First time on Redbird

spiderweb

spiderweb

Final Approach
Joined
Feb 22, 2005
Messages
9,488
Display Name
Ben
I really enjoyed it. It was touchier than the real thing, and also we set it for some "it was a dark and stormy night" conditions. I loved the challenge!

Have any of you done any FTD time with the Redbird setup?
 
Quite frankly, I love AATDs and FTDs and think the FAA is taking a step back on them.

Why?
*Quicker setup/access to the teaching parts vs the plane
*more tuned setups (actual partial panel, engine outs in IMC, etc...)
*Pause button = better teaching
*cheaper

Is it the real thing? No. Can it help prep you for the real thing? Yes, sometimes better than actually burning holes in the sky would do.
 
spiderweb said:
What were your impressions?
Click to expand...

It was really good especially the motion. Very realistic. 100% realistic....no, but enough to make it worth the time. More realistic than the Elite PCATD I have, but the Redbird was renting for $75 per hour and I needed an instructor.
 
Actually, I was completely underwhelmed. Flight performance is much like the Microsoft Flight Simulator model they lifted the code form. The G1000 simulation is abysmal and so far from the actual device to be completely counter productive .
 
flyingron said:
Actually, I was completely underwhelmed. Flight performance is much like the Microsoft Flight Simulator model they lifted the code form. The G1000 simulation is abysmal and so far from the actual device to be completely counter productive .
Click to expand...

I used the steam gauge panel for an Archer3. I didn't think it was that bad.
 
With that said is it worth what Redbird charges for one? Probably not.
 
I've got about 80 hours in the FMX (172 steam and glass) and about 150 hours in the new MCX (172 glass and steam as well as BE58). About all they're good for is basic primary instruction to introduce maneuvers and practice approaches. The control sensitivity goes out of whack pretty quick, so hand flying maneuvers precisely is difficult. The experience does improve when you add options such as PilotEdge to help procedurally, but there's not much you can do to improve controllability.
 
I have used a redbird FMX.

Good teaching tool. But not fun or exciting in any way.
 
$75/hr here + instructor here, not worth it except for possibly basic IFR procedures, etc.. Of course, a PCATD does that.
 
I've done it twice. First time it was too early into my training to really get anything worthwhile out of it. The second time seemed a little better because I knew what the plane should have been doing in real life so I could feel in the blanks. The main thing I was disappointed in was no control feedback. Simulating extreme high altitude takeoffs and IFR were both good experiences. Landings are totally unrealistic.
 
I've done recurrency training in an FMX.

I hate that there are no real control forces, it's almost not worth hand flying. I backed a Kickstarter project that is trying make an affordable simulator flight control system based on using electro-magnets to modulate roll and pitch force based. I hope they pull it off.

I found the device useful enough for reviewing procedures and practicing button pushing, and the price was much lower than a real airplane.

[edited to add:]

Go around at the missed approach point. Actual landing are so different from reality that they constitute negative training.
 
Last edited:
No, but I have about a gazillion hours in a flightsafety military simulator..But to be fair I maintain them and fly them everyday. And I flew in the plane that we simulate. Very close to real in my book.
 
flyingron said:
Actually, I was completely underwhelmed. Flight performance is much like the Microsoft Flight Simulator model they lifted the code form. The G1000 simulation is abysmal and so far from the actual device to be completely counter productive .
Click to expand...

I'm surprised. Maybe we have a newer one, since we got it only a year ago. I thought the visuals for outside looked like MSFS, but the G1000 was pretty good. I found it helpful.
 
JimNtexas said:
I've done recurrency training in an FMX.

I hate that there are no real control forces, it's almost not worth hand flying. I backed a Kickstarter project that is trying make an affordable simulator flight control system based on using electro-magnets to modulate roll and pitch force based. I hope they pull it off.

I found the device useful enough for reviewing procedures and practicing button pushing, and the price was much lower than a real airplane.

[edited to add:]

Go around at the missed approach point. Actual landing are so different from reality that they constitute negative training.
Click to expand...

I found that. I used it with instructor for recurrency training approaches.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top