computer.

 

You wont learn to fly a real aircraft on a sim but you can take the parts you need to learn and practice and save that for when you are at the controls, you soon learn to differentiate between the real thing and what you have learnt and practiced on your flight sim.

 

Just my opinion!

Ask any instructor about a student who flies with sims. Not my word. In fact, I was encouraged to avoid the sim when I was learning to fly.

 

And I have logged time in a CASA approved synthetic trainer, for instrument training.

 

As for paying to see where the altimeter and tacho, when I started training I was paying them to cover up the instruments.

 

 

[Ada Elle]

You can practice circuit calls , run up check lists , stall speeds and all of the things that have to become second nature if you are to fly safely. At one stage I had to stop using my flight sim because I was using a joy stick with little rudder input and when flying the real aircraft my feet became lazy. Its all about using the sim to practice the basics, and as I did if its not helping don't use it.

You can practice all of those without a flight sim.

 

You know what a flight sim is really good for? Instrument navigation. Even there it doesn't simulate how crappy some of the navaids are (both on the ground and in the air)

 

 

[Kununurra]

Now back to the subject of welcoming a new person to not only our forum but aviation in general ✈️

 

 

[Ada Elle]

Welcome Sean, it's great to see some young people! Why is your first lesson in a month and not, for example, this weekend?

 

 

[Sean_Smith11]

Welcome Sean, it's great to see some young people! Why is your first lesson in a month and not, for example, this weekend?

I Would love to be flying this weekend, But with our current financial situation we just can't afford it!

 

 

[Narrabeenrick]

What a load of bulls!t,Commercial airlines use flight Sims to train and practice all forms of flight simulation.

The whole point of using a flight sim is to familiarize yourself with the aircrafts characteristics, cockpit layout , take off , landing, and the ability to replicate aircraft flight at a low cost.

 

Why pay $200 an hour to have your instructor tell you where the altimeter , Tacho, etc,etc. is when you can practice at home on your computer.

 

You wont learn to fly a real aircraft on a sim but you can take the parts you need to learn and practice and save that for when you are at the controls, you soon learn to differentiate between the real thing and what you have learnt and practiced on your flight sim.

 

Just my opinion!

I would have to agree with you Butch, I am a student pilot with only 21hrs dual, I was told before I started with my lessons by the flight school to get a sim.

 

I love it can can't believe anyone wouldn't get one. I only go for a lesson once a month. I video every flight with a gopro I watch it each time before I go up for a lesson and run through the lesson in the sim. I was practice my run ups ,take offs, circuits, stalls , pre landing checks and landings on the sim, VERY HELPFUL ! {for me} With the length of time between my lessons the sim is fantastic.

 

At the moment I'm practicing PFL, running through all of the immediate actions and picking a landing area, as all you guys know there is so much the remember and do for a forced landing and for a student pilot it is a lot to take in, the sim just helps to remember and get a bit more fluid in your checklist run-throughs and reactions. Obviously this is just my opinion but from a student perspective.

 

 

[Butch]

Thanks Narrabeen rick,

 

I was 55 when I started flight instruction , for 12 months before I practiced on MSFX flight sim. It has a whole set of tutorials on how to fly a Cessna 172 starting from take-off through to landing.

 

I was instructed in a Tecnam but all the basic principles of flying a 172 helped me to focus on the hands on part of flying as I was familiar with what makes this machine fly and only had to adapt to the Tecnam layout.

 

I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but still managed to solo in under 8 hrs.

 

As you pointed out its not about flying the real aircraft its about getting your head around all the procedures and feeling comfortable, you cant always afford to be doing instruction with a CFI in the right seat,

 

cheers Butch

 

 

[Sean_Smith11]

Thanks Narrabeen rick,I was 55 when I started flight instruction , for 12 months before I practiced on MSFX flight sim. It has a whole set of tutorials on how to fly a Cessna 172 starting from take-off through to landing.

I was instructed in a Tecnam but all the basic principles of flying a 172 helped me to focus on the hands on part of flying as I was familiar with what makes this machine fly and only had to adapt to the Tecnam layout.

 

I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but still managed to solo in under 8 hrs.

