Getting Rusty equals Flight Sim?

kimberlyanne546

kimberlyanne546

Final Approach
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Display name:
Kimberly
Hello,

I haven't flown much if at all as PIC in what seems like decades. I almost flew a very important passenger yesterday and because I wanted to be "safe" (last flight was on October 29) - I decided to rent the little cheap 152 and do 3 landings after work one night last week. This would get me night current, let me know if I could still fly a plane, and also this would be my first "solo flight."

Reading all the "rusty" stories I was nervous since I had not flown in forever, and then the weather changed from "clear below 12,000" on the AWOS to some clouds at 300 feet. I forget if it was few clouds, broken, or scattered, but it did not say "ceiling". I looked around and could see everything (it was 10pm). I could clearly see many objects that were miles away, in all directions, and I could see all the stars in the sky. I continued to monitor the AWOS during my three landings and it changed back to calm winds, viz above 10 miles, clear below 12,000 etc so that must have just been one cloud passing by.

I was happy with my landings (very very soft but I guess that is because of the no wind thing) but disappointed in everything else including approach straightness, etc... There was nobody there to impress and so I got everything done by spending only $52.00 with 0.5 hobbs which is an awesome thing, it means I can afford to do this about once per month (hopefully in the daytime though). Boring, but at least I'm flying.

I have been meaning to try a simulator but I just don't know. I *think* it won't let me practice lots of things like:

go / no go decisions

Weather (planning) - or does it?

How to talk to ATC

Cross country planning

VOR use

etc.

Maybe I am wrong, maybe it does all of those things. Now that I have a new laptop I was wondering how cheaply I can do a home setup. Do I need a joystick etc or can I just try the software for free? I fly an old 152 and an old 172 so the simulator that has those would be what I want to get.

Any suggestions?

The passenger and I ended up at the airport yesterday but conditions were RAPIDLY deteriorating right before our eyes, and ceilings went to below TPA within a few hours (I kept calling the AWOS even after we left). I showed him the planes, he met some pilots, we made the most of it, but I was bummed. Might fly again with my Dad on Friday (who knows, weather looks bad again).

I am worried about losing a lot of my skills. I think I should pay for (yes with my old instructor who is a "good" CFI) a lesson where we do the PTS stuff again so I can solo and do it on my own. Being / feeling rusty sucks.


Kimberly
 
I normally get the most flying for my buck by sharing or spliting the costs with other pilot friends.

This allows me to fly further for less and it gives both pilots an opportunity to pick up pointers from each other.

Are you near a busy GA airport?
You can listen to ATClive.com to keep yourself up to speed on communications.
 
I really like this sim package. Not too expensive either. You can set weather, day/night, go from or too just about any airport. Practice really strong crosswinds with no risk. You can fly a 172 to an F18 and more. You can get familiar with the G1000, autopilot, GPS, and instrument approaches. I find it a great tool to jump ahead or knock some rust off between real flights.

http://www.sportys.com/PilotShop/category/865
 
Kim has discovered that there is nothing like the doing.

Went out for 0.8 today, did ONE within 2 dot ILS, then die one within 2 dot Left engine OEI ILS. The first was a struggle, the second was easy and steady, with early teeny corrections.

One does have to go up and knock off the rust from time to time.....
 
I am going tomorrow night to get current. First night flight in years, I am so excited.
 
I guess my best suggestion is to find a few local flying buddies and share some flights. I always learn something from someone else's technique and practices when I sit right seat.
 
AdamZ said:
I guess my best suggestion is to find a few local flying buddies and share some flights. I always learn something from someone else's technique and practices when I sit right seat.
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Thanks. I have found two GREAT ones so far but for many reasons I have only flown with each one that one time. I have kept in touch with both and in fact one just called me the other day - so the thing is for me to keep building more friends. A third pilot was all set to fly with me until he had a bird strike and last I texted his plane was still not going to be repaired. Another moved away etc etc. One day I will have 10 or 20 pilot friends so that every week or every other week I have the chance to fly. It just takes time I guess. A lot of "oh we will fly together" and me too chicken to ask / follow through (don't want to be a pest). Then again, you don't ask you don't get I suppose.


Kimberly
 
flav8r said:
I normally get the most flying for my buck by sharing or spliting the costs with other pilot friends.

This allows me to fly further for less and it gives both pilots an opportunity to pick up pointers from each other.

