Remote Training via Simulator

RMM-Guam

RMM-Guam

Filing Flight Plan
Joined
Apr 26, 2014
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22
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Guam
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RMM-Guam
REQUEST:
I am looking for a CFI or experienced Stick and Rudder Pilot who would be willing to do Remote Training via Skype Screen Share or the JoinFS network. My previous remote training CFI is overbooked at present and cannot continue our training. The instruction was going very well due in part to the high quality of my simulator set up. This is a service already offered commercially but my previous CFI is now too busy.

PLEASE NOTE -- Even the CFI certification is optional as the hours of training in this simulator cannot be logged toward certification. So all that is needed is a love of teaching and the stick and rudder skills to match.

This is also a perfect task for a retired pilot who loves to teach.

I am a student pilot and hoping to complete my PPL after a long lapse in instruction. Given the current and serious shortage of trained pilots, you are surely well aware of the increased interest in and also competition amongst manufacturers of FAA approved FTD simulators. Frasca's basic unit starts at $58,000. Definitely not for the average individual. But promoting simulator based training should be encouraged given it's proven potential to reduce training hours and cost.

SEE THE PHOTO ATTACHED...

At only ~ $3,500, my home desktop simulator accurately matches real world flight, taking the simulator experience beyond just procedural training into precision flight maneuver skills.

My sim is a 60″ 4k TV that presents the instrument panel in life size. A new YOKO yoke, MFG Rudder pedals, Saitek Throttle Quadrant, and Saitek Trim Wheel. I also use TrackIR5 for more visual immersion. The yoke is the YOKO yoke from Virtual Fly in Spain -- designed for real world drone operations of an 8,000 lb UAV. At $1,100, while expensive, this yoke makes all the difference. The little "drone" in the upper part of the monitor is a TRACKIR5 head tracking unit. Allows the pilot to pan in full 3D space to look in all directions matching actual head movement. Makes for realistic immersion in the sim. Allows for fully functional practice of ground reference maneuvers. The rudders are from MFG in Croatia. Also shown is the throttle and trim wheel from Saitek.

CLARIFICATION:
Twice in making this request, I get a response like this:
"I am not even aware that the FAA allows that sort of thing." or "Investigation would be required, but I believe our "Transportation Security Administration" would have to approve this training." The first came from an AOPA Technical Specialist and the second from a well known flight school.
They both missed this statement..."....as the hours of training in this simulator cannot be logged toward certification."

This is training, not formal instruction, that I well understand cannot be credited toward my check ride. But -- I already know that my simulator provides for a level of realism that can be transferred easily into the real world aircraft.

Already Remote Training is gaining popularity. I have an AOPA article from Rod Machado that I will try to link separately.

Thanks and best regards.
RMM
PGUM = +10 UTC

IMG_0575.JPG
 
I guess I’m behind times, but I’ve never heard of this before.
 
Definitely not common, but with a solid simulator and fast broadband it works very well.

My simulator goes beyond just procedure to a very high degree of realism. Trim work is essential. Pitch and Air Speed management. Rudder for coordinated flight. With TrackIR5 the outside view follows my directional gaze tracking my head movement.

My first lesson some months back with my previous remote CFI via Screen Share with him comfortably at home in Wisconsin, talking in my right ear, left me feeling the buzz just like a real instructional flight. I felt the pressure to do things well. He could see exactly what I was looking at. Now my new Yoko yoke is a big upgrade in realism. The Yoko Yoke was designed some years back for use in controlling an 8,000lb UAV. From Virtual-Fly in Spain. They manufacture high end complete enclosure full motion simulators for industry.
Thanks.
 
Curious, since I’ve never been to Guam; is there a flight school on the island?
 
