Microsoft Simulator X For Pilots: Real World Training - Review By Paul Loch

Dial-up users please note, loading times will vary depending on connection speed. Please be patient.

Overview & Background

“For serious pilots it’s not a game”.

This statement sums it up nicely. If you spend endless hours doing circuits or touch and goes to get it ‘just right’ you will appreciate this book. If you use FSX for entertainment and want to fly at tree top level at top speed every flight with all the sliders set to easy or have never been to the learning centre don’t waste your money.

This book is written and published in the United States but can be purchased in New Zealand through the Real Groovy website (www.realgroovy.co.nz) for $49.95NZD. Delivery took about 10 days to my address and the first impression once it arrived is the size. It is over 700 pages long! If you don’t want to spend the time to practice your flying, don’t bother looking at this book because I’ve been working though the book for three months and have only read to page 547 and have spent a few hours each week flying the lessons which has only got the reviewer to the lessons on about page 200. I am not a qualified pilot in the real world and was struggling to get some of the concepts in FSX though the learning centre or online information. The reviewer’s motivation to read this book was to improve simulator flying, which it has already even though I’ve only got about a quarter way though the lessons.

On starting the book it soon becomes apparent to the reader that they are passionate about flying and the value of using FSX for a student pilot. They offer sound advice for both real and virtual pilots, and point out where FSX differs from real world flying.  It uses FAA reports of accidents and gives tips to demonstrate importance or relevance of each lesson.   This book is not written in dry technical language, it is co-authored by two experienced FAA qualified flight instructors who are also respected journalists.  It is well written, easy to read and does not require much thought to follow as the explanations are simple and brief with a bit of humour as well to lighten things up.  The book breaks the learning points into manageable sizes and then explains the basic theory behind the subject in a way that is interesting and you don’t have to be an aeronautical engineer to understand. Once the theory is covered, the authors then give you a step by step tutorial to work though to demonstrate this theory. The tutorials can be downloaded from a website along with any aeronautical publications or charts you need for the lesson. 

Short Takeoff on a 600ft grass strip.

You can also view a movie clip of the lesson in FSX, so you can see the controls moving, where you should be looking outside and where you should be looking in the virtual cockpit. Then all you need to do is imitate the movie clip a few times and then you get a good understanding the lesson. Each lesson normally has only one point and logically builds on previous lessons, there is no need to pause the simulation and work out what is going on or what you have do next as you have to do in the default lessons provided with FSX. 

Spin recovery in the Cub.

The book is based on the United States FAA licences, with the basic lessons being covered under the Sport Pilot licence flown in a Piper Cub. It then progresses to using a Cessna C172 for Private Pilot, Mooney Bravo for Instrument and Beechcraft Barron for Commercial licence. Since the reviewer is trying to improve all piloting skills, I’m working though this book step by step. For those who have mastered the skills of not using auto pilot and can fly an entire IFR flight with a cross wind and can remain within a few feet of the desired altitude each chapter or section can also be taken in isolation to improve your skills. If you want to further understand the art of using any of the Navaids from following roads or rivers, to using NDBs to navigate legs on jetways to intersections, in flight emergencies, or weight distribution in commercial aircraft, each topic is toughly covered and can be practiced by itself.   

Mooney IFR approach.

This book will not make you to become a great pilot overnight. It teaches you skills in a methodical way. The book is designed that you read and read again the point the authors are making so you have a good understanding. If you buy this book you will also need to invest the time to be able to both read the very informative chapters and then fly lessons using FSX. The only negative point of this learning system was that the simmer has to download the practice flights, charts and movie clips. In my opinion, it could be improved if a CD was supplied with the book, saving you the time to download for those on dial up connections or stand alone computers (if anyone still lives in dark ages). The files are not large, only about 60 Megabytes in total and the site isn’t slow, so for broadband users this isn’t an issue.