Are you near a busy GA airport?
You can listen to ATClive.com to keep yourself up to speed on communications.
Click to expand...

I tried going to a small airport one weekend but nothing came of it. Some pilots talked to me but then we all went home (it was a BBQ). There is a busy-ish airport near here but I heard with class Delta you need a badge or something to get in. All the other airports are pretty much deserted or locked up so you can't visit the hangars.
 
skidoo said:
I really like this sim package. Not too expensive either. You can set weather, day/night, go from or too just about any airport. Practice really strong crosswinds with no risk. You can fly a 172 to an F18 and more. You can get familiar with the G1000, autopilot, GPS, and instrument approaches. I find it a great tool to jump ahead or knock some rust off between real flights.

http://www.sportys.com/PilotShop/category/865
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Wow thanks for the link, that is still several hundred dollars, but with a yoke and rudder pedals, it might feel more "real" I guess.

Do any of these programs work with just a keyboard so you can try them out first? Or do you have to just jump in and get the whole thing including a joystick etc? Too bad I don't know anyone around here who has one (in their house) so I can see what all the buzz is about.

As old fashioned as it sounds, I'd rather fly a real airplane!
 
N2124v said:
I am going tomorrow night to get current. First night flight in years, I am so excited.
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I was excited too, but scared as well. However, I have flown night a TON since I got my PPL so it was not my first night flight in years. Good luck to you tomorrow.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Wow thanks for the link, that is still several hundred dollars, but with a yoke and rudder pedals, it might feel more "real" I guess.

Do any of these programs work with just a keyboard so you can try them out first? Or do you have to just jump in and get the whole thing including a joystick etc? Too bad I don't know anyone around here who has one (in their house) so I can see what all the buzz is about.

As old fashioned as it sounds, I'd rather fly a real airplane!
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The Microsoft Flight Simulators ("X" and 2004) should both work using just a keyoard. But you'll want a joystick - an inexpensive model should do.

I have the CH Products yoke and rudder pedals. While they are a definite improvement over a joystick, it is a matter of taste and budget on whether they are worthwhile. My guess is that they are something you could defer till much later.

It is easy to keep adding gadgets to your computer to increase the realism; for example there is the TrackIR system (http://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/) that is designed to make it easy to turn your head slightly to see out side windows using "naturally instinctive" head movements. I've used the product and it does work (though it takes some getting used to.)

It is possible to spend hundreds of dollars on building a nice flight simulator setup that will help you keep current on normal and emergency flight procedures.

For an investment of the equivalent of 4 or 5 hours of real flight time you could have a nice flight simlator environment that could be used for dozens or hundreds of hours of simulated training.

But for stick and rudder skills, the real thing does a better job. For ingraining procedures for emergencies, the simulator is probably superior.
 
Thanks, it is the emergency training I'm interested in. It would make me feel a lot better knowing I'd practiced all that stuff "recently" in case anything happened, you know?


Kimberly
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
go / no go decisions

Weather (planning) - or does it?

How to talk to ATC

Cross country planning


All things you can do just sitting around the house, plan a phantom flight. Pick a place you want to go and plan it.

Talking to ATC- I always tell my students to get over the whole pilot emphasis, and talk to ATC as you would talk to me with the proper phraseology. who you are, where you are and what you want. even if you listen to atc online or an app for the ipad, listen to them and just speak back, just don't let anyone else see or hear you, they might think your a little crazy!

And you can always just sit down and review checklists, even play them out in your head, visualize what your doing, what you would do.

Check on ebay for flight sim equipment, not sure how craigslist is by you, but look on there. Even put up a sign at you local FBO, I;m sure someone has all that stuff sitting around collecting dust.
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TommyG said:
kimberlyanne546 said:
go / no go decisions

Weather (planning) - or does it?

How to talk to ATC

Cross country planning


All things you can do just sitting around the house, plan a phantom flight. Pick a place you want to go and plan it.

Talking to ATC- I always tell my students to get over the whole pilot emphasis, and talk to ATC as you would talk to me with the proper phraseology. who you are, where you are and what you want. even if you listen to atc online or an app for the ipad, listen to them and just speak back, just don't let anyone else see or hear you, they might think your a little crazy!

And you can always just sit down and review checklists, even play them out in your head, visualize what your doing, what you would do.