Yes, there are three flight schools. Lots of Japanese students train here. CFI's and A&P's are scarce. I hope to get my AGI Certificate as well as PPL.
The purpose here is to reduce time and cost. The Rod Machado article is highly relevant. Be sure to have a look.
thanks
 
@acluffpoa
Your suspicions are not at all correct. My previous Remote Trainer is a specialist in Flight Simulator based training including and specifically remote sessions via Skype. Our introduction and training time began ONLY because of his promotion of remote training. He has a full time job in addition to his work as a CFI, has a new baby at home and took on another aviation related assignment. Like many instructors, he loves to teach.

For the second point, no one ever said that desktop simulation is a replacement for real world flight experience. That was never intended or even implied. But it is PROVEN to reduce training hours to a successful PPL check ride. I suggest that you take a minute to read Rod Machado's article.

Thanks for your concerns.
 
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How’s guam these days? My wife and I were stationed there 96-98. Got married at a church located on a cliff top overlooking the ocean. Loved guam. Loved the snorkeling. Did not love the humidity.

I also used a sim during my ppl training. I couldn’t afford to fly all that frequently. Sometimes months in between lessons. So I audio recorded my lessons and replayed them while recreating the lesson in MSFX.

It was helpful having the audio of the actual flight to dial in the sim settings to match exactly. I had the sim 172 exactly matching the performance of the real plane. Even on old legacy software. The point is if you get the chance buy the pigtail headset plugin so you can record things to make your sim experience true to your personal experience.

I would offer to help you but I’m just a low-time guy. I wouldn’t be able to pick out the tiny things that make a difference. But as a teacher I’m free in the summer so you can hit me up if you want.
 
Hey, RMM

As it would happen, I actually live in Guam. I MIGHT be able to help. Drop me a PM here.

Greg
 
Hello Woody?? or Maybe Chuck.. LOL Nice note. Amazing how many people have spent time on Guam. But to have your marriage here is really unique. Wonderful story. And thanks for the encouragement.
My first instructor tape recorded (2004) all our flights. True. I bought a cheap Sony just for this purpose. No idea where the gadget is now. CFI wanted me to listen to the tapes between lessons. A very good idea.

But....Those days I was flying in shock mode, trying to get an idea of what this machine was going to do to next. Could not have fun for quite a while until the fear factor subsided. Really wish the CFI, who definitely knew what I was going through, had simply taken direct steps to deal with this. Cannot learn while under stress. Basic teaching method concept.

Enjoyed hearing from you. My summers are usually booked for programs in Borneo. But let's see what this year brings.
Best regards.
RMM
 
Hi Greg..
Will do. Some guests coming just now. Will send in a few hours. Thanks.
All prospective help is really appreciated.

Others who have interest in this project, please come on this thread.
RMM
 
I’m not following the logic of how spending $3,500 on equipment and paying an instructor for non loggable time is making it cheaper for you to get certified. :confused:
 
Divide $3500 by $200/hr... Read the Rod Machado article. Clearly explained.
 
RMM-Guam said:
Divide $3500 by $200/hr... Read the Rod Machado article. Clearly explained.
Click to expand...
From your article.
According to Rito, Ed’s simulator training program will shave nearly $4,500 off the cost of a private pilot certificate earned at a traditional flight school.
Click to expand...
3500 + paying an instructor comes to 4,500 pretty quickly (assuming you agree with his premise). And you didn’t have the enjoyment or experience of actually flying, which isn’t the same as a simulator.

If you’re into this sort of thing, it’s cool, I have a sim also. And I think it can improve your skills when combined with actual flying. But I personally doubt it’s saving you money.
 
Even with break even, then the simulator is paid for. Ready for service any time, any day for years ahead. Not so with the weather and connecting with other people. That is one advantage.

Also... Rod's article also discusses actual HOURS to PPL. Apply that information at $200/hr. Many people approach 100 hours to check ride. If that were done in 60 hours, which is 20 hours more than the 40 hours to PPL for the sharp young students in Rod's article, the economics of 40 hours saved at $200/hr come out VERY favorable. My flight school averages 90+ hours. Very common these days. With this picture, my simulator is worth every penny.

