Flight training course

[airdennis]

I am thinking of getting Sporty's PPL flight training course so I can hopefully use flight Simulator as realistic as possible. Would this interfere with real flight training later on? I would like to learn to fly, but it is not possible right now (1 baby in college and 1 learning to drive!).
Thanks for any input,
Dennis

[lnuss]

If you take the lessons to heart, it won't hurt you, but I don't know how much of the info in the course will really be of use to you in FS. The only thing that might cause problems later is bad habits picked up in FS, which the Sporty's course (or any other) will not help very much, or having to unlearn something learned in the course because the FAA changed things. Only an instructor at your side can cure bad habits (or keep them from developing).

On the other hand, if your real world training is coming soon, studying in advance can be a major asset. But you need to be aware that things in the course related to regulations (and perhaps a few other areas) will have changed enough that you'll need to get another course for update (and unlearn things that have changed), if it's more than a year or so 'til you take flight training.

Obviously, things such as principles of flight, runway numbering, etc. won't change, nor will a large part of the section on weather (though I recall changing to METARS, etc. from the old way of reading weather reports). And VOR/NDB usage won't change. But almost anything subject to regulations (accident reporting, currency requirements, airspace types, and much more) can have changes, sometimes very subtle, sometimes massive, even in a period of a year, let alone over several years.

However, it is possible, for the most part, to keep up with changes in the regs through magazines such as Flying, AOPA Pilot (if you're an AOPA member), Plane & Pilot, etc., if you're careful.

So while I wouldn't consider it worth the money (and it won't stop bad habits from developing), if it's worth it to you, go for it.

[HR]
Larry N.

http://www.flightsim.com/dcforum/Use...7454c071bd.jpg

[evh347]

I own both the Sporty's PPL & IFR training courses on DVD. I HIGHLY recommend them for real training, brushing up, or just to learn something new for the sake of curiousity.

The series is done VERY well in a way that everyone can understand. Lots of real world tips, computerized diagrams, and in a language that makes sense. You WILL watch them again and again.

With the help of those DVDs (and http://myairplane.com), I got a 90% on my PPL written and a 97% on my IFR written.

http://www.flightsim.com/dcforum/Use...150436a827.jpg

[flyinggriffin]

Taking the Sportys course will help your flight simming, but how much will it help your real life experience in the future? That is hard to predict. The primary training is basically devloping the reflexes to fly an airplane and put it down on the ground in a manner that allows you to use it again :)


Some flight training courses use video, CDROM etc, but in parallel with the actual training. Some of this stuff will not make a bit of sense till you actually go out and fly a plane.

Like Larry said, the rules are gonna change and even rated pilots have to keep up each year. If you can get a set of CDs used from Ebay or second hand from a flight school by all means. Anything you learn will not be wasted.

[av84fun]

I have the Sporty's course and a few offered by King and they are all great but I think they are overkill for your purposes.

If I were you, I'd study the tutorials in the FS help section and get a book on basic flying skills of which there are a jillion. Check the books written by William Kershner. They are among the best on the planet.