Check on ebay for flight sim equipment, not sure how craigslist is by you, but look on there. Even put up a sign at you local FBO, I;m sure someone has all that stuff sitting around collecting dust.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I was thinking this too. Probably eBay first since Craigslist rarely has stuff like this (too specialized). My airport bulletin board would be my last resort since I never ONCE went in that building my whole training!

Kimberly
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Well, this is likely to get rather long so I'll apologize now.

Some think using flight sim for VFR practice is a waste of time, others find it useful. I found it very useful initially but now that I have many hundreds of hours on it and a couple hundred in the real thing, it's still useful but less so.

I found it useful for many things:
- First, I prefer to set everything to maximum realism. If I'm going to use it to practice, I might as well make it as real as possible.
- As I've mentioned in other threads, I used the yoke and pedals to get over my problem with "right yoke = right rudder" when doing crosswind landings.
- Doing stalls in the C-152 in MSFS 2004 is tough because it's almost impossible to do a stall without dropping a wing. This made my "opposite rudder" reaction so automatic that when I let a wing drop too much during my PPL checkride the DPE commented that I corrected it faster than she could have.
- I've also practiced crosswind landings in extreme winds including gusts. I think it helps but isn't terribly realistic. The "after touchdown" reaction of the plane is completely unrealistic in my opinion - in any wind condition.
- I've "pre-flown" a number of my early flights and it's helped with things like recognizing landmarks that I didn't notice on the chart, realizing that I might be in the flight path of an airport about 10 miles to the side of my route (i.e., I should at least monitor their frequency), helping me find a comfortable entry to the pattern (basicly landmarks again - where to cross a road, how close to the town/lake, etc.), getting used to the idea of switching frequencies (I try to do it manually) and knowing what the frequencies would be.
- I've made quite a few flights with "random failures" turned on. As a result, when I had a vacuum failure in actual flight, it was an immediate "Cool! A vacuum failure!" moment rather than an "OK, what am I supposed to do now?" moment. I'm also more aware of what to do when there's an electrical failure - the first time I forgot that the C-152 flaps wouldn't work but I won't forget that again. You can also fail engines, attitude indicator, heading indicator, VSI, pitot/static system, and radios. I've failed 'em all many times. It's not perfect but I feel more confident that I'll do the right thing if it happens for real.

You can definitely practice VOR use. It didn't help me much but that was only because it made sense to me right from the beginning.

My overall reaction is that controlling the plane in MSFS is actually harder than it is in the real plane - as long as the realism is set high on everything. So if you can do something in MFSF then you can probably do it in the plane. (Except for that rollout after landing!)

It really doesn't help much with go/no go decisions or weather planning. (For weather planning I highly recommend any of the courses offered by Scott Denstaedt.) You can set the weather to "real world" or manually set it to anything you want and you can go up and fly in it without worry about crashing. You can even get a fairly good representation of what flying into the evening sun looks like. I've done some sim flying in low clouds and/or low visibility to see if I could find the airport anyway or even use the GPS to find it. The result wasn't good so it reinforced the idea that flying in that kind of thing is a bad idea. (It's not so bad if you can follow an ILS down but I was trying to get in where there was no ILS.) Doing something like that may help you decide what a go/no go situation is but I still wouldn't rely on that as being an accurate representation of the real world and basing your personal limits on it.

The one thing you won't get is the "seat of the pants" feel. Practicing things like steep turns or slow flight in flight sim doesn't do much for you because there's no "feel" to it. Flight sim is good for getting the mechanics of things but not the feel.

One thing you may get - at least I did and others I've talked to did - is a more comfortable feeling about going up after having been grounded for awhile. It may not help your skills all that much but it helps you feel more comfortable that you've gone through all the motions and you still remember what do to. IMPORTANT: Do it just like you would in the actual airplane. Don't skip any steps. I got in the habit of not using a checklist in MSFS and it carried over to my actual flying. I started using my actual kneeboard and checklist with MSFS with the specific goal of forcing myself to establish a new habit of using the checklist regularly. Same with setting the transponder - it was always pre-set in training planes and I never had to change it in MSFS so it wasn't a habit to check it but I started clicking on the transponder in MSFS anyway just as a 'reminder' that I had to check it and turn it on. I was really glad I did that when I joined a flying club where many pilots fly IFR and don't change the transponder back to 1200. (why should they?)

