Some real-life aviation experiences and milestones today

Congrats on the first flight. It’s a blast isn’t it.

While I agree that your can’t perfectly transfer operating the throttle, mixture etc from sim to real life, the thing that transfers very well is something you probably didn’t even notice. It’s the instrument scan while trying to maintain level flight, turning, landing etc. In the sim you don’t get the real engine noise, wind noise, feeling of Gs that you get in the plane. This means that in the sim you’ve already developed a good scan of altitude, airspeed, bank.

Congrats again.

nice! welcome to the club! I started with flight sims and got my PPL at 18. 19 now working on my instrument rating! if I can take one thing away from my PPL training, this is to learn to fly without a GPS.

I'm not on track to transition from simming to real-life flying. But I think you're right about GPS. I last "flew," sim-wise, in the '90s, when radios and steam gauges were state of the art. I didn't get deep into MSFS back then, but I learned something about flying to, and on VOR radials, using DME, and so forth. Back then, MSFS came with a thick manual that included information about VOR frequencies and the like. I wish I'd hung onto my last one. I didn't know anything about the GPS revolution in avionics until I began "flying" in MSFS 2020 in January. It took a while to get used to the Garmin screens. I can see their value over traditional gauges, of course, but I don't like following magenta lines in MSFS unless the plane's on autopilot--and the autopilot is working.

Hey, great! And thanks for getting back to us with a report. You're very perceptive and mentioned some details that many would not have noticed. Good job.

This means that in the sim you’ve already developed a good scan of altitude, airspeed, bank.

Depending on the individual, often they use the panel Waaayyyy tooooo much, at least at first. Almost anything you do in VFR flight needs only a brief glance at the panel once in a while. But I suspect that most simmers will do more than a glance and do it way too often. You can get roughly the same info out the window (and with your ears and backside) once you learn how (much of it with greater precision than with the gauges), and very much time spent looking at the panel degrades your performance. His CFI should soon break him of any of that, though.

The average non-pilot simmer will not notice the effects of adverse yaw, and therefore will not care about it, ever.

Learn to feel the sideways motion in your bottom, not just on the ball. To do that you must be relaxed in your seat. Sometime in the first couple of lessons, if your CFI doesn't do this, have the CFI fly the airplane with you sitting relaxed, then have him add some right rudder (while telling you what he's doing), then relax the rudder to center the ball. Next have him do the same with left rudder, then relax it to center the ball. Go through this a few times. If you are sufficiently relaxed in the seat, you'll feel yourself sliding sideways then back to more comfort. Doing this a few times (maybe again later, if needed) will help you learn to FEEL how much rudder you need to keep it coordinated, that is, "fly by the seat of your pants."

The reason I suggest the above is that a lot of CFIs don't go through that specific exercise, so it takes longer (sometimes a LOT longer) to recognize and be able to use that feeling -- some never do get it (and they're sloppy).

Although the sim does force you to use the rudder to taxi, the average simmer hits a button to automatically appear on the runway ready to take off.

One thing that might help a little (in no wind) is to sit on your hands while taxiing (clear this with your CFI), just to help you overcome what we term "negative transferrence," that is, it's a carryover from driving to try to steer with your hands, but sitting on them will emphasize to you that you need to use your feet. My first CFI had me do that and it helped a lot (I was in an Aeronca Chief, the one in my sig).

Most jarring is the feeling of flying that simming can never compete with, except I assume for high-end professional simulators used to train real pilots.

Not ALL real pilots, just those in airliners, most biz jets and some military stuff. And though those multimillion dollar full motion sims give a great deal of realism, there are things they can't duplicate, so they don't QUITE make it real, but very close in most flight regimes. Also, the difference between flying a tubeliner and a light aircraft means that the feeling you are talking about is quite a bit different in a jet, and in the sim of course.

Now I'm going to give you one more piece of advice here: When you get home from the lessons, DON'T go to the sim to practice, at least at first. Instead, sit in your favorite easy chair, close your eyes, get your (mental) hands and feet on the controls (yes, the throttle too), and relive that flight in your mind, moving hands and feet as needed (remember, though, it's PRESSURE, not MOVEMENT). Do this at least a couple of times that same day before even thinking about FSX or such. It'll help you with the muscle memory you need to develop.

