Calling all sim users..

[Woofydawg]

Hi, I'm writing a thesis about sims for amateur pilots. If you use a sim I'd really appreciate your input, it's a super easy 10 question (multi guess) survey here: Flight Simulation for Australian Amateur Aviators Survey

 

Cheers, Ben

 

 

[trevorp]

Good luck in your survey, I would be interested what response you get.

 

I believe in simulators for use in training for years, and now days the technology has allowed them to be used in all sorts of industries for training. But unless they are generally worth 5 & 6 figure sum plus, they may not be up to standards expected to be called a simulator. Not to many $100k plus simulators for a rag and tube or a Jab etc.

 

For me, I have found helpful , but I understand a lot of people would not, that a fair priced desk top computer that if set up with a off the shelve flight sim programe with a few addons etc, can be used as a tool for certain phases of flight training and also for keeping certain memory type procedures refreshed in your mind. But only if you can treat it as such, and make sure your not introducing bad habit of incorrectness to your real flying. Cheers.

 

 

[Narrabeenrick]

Hi Woofy

 

I am a student pilot, I was told by my before I started with my lessons by the flight school to get a sim.

 

I love it and 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 practice my run ups ,take offs, circuits, stalls , pre landing checks, I run through the BUMPFISH checklist for landings on the sim, VERY HELPFUL ! With the length of time between my lessons the sim is fantastic.

 

I practicing engine failures on take-off, after take-off , Forced Landings, 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. I see a lot of negative comments about flights sims and I just don't get it !!! A flight sim used in conjunction with your normal lessons help to retain what you have just learnt. I cannot see how anyone could possibly say to a student pilot not to get a flight sim, I think we should use ALL!! tools at our disposal to

 

make us better/safer pilots.

 

Obviously this is just my opinion but from a student perspective.

 

Cheers

 

Rick

 

 

[Ayecapt]

Its fun but not the real thing,

 

 

[Ayecapt]

Hi WoofyI am a student pilot, I was told by my before I started with my lessons by the flight school to get a sim.

I love it and 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 practice my run ups ,take offs, circuits, stalls , pre landing checks, I run through the BUMPFISH checklist for landings on the sim, VERY HELPFUL ! With the length of time between my lessons the sim is fantastic.

 

I practicing engine failures on take-off, after take-off , Forced Landings, 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. I see a lot of negative comments about flights sims and I just don't get it !!! A flight sim used in conjunction with your normal lessons help to retain what you have just learnt. I cannot see how anyone could possibly say to a student pilot not to get a flight sim, I think we should use ALL!! tools at our disposal to

 

make us better/safer pilots.

 

Obviously this is just my opinion but from a student perspective.

 

Cheers

 

Rick

The thing about the sim is that you can put yourself into a situation. The key thing is however to be prepared for such a situation. Ie before take off , what is your plan for engine failure whist still on the ground, or just after the wheels break free or at 200'ft. These pre planned pre thought through scenarios can be practiced. But its not the flying you are practicing its the decision making and the pre planning thought process you practice before each stage of flight.

 

 

[cscotthendry]

Before I started real flying, I was building a full cockpit sim based on the Beechcraft Baron. I built and interfaced the controls and gauges. I credit the sim with helping me get familiar with what a final approach should look like. It also taught me a bit about radio procedures. Of course flying for real was quite different, but the sim gave me a head start on things.

 

Since I started real flying, the sim fell into disuse and I didn't finish building it. After a while, I disassembled it to reclaim the floor space.

 

 

[Romeo Juliet Whiskey]

Hi Ben, please let us know the results of your survey and thesis!

 

I think one of the biggest criticisms with home simulators was that people tended to fly using the instruments gauges rather than visually due to technological limits at the time. This taught people some bad habits that transferred over to their real life training. With TrackIR and now the arrival of virtual reality headsets this is no longer the case. I have an oculus rift and the immersion and realism is out of this world. Add a few add-ons such as your local airport and a $40+ airplane and you have a very realistic simulator.

 

Personally, I believe if you want to get the most out of your training and become a good pilot, as Rick stated above, then I would recommend having a home simulator with trackir or VR headset and a GoPro camera to review your flights before and after each lesson.

 

Rich

 

 

[Woofydawg]

Thanks all, I built a low cost sim for our local club its reconfigurable to many types. We edited the instrument panel and model texture to look the same as our club Tecnam P2002 trainer. We also tweaked the flight model to match the performance numbers. It has an instructor station at the back and cockpit cameras to monitor the students gaze, throttle and stick. The cockpit is air-conditioned and slides open to allow easy ingress and all the computing power is tucked away under the pilots seat. It also has a second ship for the instructor to fly "follow me" and voice comms between the student and instructor. Last weekend the local scouts air activity Saturday where 72 Hunter Valley scouts flew in a C172 and the our simulator. My 11yr old daughter drove the IOS while I walked them through an intro flight while standing next to the cockpit. All up we delivered 80 sim rides (including intro to flight controls, take off, climb, coordinated turns and a few attempts at landing at Williamtown) each ride taking about 5mins with a 1 min turn around to adjust the cockpit fit (scouts come in a wide range of sizes). Fun stuff!

 

I'll post the survey results to this thread when I get enough replies, interesting results todate, thanks for the support! Cheers, Ben

 

 

[Woofydawg]

A photo from the weekend taken by my daughter, another dad stepped into the IOS straight away to watch his daughter fly and got in the way of the photo. I was too busy to take any myself.

 

 

 

[Woofydawg]

Gents, attached results from survey data, interesting stuff.

 

Cheers, Ben

 

amateur-flight-sim-survey.pdf

 

amateur-flight-sim-survey.pdf

 

amateur-flight-sim-survey.pdf

[Narrabeenrick]

Thanks for putting up the results Woofy' interesting reading. I was surprised that pilots practicing beat students practicing. I'd like the hear what some the seasoned pilots here think of the results. I noticed on other treads in here a few don't agree with sims.

 

 

[Woofydawg]

Thanks Rick, yes it is interesting, let me know if you think any of the deductions from the data are rubbish or thin. I'd rather face the music now than later!!

 

Woof.