You can get started with just a $35 (?) joystick. That works fine; especially if you're flying a real plane that has a stick rather than a yoke. However, since you're flying Cessnas, a yoke and pedals would probably be a good purchase even if it has to wait awhile. Just be aware that when you're just using a joystick you may have to set some things to "automatic" and some things will have to be done on the keyboard. (I think I had to brake with the keyboard until I got the pedals.) I never tried a "joystick and pedals" combination but that's probably better than just a joystick.

I have the CH products but I really don't like the fact that the yoke sticks quite a bit in the push/pull direction. This makes it really hard to get into a stable trim condition. The Saitek yoke is definitely on my wish list because it's supposed to be much smoother. From what I've heard, there isn't as much difference in the pedals. The one downside that I see to the Saitek yoke is that the throttle quadrant is separate and has to be clamped to the table separately. (I don't know how I'll survive. I'll have to tighten another clamp!) On the other hand, the result is probably slightly more realistic. I ended up swapping the prop lever and throttle lever on the CH yoke because the throttle was so hard to get to and none of the planes I fly have a constant speed prop anyway.

So, MSFS and a good joystick should be less than $80. Add a yoke and pedals for about $300 with shipping and tax. (Maybe a little cheaper on E-bay but not much.) That's probably about 4 hours of time in a 152 but you'll probably find that you get more than 4 hours of "improvement" from using it. I did.
 
Wow, thanks. And I think some flight sim time in the week nights will take my mind off the stressful days of work and keep me from hating the fact I haven't flown in two months.

It may also keep me out of trouble / time wasting !
 
Kim is learning what so many do. You can easily justify earning a license, maintaining it for years and years is a bit more costly, and difficult to justify.
 
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You are having the same problem as me. It is really hard to fly sometimes with money and other things coming up. However, I can say, NO computer sim will ever make me feel confident in a real plane. Sure, I can stay fresh on IFR procedures or basic radio nav or something, but, thats not enough for me. When I think about it, no one task makes me nervous, but overall i dont have confidence if enough time goes by.
 
You can download the x-plane 10 demo for free. You can fly it with the keyboard and mouse if you like, but if you want a joystick, PM me your address and I can send you a logitech extreme 3d pro.

This spring, I set up xplane 9 with the saitek yoke and pedals (amazon is cheaper than sportys, btw) on my laptop. I just sold it a couple of weeks ago. It was useful for VOR tracking as mentioned above, or for doing a "dry run" of an XC flight. For the actual mechanics of flying, however, it was counterproductive for me. As good as the flight models are, you can't beat the real thing.

(tangent: I recently learned that folks write xplane plugins to prototype autopilot algorithms. Cool!)
 
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n20junkie said:
Kim is learning what so many do. Youncan easily justify earning a license, maintaining it for years and years is a bit more costly, and difficult to justify.
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Yes, this. When I was not flying I could actually buy groceries, feed my dog, get my car serviced, buy my family and friends Christmas presents, etc. I got "everything" in my life back, so it was hard to justify that "one" thing - aviation - over my entire life. Especially since when I fly it is just short hops. So the sim seems like a happy medium.
 
GeorgeC said:
You can download the x-plane 10 demo for free. You can fly it with the keyboard and mouse if you like, but if you want a joystick, PM me your address and I can send you a logitech extreme 3d pro.

This spring, I set up xplane 9 with the saitek yoke and pedals (amazon is cheaper than sportys, btw) on my laptop. I just sold it a couple of weeks ago. It was useful for VOR tracking as mentioned above, or for doing a "dry run" of an XC flight. For the actual mechanics of flying, however, it was counterproductive for me. As good as the flight models are, you can't beat the real thing.

(tangent: I recently learned that folks write xplane plugins to prototype autopilot algorithms. Cool!)
Click to expand...

Cool, thank you! This will be a good start.

Kimberly
 
n20junkie said:
Kim is learning what so many do. You can easily justify earning a license, maintaining it for years and years is a bit more costly, and difficult to justify.
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You could consider this the next phase of your training--start building PIC cross-country time. These hours count toward the 50 hours XC PIC you need for the instrument rating. Just pick airports more than 50 nm away from your point of origin. Remember, it is about logging hours, not time, so a 152 would be the perfect airplane for this mission. Finding a passenger (or another pilot) to share it with is just a bonus.
 