Again, congratulations and enjoy!

Excellent advice and valuable tips, Larry, I appreciate it.

Although the CFI and I did talk about a possible over-dependence on panels, I don't know if I actually worked on breaking it in this first session (I realize there are plenty of more sessions to go). Maintaining the same direction seemed to come pretty comfortably, but maintaining the same altitude made me pretty nervous, causing me to constantly glance at the altimeter. There's no magic to this though, I guess. The same reason stable direction was relatively easy is probably the same reason stable altitude will be.

I also should mention that the one maneuver that made me the most anxious by far was climbing, because (a) I couldn't see in front of me with the nose up, and (b) goofing on MSFS has shown me how to stall, so I was worried about the climb rate getting so high that I would reach that point. I never actually did but the fear was there. Practice will make perfect.

Stalls are not to be feared in a light plane.

Get up to altitude and pull the yoke back until you slow down gradually into a stall; then hold the yoke all the way back and aggressively use the rudder to keep yourself pointed straight ahead. You'll feel the plane trying to charge off to the left and the right; this of course is the beginning of a spin. You'll gain confidence when you get used to the fact that letting the yoke go forward drops the nose almost instantly and regains normal flight control just as fast, no throttle necessary.

The sim will do an approximation of it on the 172. But I have to use ailerons, in a Citabria as I remember it, it is done with rudder alone. (The sim has the stall speed about 10 kts too slow)

Spins are also nothing to be feared if you have some altitude, but I doubt that you'll be offered spin training in a Cardinal.

What do you plan to do with your flying "career"? I quit flying because I know that a low time pilot is a dangerous pilot and I didn't have enough money to support becoming a high time pilot. (I found out in the physical that have a color blindness which prevents me from being permitted to fly at night, therefore getting a commercial license and so on was out of the question.)

I also should mention that the one maneuver that made me the most anxious by far was climbing, because (a) I couldn't see in front of me with the nose up, and (b) goofing on MSFS has shown me how to stall, so I was worried about the climb rate getting so high that I would reach that point.

First, keep in mind that the sim won't do a stall properly and, in most FS flight models, not even at exactly the right speed (of course that varies a lot, too). Second, unless it's rather abrupt, raising the nose to a normal climb attitude leaves you nowhere near a stall. A stall comes at a certain wing angle of attack, not at a speed (though the speed for that AoA is repeatable under the same conditions), and using normal control pressures it'll take a much higher pitch attitude for a stall than for a climb. As you progress you'll find that and get more comfortable.

Stalls are not to be feared in a light plane.

Except at very low altitude, jimbo is right. It'll be a little different in a Cardinal than in a Skyhawk, but unless it's an unmodified very early model Cardinal it won't be a lot different. Since the one you're using is a 1968 model I suppose it's got the 150 HP Lycoming in it?

Jimbo mentions spins, and I suggest that you someday (hopefully before getting your Private) get some spin training, and some tailwheel training, as well, though unless the opportunity is too good to pass up that might wait until after the Private. Both will improve your confidence and abilities, as well as safety if you don't let yourself get sloppy in your flying.

I quit flying because I know that a low time pilot is a dangerous pilot and I didn't have enough money to support becoming a high time pilot.

A low time pilot isn't necessarily dangerous, if he respects his limitations and doesn't think he knows it all. It's as much a matter of attitude as anything. And high time, in and of itself, doesn't make for safety -- it's attitude. Unfortunately I've flown with some fairly high time pilots who were dangerous because of their attitude and because they thought they were much better than they actually were because of their logged time. Logged time doesn't mean much if you're sloppy in your flying and don't make an effort to improve, don't keep learning and working to eliminate the slop.

In Ernest K. Gann's Fate Is The Hunter, in his early days as a copilot the captain he regularly flew with wouldn't tolerate any slop in his flying and made him work on precision until he eventually came to relish it himself -- some excellent lessons in that book.