 

As you pointed out its not about flying the real aircraft its about getting your head around all the procedures and feeling comfortable when you cant always afford to be doing instruction with a CFI in the right seat,

 

cheers Butch

Cheers Butch, My CFI agrees that flight simulators help with flight instruction, He also notices a large difference between the people who have "Played" Microsoft simulator and those who have not, That need to be taught basic names of instruments e.g The altimeter!

Thanks,

 

Sean

 

 

[Sean_Smith11]

Gday! Great work on starting.I guess if you are super keen:

 

- buy the ground training manual and read that.

 

- ask the school for a copy of their checklist they use for the aircraft (if it varies from the pilots operating handbook version)

 

-ask the school for their standard radio calls and practise a few

 

- learn the phonetic alphabet (if you don't know it already)

 

-watch youtube videos of people flying the type you are going to fly (noting your school procedures taught may be different)

 

-talk to previous students from your school who have trained with the same instructor and get lessons learnt from them.

 

- read the syllabus and be prepared for every lesson

 

Someone once said that the aircraft is a terrible classroom so practice everything you can on the ground first.

 

Most of all enjoy your flying!

Cheers Recflyer (Sorry I don't know your real name) Just a quick beginners questions, Why do you need the phonetic in general aviation, Also Do you have any radio Calls I can practice for example? (Training at a uncontrolled Airport)

 

 

[recflyer]

This link will have some guidance on the standard radio calls and the phonetic alphabet.

 

http://www.recreationalflying.com/tutorials/comms/index.html

 

The reason I recommend that you get the radio calls from the school is that they might have their own way they like to do radio calls and there will be no confusion when you do your first lessons if you learn the schools standard calls.

 

Adam

 

 

[Ada Elle]

Cheers Recflyer (Sorry I don't know your real name) Just a quick beginners questions, Why do you need the phonetic in general aviation, Also Do you have any radio Calls I can practice for example? (Training at a uncontrolled Airport)

The phonetic alphabet is designed so that no two words are easily confused on the radio; if you simply spell, there isn't much difference between D and T, but there is a lot of difference between delta and tango.

 

Airfields are different in their local customs; I think the base call is universal, but downwind and final calls vary by the busyness of the area and whether CTAF is shared with anyone else.

 

 

[ev17ifly2]

Cheers Recflyer (Sorry I don't know your real name) Just a quick beginners questions, Why do you need the phonetic in general aviation, Also Do you have any radio Calls I can practice for example? (Training at a uncontrolled Airport)

Sean, I would be guided by your instructor when it comes to your radio work in relation to non towered airports.

 

The information given by Ada Elle is not exactly correct so I would seek clarification from an instructor

 

 

[ev17ifly2]

By the way, airports don't have local customs.

 

 

[Ada Elle]

By the way, airports don't have local customs.

They kinda do.

 

The CAR has a MUST requirement:

 

The pilot must make a broadcast that includes the following information whenever it is reasonably necessary to do so to avoid a collision, or the risk of a collision, with another aircraft:

The AIP has a SHOULD requirement:

 

21.1.14.1 Pilots operating at, or in the vicinity of non--controlled aerodromeswhere the carriage of radio is mandatory should always monitor

the CTAF and broadcast their intentions at least in accordance

 

with the minimum calls set out in the table below (Summary of

 

broadcasts -- All aircraft at non--controlled aerodromes). Pilots

 

should also make additional broadcasts when considered necessary to minimise any risk of collision (CAR 166 C (2)).

at uncertified aerodromes (which includes many of the ones that we fly out of), the AIP has a 'this would be a good idea' sentence:

 

21.1.14.2 At aerodromes where the carriage of radio is not mandatory, good

airmanship dictates that pilots of radio--equipped aircraft would

 

also monitor the radio and broadcast their intentions in accordance with the minimum calls in the table below

However, in busy CTAF areas, the ERSA may say something like this (for YCNK, for example):

 

Pilots should limit radio transmissions in the circuit to those necessary to provide trafficinformation and separation. Broadcast with intentions turning base is recommended.

I always broadcast inbound, joining, and base, which are the three semi-mandatory calls. At some aerodromes which are busy but not super busy, will also broadcast downwind and final (helps people look for you and remind you that you are there) but this is guided by local procedure (eg when I did a lesson at Bathurst they were very keen on downwind and final).

 

 

[Pearo]

By the way, airports don't have local customs.

Perhaps custsoms was a bad word by Ada Elle, but they can have local regulations which are typically stated in ERSA.