Erice said:
You could consider this the next phase of your training--start building PIC cross-country time. These hours count toward the 50 hours XC PIC you need for the instrument rating. Just pick airports more than 50 nm away from your point of origin. Remember, it is about logging hours, not time, so a 152 would be the perfect airplane for this mission. Finding a passenger (or another pilot) to share it with is just a bonus.
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If it is fly a "real" XC flight once every three months or fly AT ALL once or more per month, I'd rather fly more often. The 152 after filling up with fuel (you taxi there, self serve), runup, taxi, takeoff, waiting your turn, getting there, 50nm is around 40 - 50 minutes in the 152. Then you have to come back. So over $200. Versus $50 for a short flight in the pattern or to and from nearby airports or the Bay Tour for around $100 if you really hurry.

I appreciate the advice but right now I just can't do 50 nm each time.

On that note, however, I have gotten some XC time in since my PPL (to several places)..... and if this Friday's flight is a no go due to weather I will be SURE to spend the money on XC this weekend if at all humanly possible taking the BF somewhere fun on either Saturday or Sunday. And YES, if he can't go, I am definitely willing to go solo.

The instrument rating is YEARS away if at all since it costs so much and all the scholarships I've seen only cover a few thousand (if that). Perhaps I could buy the books (think I already have one) and read about the concepts but pretending I'm going back to training is just not OK. I still have the debt from the initial training.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
The instrument rating is YEARS away if at all since it costs so much and all the scholarships I've seen only cover a few thousand (if that). Perhaps I could buy the books (think I already have one) and read about the concepts but pretending I'm going back to training is just not OK. I still have the debt from the initial training.
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Too bad you are up north Vs SoCal - since getting my PPL in September I've been having a hard time to find friends to fly with.

I bought a 150 so I could burn those hours cheaply (really can you say that in aviation)

I passed my checkride at 65 hours and 3 months later I'm at over 130hrs.

I've been flying everyday this week, taking lessons in the morning for my Instrument ticket, then flying in the afternoon. Found someone to be a safety pilot so we've racked up two 50nm instrument XC's this week.

I've been trying to find someone to fly on Sat/Sun/Mon looking at 3hr-4hr flights each day to different destinations, but no takers....

Keep looking in your area and hopefully you can find someone like me who fly's often.

Try asking at FBO's and flight schools. Also ask at local flight schools if anyone doing their Instrument ticket needs a safety pilot. That way your flying hours should be free since you are saving the pic the $$$ of them paying an instructor!

Gary
 
Kim,

Give me a call 908-507-9452, I have lots of hours in Flight Sim (All versions) I'll give you the scoop.

Mike in NJ
 
Kim, any soaring going on anywhere near you? (Tony will be along shortly with a recommendation I bet...)

Great way to keep the stick and rudder skills going.

Even though you pay for the tow, the price is usually quite reasonable, and sometimes you find some lift (once you know how to utilize it), which turns a short flight into a longer one, often for very little or no change in price.

It's also a blast. After the IR, I'm hoping to get back into it.

My main difficulty is having enough free time to do it. Most places, even commercial operations, usually appreciate folks who hang around and help with ground ops.

Showing up, flying, and leaving -- isn't real polite in the soaring world. Many places have a volunteer sign-up sheet and you pay more in dues if you don't help out.

Oh no. I have to hang out at the airport?! Twist my arm. ;)

But if you're super-busy, it does take a bit more commitment than the average powered flight grab-the-keys-and-go clubs.
 
denverpilot said:
Kim, any soaring going on anywhere near you? (Tony will be along shortly with a recommendation I bet...)
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The SSA has an interactive map showing most of the soaring clubs and outfits in the U.S.:

http://www.ssa.org/sport/wheretofly.asp

Going from a single engine land pilot rating and adding a glider rating is much easier than going the other way. But even so, she would need to get a glider rating for it to be economical because otherwise she would always need a CFIG along for every flight, and that cost can add up.

Frankly, sometimes I think it is best to counsel an exercise in fiscal discipline and temporarily cease expenditures on such an expensive hobby.
 
:wink2:
Jim Logajan said:
Frankly, sometimes I think it is best to counsel an exercise in fiscal discipline and temporarily cease expenditures on such an expensive hobby.
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Stop trying to be reasonable haha

The way I see it you are going to pay ~$120/hr to fly or $350/hr to visit a psychiatrist and talk about how you are going insane because all you do is talk, think, and dream about flying.
 