Anyhow, have fun with it Neil, and work for precision.

What do you plan to do with your flying "career"? I quit flying because I know that a low time pilot is a dangerous pilot and I didn't have enough money to support becoming a high time pilot. (I found out in the physical that have a color blindness which prevents me from being permitted to fly at night, therefore getting a commercial license and so on was out of the question.)

I have a similar concern. I intend to address that concern with the points Larry just mentioned about attitude. I am a hobbyist so I will never have sufficient hours for ace status. I intend to maintain modesty and humility in my flying habits, and emphasize safety in my training and ongoing education. I’ve already signed up for the FAA Wings program, for example, which will give you a certificate in safety-focused training if you keep up with the course work. I can receive IFR training but choose never to fly in IFR conditions. To the point you made about spins and stalls, I intend to specifically train for those, both as a student and regularly afterward.

I can afford the training. If I couldn’t, this would not be the hobby for me.

I went up for my second flight lesson today. We departed from Scottsdale, KSDL, practiced some straight and level flight, easy turns, did an introduction to sharp turns and slow flight, and flew over some spectacular sights near Arizona's famous Superstition Mountains before landing back at KSDL.

The instructor had me take off partially on my own: he handled the rudder but had me handle the throttle and yoke. The take-off experience was probably aided quite a bit by MSFS. Because I had done it hundreds of times in the sim, what might have been my anxiety level at the mere thought of doing this event myself was a lot lower. Again, I emphasize, it did not "train" me in any way for the sensory overload of the experience, or for the needed muscle memory (which remains zero). But when the instructor told me I am aiming for 55 knots to take off, that was a familiar goal notched into my brain. Seeing the airspeed indicator increasing up to 55 was also a familiar sight. The notion of slightly lifting on the yoke was, again, familiar.

I had even practiced this very take-off routine, from the same airport, in the same direction. I have a paid add-on for Phoenix scenery (which is excellent btw). I knew exactly what the visual looked like, taking off from either of the two runway directions. This, again, helped calm my nerves for the real thing. The take-off felt smooth and very comfortable.

I can sense one tangible negative effect of simming a lot before real-flying: in the sim there is no danger to staring at your instruments all day long. You can try to fly like a real VFR pilot if you're a real pilot, and it would work, but non-pilots have no idea what this means. So when I have simmed, I am practically glued to the airspeed, the bank angle, the VS indicator, the altimeter, with the visual horizon cues only playing a minor role while I reach cruising altitude. After two lessons, I have seen that this has created a tendency in me that takes a bit of effort to undo while I get used to flying with my eyes first, and the instruments later. I don't think it's a serious problem but it's something to think about for any simmer who wants to start flying.

One more note: My plane today was a pretty new Cessna 172 with the G-1000. I have to admit, it was spectacularly fun seeing it in action after using it so often in the sim. To my surprise, the real G1000 in this real plane actually had some features that were even more advanced than the MSFS version. The G1000 is even cooler than I'd realized, in other words.

In addition, the ability to see all other traffic on the G1000 second screen, thanks to FlightAware technology, is just mind-blowing. In the US, federal law only required this technology in all small airplanes in 2020, so this is brand new stuff. It reduces the odds of a midair collision by an astronomical amount, not to mention reducing the constant task burden and stress on real-life pilots. You still have to constantly scan the air around you, but having this highly effective tool to aid you in doing it is a game changer. This feature again does not exist in the MSFS version of the G1000.

I went up for my second flight lesson today. We departed from Scottsdale, KSDL, practiced some straight and level flight, easy turns, did an introduction to sharp turns and slow flight, and flew over some spectacular sights near Arizona's famous Superstition Mountains before landing back at KSDL.

Congratulations! Interesting about simmers paying too much attention to instruments. I'm trying to get away from that in my sim VFR approaches--just quick glances at airspeed, altitude, and the localizer to get lined up with a runway. I bet it was good to already have an understanding of the G1000 when you got into a real plane. Did the instructor say anything about whether he thought your sim experience had helped you in one way or another?