I would really like to get an older pilot who understands stick and rudder flight training. I had plenty of youngsters as CFI's who really don't know how to teach except to do how they were taught. And the cycle persists.

In WWII it was 7 or 8 hours to solo. Check out JFK's amphibious flight training in his actual log book while at Embry Riddle to see what is possible.
https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2018/may/30/erau-historian-solves-jfk-mystery
Common knowledge that stick and rudder flight skills are being lost.

RMM
 
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I think I am closing in on 200hrs. Of those hours about 6 are simulated instrument with foggles. Other than the time under the hood and the time being vectored through the bravo I feel that most of the rest of those hours just would not have been the same in a simulator. Heck, take back the part about the Bravo because busting it means an actual visit to the FSDO and who knows what. Wonky winds at our airport have a real, tangible result....you have to land it properly or find another airport. There isn't a fallback of resetting the simulator or overriding the winds. Plus the yoke itself and the pressure and trim wheel...how can that really be simulated. If I put the 182 into a dive and build some speed (say 175mph) the elevator trim wheel is noticeably difficult to turn (not to mention the force needed on the elevator).

And landing is all about timing, peripheral vision, the actual blur of the grass and pavement off to your side, how much force to pull the yoke and hold it, etc. It can come easy for some and difficult for others. Being an engineer I think the first thing I learned was that although inventors and engineers make these planes...there is a feel that can not just be replaced with assumptions of all the variables. The plane seems to be telling you what is going on thru forces, sounds and smells.

Your simulator sounds awesome. Heck I would use it for IFR training and if they have actual ATC people on the back end it would be great for radio practice.

But being bounced around on a hot afternoon, having to pee and knowing you have gusty crosswinds at your destination in 40 minutes....I don't see how a simulator can simulate that.

Here would be a challenge for you with your simulator to better simulate training. You can have the CFI with you but they would have to agree to these:
  1. Never once abort or reset the simulator - never! All flights to completion.
  2. Never once crash during a simulation
  3. Never once pause during a simulation
...during training you never get to do 1,2,3.

Finally, don't use your simulator as an excuse to never start the real training. I think it is easy to end up in that spot. My wife has a friend that has been doing sims for over 20yrs and loves it. But when it comes to actually flying there is always a excuse. Meanwhile her friend "N", a great Citabria tail wheel pilot will be in our plane before we can even finish the invite :)
 
Stick and rudder flying and simulator does not compute with me. Stuck and rudder is largely a feel thing that you don’t get with a sim.

But again, if you want to sim, go for it. Not saying it’s a bad idea, just that you aren’t saving money.
 
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Salty.. Sorry if I overstepped. Wish you could adopt a more supportive approach here.

Making this thread into a debate on simulators and what certain terms mean does not serve a constructive purpose. I should not need to prove anything here. The original post sets out the purpose for my joining this amazing forum. I can only imagine the pool of talent available.

I have nearly 60 C172 hours over many years with some 8 or 9 instructors. Sight picture training was never used in those 60 hours. During the past years, I have read a lot and looked for good videos that teach well. Rod Machado in two excellent videos taught me how to land. Can't wait to try in real world flight. I would definitely include Sight Picture Training in Stick & Rudder Flight.

I don't claim expertise but I learned from Rod what to look for on landing and in the meantime I can practice in the sim to my hearts content. I can practice altitude management and wind correction in Turns Around a Point for hours without worrying about the clock and my wallet. With CloudAhoy soon linking with Lockheed Martin Prepar3d software, I can debrief my flight path in 3D space. Then do the same with CloudAhoy in the real Cessna.

I am anxious to get back in the air but I want know what to look for and how to do.

The simulator with a good hand in the right seat via Skype can help a great deal. No doubt on that. And that is the purpose of this thread.

All the best.
 