AirDC said:
:wink2:


The way I see it you are going to pay ~$120/hr to fly or $350/hr to visit a psychiatrist and talk about how you are going insane because all you do is talk, think, and dream about flying.
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I only pay $60/hr in my club's -172, but holy $?:! that's genius! I'll have to use that line next time my wife lays a guilt trip on me for wanting to fly! Lol!
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
North, at KSTS, they have planes for $125 an hour (LSA, glass cockpit).

South, at KDVO, they have a 172 for $135 an hour.

I am not paying that much for the area.
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you might want to vacation in Montana this summer, the price on the local 150 just went up to $55/hr wet. My wife pays $85/hour with an instructor.
 
Renting out here in New York is expensive! I was paying $100/hr for a 172 wet, minus the instructor fee, when I got my PPL back in '99. Cost me around 7 grand to get it. Couldn't afford to fly much after so eventually, I took a long break. Got current again this past summer but I'm having a hard time justifying the expense to the wife. Current 172 rate is $149/hr and that was the cheaper choice of the rentals. :redface: It's a G-1000 (man I love the glass cockpit) at a rate that was cheaper than some of the steam gauge ones from other places!

Trained in and have only flown a 172
 
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bartmc said:
you might want to vacation in Montana this summer, the price on the local 150 just went up to $55/hr wet. My wife pays $85/hour with an instructor.
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That's a fantastic rate, I haven't seen prices that low since the 1980's.

In Florida if you're in an area with a high density of flight schools (ie.,ORL, ISM, SFB) you're going to pay on average:
C172SP - $125 non-G1000
C172SP - $145 G1000
C182T - $150
C152 - $80
DA20 - $115

These are wet rates and for instructor add $45.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Hello,

I am worried about losing a lot of my skills. I think I should pay for (yes with my old instructor who is a "good" CFI) a lesson where we do the PTS stuff again so I can solo and do it on my own. Being / feeling rusty sucks.


Kimberly
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It might not help, but I went on hiatus from 1973 until 2002. I had to fly with an instructor for 10 hours before qualifying for BFR completion (which was given to PTS standards).

So, you can expect to loose a lot, given enough time away, but it comes back fairly quick in terms of the basic stuff, maybe a little more time in terms of finessing the details, but it does come back. Don't force yourself into something you can't afford at the present. Just come back when your focus and finances allow for it. Good luck
 
oldShar said:
It might not help, but I went on hiatus from 1973 until 2002. I had to fly with an instructor for 10 hours before qualifying for BFR completion (which was given to PTS standards).

So, you can expect to loose a lot, given enough time away, but it comes back fairly quick in terms of the basic stuff, maybe a little more time in terms of finessing the details, but it does come back. Don't force yourself into something you can't afford at the present. Just come back when your focus and finances allow for it. Good luck
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Thanks, Gwen, but as mentioned in another thread thanks to Christmas money (gifts) - yesterday - I was able to afford my longest flight yet, roughly 220nm round trip. I am so thankful to have a boyfriend that is so supportive (he helped me with the maps, ATC codes, etc) and not critical of my spending. He loves to fly with me but has no interest in getting lessons for himself. Without him it would be more difficult to justify everything.
 
Kimberly:

I am late to the thread and not sure where you are in the process but I will add my .02.

Jim, dbman5 and others made some good points, the sims are good but no substitute for the real thing and you will definitely not get the seat-of-the-pants feel for flying. But the sims do have their use.

Get a flight yoke. Honestly do not even bother unless you at least have one of these. I have the CH and it works very well.

You mentioned the 152/172. I do not know what the "airplanes" are like in X-plane but when I was looking for a realistic Archer II for training I bought one from Dream Fleet:

http://www.dreamfleet2000.com/

The Archer II is a great plane (for 10 year old graphics) and I am sure the Cessna 152 would also work well for you. I suggest the add-on "aircraft" because I found the planes provided with MSFS lacking.

Just Flight and Carenado also make good add on aircraft.

http://www.justflight.com/flyingclub-home.asp

Note: if you do decide to purchase an add on airplane be sure it will work with your operating system. Older "planes" (software) built for Windows XP (a 32 bit operating system) may not work with the newer 64 bit operating systems - Vista and Windows 7.

With MSFS you cannot talk to the controllers per se. Rather you are given a list of options to choose from and the sim does the "talking." IE: request touch and go, request full stop landing (and my personal favorite) not familiar with area request progressive taxi.

Time, weather, wind, levels of traffic and failures you can set for your personal needs/preferences.

Good luck and let us know how it goes for you.

~Robert
 
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