Congratulations! Interesting about simmers paying too much attention to instruments. I'm trying to get away from that in my sim VFR approaches--just quick glances at airspeed, altitude, and the localizer to get lined up with a runway. I bet it was good to already have an understanding of the G1000 when you got into a real plane. Did the instructor say anything about whether he thought your sim experience had helped you in one way or another?

I've flown two lessons with two different instructors (the first was just an acquaintance who took me up for free just to be nice, the second will be my regular for a while). Both of them were pretty interested in my thoughts about the MSFS experience. Neither played MSFS but one had played older versions.

Both seemed to kind of assume that I had some built-in academic knowledge about aviation thanks to the sim, which is probably true. I was sure to jump in to ask questions if they glossed over anything, but it didn't happen often. I do know what the throttle, rudder, ailerons, elevators, trim, and flaps do. On the other hand, I had no clue how fuel goes into a C-172, how to sump fuel, what normal fuel when sumped looks like, and more. I did have to pause the instructor and ask him to go back and explain a bunch of fuel stuff.

Congratulations! Interesting about simmers paying too much attention to instruments. I'm trying to get away from that in my sim VFR approaches--just quick glances at airspeed, altitude, and the localizer to get lined up with a runway.

A real pilot in a pilot forum I’m on gave me this advice that you might be interested in considering:

“Yes, instrument fixation is a big problem for those of us who started on home sims (especially without wrap-around displays). I strongly recommend ordering a copy of Wolfgang Langwiesche's classic book Stick and Rudder, which shows how to use the angles, etc, you're seeing outside the window to get the same information. Then, when you go back to your home sim, practice flying a plane with minimal instrumentation, like a J3 Cub.”

One thing to note about Stick And Rudder is that it is even more effective after taking a real flight or two, since you don't feel some of the things he's talking about when in a non-motion simulator. But you can learn a LOT from that book. It's still the best I've come across for the things it covers, which is how a plane flies (and feels) from a pilot's perspective, rather than from that of an engineer or scientist. For example "buoyancy" isn't an engineering term, but after a flight or two you can get a feel for what it REALLY means to a pilot.

Wolfgang Langewiesche was a true genius on the subject, especially how to communicate that to pilots.

A real pilot in a pilot forum I’m on gave me this advice that you might be interested in considering:

 

“Yes, instrument fixation is a big problem for those of us who started on home sims (especially without wrap-around displays). I strongly recommend ordering a copy of Wolfgang Langwiesche's classic book Stick and Rudder, which shows how to use the angles, etc, you're seeing outside the window to get the same information. Then, when you go back to your home sim, practice flying a plane with minimal instrumentation, like a J3 Cub.”

Hey, thanks. I've ordered the book from Amazon. I "looked inside" it first. From what I read it looks both entertaining and understandable for a numeric-phobe like me. And maybe I'll spend more time in the Cub than the Beech Bonanza today.

Yesterday, I had an epiphany of sorts about one of the most difficult and most important aspects of sim flying for me, i.e, landing--especially the last minute to 30 seconds or so on final approach. I tend to get into trouble when I overthink what I'm doing. I realized I need to become more instinctive about it.

This is something I came to understand about skiing years (well decades now) ago. The most difficult thing to learn in skiing is how to turn, and of course, how to turn in different circumstances dictated by snow conditions and terrain. You can analyze--left-brain--the hell out of this stuff in ski lessons and off the slopes, but you only get good at doing it when you allow your right brain to take over and the artistry to begin. You stop thinking about turning--on groomed runs, or on ice, or in moguls, or in powder, or on double-diamond runs--and just do it. (I never got the hang of just doing it in the midst of trees.)

One of the most satisfying moments of my skiing career came when my right brain took over completely one day at Crested Butte in Colorado. I was skiing with a group on expert terrain. We'd just descended a steep, broad moguled slope--the kind where the pitch is so extreme that when you release to turn, you drop several feet. Next came a gentler track through a forested area. But to get there, we had to ski into and across a sort of gully, with enough speed to get out of it. The challenge (and danger) was that on the other side of this gully an unforgiving stand of trees awaited us. I took all this in as I watched others in the group go ahead of me. Then I stopped thinking and went for it. Skiing into that gully with sufficient speed to carry me up over the lip, I executed a left turn in mid-air that ended in a hockey stop and a very satisfying spray of snow.