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Hi Brad...
Very good thoughts. I will take all that onboard. I previously had a Force Feedback yoke that provided some measure of pressure to trim off both Yoke and Rudder. Trouble was the device was very troublesome, never stable in operation and the worst was a nagging 2 or 3 degree left roll that left me unable to fly straight and level. The new Yoko yoke is simply fantastic. I have some idea of the level of skills that I want in the sim. Then into the real plane again. The two together is a great combination. Always learning.
Thanks very much for the guidance. Much appreciated.
RMM
 
Definitely get with @Greg Bockelman .... He can be a valuable asset at this stage of your training.
 
Have you looking into PilotEdge.net? May be really useful for learning how to fly in busy VFR airspace. And it's nearly essential if you're working on your IR via a home sim.

My sim is my avatar pic. I'm a big advocate of simming for real world pilots.
 
PilotEdge.net was my previous remote training source. They were unable to find a replacement for their previous CFI who, by the way, still manages the PilotEdge Remote Coaching program, but as I mentioned is full up with other obligations. So I have been casting out a broad net to find a new trainer.
 
I have a small x-plane sim. Not much, but it's been helpful in ways.
Don't have much to offer regarding advice, but wanted to say I enjoy seeing your level of determination and resourcefulness. Seems like the makings of a great pilot...
Best of luck to you.
 
@Skyrys62
Thanks for the encouragement. I started with the cheap plastic CH Products Eclipse Yoke and Rudder set. I remember using them and a small monitor to prepare for a lesson after a 1 1/2 year hiatus. My CFI was very happy with my performance and could not believe that I had been so long away from real world flight. Using this 60" LED TV with life size panel that I have now is just raising the bar. The sight picture for landing is there for peripheral aspect (not as clear as in real flight). The pitch to maintain and runway shape change helps me know what to look for when I start my lessons again. I am doing the FLY8MA ground school and preparing to read the Airplane Flying Handbook for the third time. I find that I can visualize what is in that text. It has meaning to me now. I sometimes read a part twice or thrice just because it is so well composed. An impressive text.
 
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Hey there ... just wanted to touch on your comment about flying in “shock mode”.

That’s normal. When I listened to the audio I couldn’t believe all of the stuff that my cfi said that went in one ear and straight out the other. I likened a flight lesson to running a marathon. It’s exhausting. With time it gets better. But flying is expensive so the lessons are dense in information and skill sets.

Also, my recommendation is not to fixate on sight picture in landing the sim. That’s just something that needs to be done in real. If the seat is positioned slightly different that can throw things off. Different planes will have different sight pictures. Especially for student pilots. I imagine with experience that becomes a non-factor. What can you practice in the sim for landing? Pre-landing checklists. Procedure in the pattern. Radio calls. Nailing airspeeds. Emphasis on never pushing down on the yoke. Pull back is fine, hold in place is fine. Never push forward.

Also you can practice slips to landing. Come in at 2000 agl in the pattern and see if you can get it down. No flap landings also. CFI on my flight review had me try one. First time ever. Lol. First attempt I would have landed a mile past the airport.

~John
 
Hi John..
Very good skill set for me to work for on landings. Thanks.

Radio talk is a real challenge when the brain is already overloaded. It is a similar experience to when I learned spoken Mandarin Chinese. First it is just strange sounds without meaning. Then the words start to come through and finally whole phrases full of meaning.

RMM
 
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I have a pretty solid sim setup at my house. I thought it would help me a ton with my ppl. As far as navigating and VOR tracking it was awesome. As well as becoming familiar with the gps and other plane systems. As far as flying, I had 150 or so sim hours before I started training. Over 500 landings. Landing a real plane in real conditions was completely different. I will put the sim to good use when I start my ifr, but as far as actually flying the plane and the feeling of it, the sim was way off.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
@RMM-Guam - maybe here is one more thing for you to consider:

When is your hard end-date for simulator and start date for official lessons in the plane?

If you don't have one...set that date and stick to it! Even if you haven't accomplished all of your simulation goals. Otherwise it will just be so much easier to fly the sim than the actual plane and all that goes with it ($$$$, scheduling, sitting next to a actual human being -> CFI, choppy bumpy flights, sweating your arse off in the summer heat, etc).

I think others have also mentioned this so forgive the repeat: You (and Ron's article) give the impression that all this sim time will save you significant training time in the actual airplane. It could be right. But it leaves out so many other cases during actual training:
  • The plane you are renting goes down for 2 months and you can fly and get rusty and your overall hours to PPL increase.
  • Your CFI leaves and you have to re-start with another one. That might cost you 5-15hrs depending on where you are.
  • You move and need to start again with another FBO/instructors.
  • You hit a run of wx that limits your flying and you get rusty.
  • You have trouble getting along with the CFI and need to change costing you those same 5-15hrs.
  • You have a disagreement with the FBO and need to change costing you those same 5-15hrs
...as you can tell there are a lot of real-life things that can trip up the ideal plan of simulate and then PPL in 40.1hrs. I think you are best to budget for a minimum of 60hrs.
 
I absolutely believe in simulator training for procedures (read: IR training). I also think it's good VFR for just keeping your flying brain active - again, procedures stuff, like 1,000 feet AGL, fuel pump off, coming into land, making sure you do a GUMPS check, etc. However, one thing a home sim is useless as t*ts on a bull for is stick and rudder. I would say go ahead and use it for things like tracking VORs and the like. But if you're looking specifically for stick and rudder help, a home sim ain't gonna do it.
 
@Peter Anderson
I looked carefully into dozens of reviews including PFC and GoFlight and other high end products. None were consistently considered by actual real world pilots to be sufficiently realistic. Hardware choices are critical.
From my research, only the Virtual-Fly Yoko and the Brunner FFB yokes are capable of delivering a reasonable level of realism. I seriously doubt that even some very pricey FAA approved BATD level sims like the Redbird and FlythisSim products would deliver any difference than your experience. So your experience is not surprising and is surely accurate. As I mentioned, the Yoko yoke was designed some years back specifically for controlling an 8,000lb UAV.

My CFI and the Flight School owner will be coming over soon to fly my sim. I am keenly interested in their impressions and will report back here.

@Sinistar
Thanks much. All very good points. Especially the scheduling. I have some reasonably specific goals in the sim. A good friend here and experienced PPL pilot who worked toward his checkride with a Dreamflyer 4DOF simulator rig is encouraging me in the same way.

@mryan75
I see the simulator only as a preparatory tool. All the suggestions here will certainly be factored into my actual use of simulator flight time. I do wish to avoid over reliance and misplaced "dependence" on the simulator.

Am keenly hoping for support from an experienced pilot so that I don't build in bad habits. That is why I came to POA with this appeal for a remote trainer.

Thanks for all the good guidance thus far. Much appreciated.
RMM
 
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@RMM-Guam

Why did you learn mandarin? Cuz this is cracking me up. My wife was born and raised in China. She speaks mandarin but her primary language is Cantonese. I tried learning a bit but the only foreign language I’m good at is math.

Regarding the radio that’s another thing that gets easier with actual experience. If you have the option when you get your in real lessons try to do so at a busy airspace. I learned while flying out of a Bravo. It’s hell at first but your cfi will fill in when you miss stuff. And then you learn what to expect. You could listen in on liveATC feeds for fun, but the radio is something that will come relatively quickly in real training.
 
@woodchucker

Spent ten years in Taiwan and China.

Guam is Class D only. Limited choices here are part of island life. Plus and Minus - lovely place with limitations. For example, 10 or more days to get a gadget via online order. Typhoons just like the storm that hit Florida.

Always a chance I will fly to Honolulu. But hasn't happened in 32 years. There is a really good flight school just near Honolulu International.

RMM
 
@RMM-Guam

I would just enjoy the local life there, as well as the snorkeling.

If you hear an F18 that’s just me in the sim
 
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