I need to learn how to land a plane the way I landed my skis that day.

I need to learn how to land a plane the way I landed my skis that day.

Interesting observations. At 49 I'm no spring chicken myself, so how does that saying go? "Youth is wasted on the young"?

Though I learned plenty academically in my youth, as an adult I have acquired additional skills such as the following:

* A realistic understanding of US history.

* How to play the banjo.

* Like you, how to ski.

I'm no Earl Scruggs yet but I'm an advanced-intermediate on the banjo right now. And on ski slopes, I can handle black-rated slopes, though as I get older my desire to risk a nasty bruise is rapidly diminishing and I prefer to glide through nice blues instead.

For the skills requiring physical learning (the last 2), it is fascinating to watch the process as I personally moved toward the end goal that you state above. When I learned to ski in my early 20s I just jumped onto the slopes and crash-banged my way to expert status (a few ski classes to get started but that was it). But when learning a new musical instrument in my 40s, I burned probably hundreds of hours reading, analyzing, watching musical performances, listening to albums, and watching YouTube videos. I worked with a teacher as well. I had no choice for this. Not living in the Appalachian South, banjo players are rare where I live and it's hard to find opportunities to just show up and jam with people. And then the pandemic happened anyway. I'm a family guy with a good career that I enjoy, so no banjo jam parties in South Carolina for me.

So one process was crash-bang "just do it." The other was very analytical. Is one superior to the other? Not really. I'd say it should be a combination of both, if one can afford the time, the money, and the resources.

Haven't posted in a while so thought I'd give you all an update on what I've been up to, in the real-flying world.

I've put a general pause on in-person lessons because of the Arizona heat, the lack of any need to hurry on my part, and what were then covid conditions. I'll resume in October with a flight school I signed up for in Scottsdale. Meanwhile, I just got back from a family vacation in Kaua'i, Hawai'i, and while there I signed up for a couple of flight instruction sessions with a local flightseeing company. Needless to say, I used MSFS to sim-fly in Kaua'i EXTENSIVELY. I knew the entire island like the back of my hand from the sim. Seeing it in person from a Cessna 172 was seriously one of the coolest experiences of my life. And I don't think my life has been boring?

I've gone up in the air for instruction a total of 4 times now, 2 times in Arizona and now the 2 Hawaii flights. Although I'm logging the hours from these sporadic experiences, I'm just trying to indulge in having some fun until my real flight lessons begin. I can see a clear difference between my very first student pilot experience described above, and my last one in Kaua'i. My first flight experience had me completely fixated on looking at my instruments, maybe because of MSFS habits or maybe just from nerves. I worked on this for my second flight lesson and improved a bit, but I probably still fixated too much. By the end of flight #2, I also felt pretty nauseous.

But flight #3 in Kaua'i was quite different. I did not feel a need to fixate on the instruments, and felt much more comfortable maneuvering the airplane while only glancing to check my airspeed and altitude. Flight #4 in Kaua'i was 5 days later and I enjoyed this new way of flying even more. Plus, the nausea was gone completely for both of these flights. Doing this, especially with the mind blowing scenery of Kaua'i, was totally thrilling and exhilarating. I remember looking down soon after take-off from Lihue Airport, at about 2,000 feet, and seeing an airliner below us at about 1,000 feet on its way to land. I don't know how to describe this--it was just super cool to see that visual. Truly amazing. Images that will stay in my brain for a long time.

The instructor let me fly about 60% of the route for flight #3. My 15-year old daughter was in the back seat of this Cessna 172, and I was thrilled to see that she actually loved it (contrary to her mom, who is still skittish about small planes). Taking off from Lihue, we did a clockwise circle around the island of Kaua'i, flying at about 2,000 feet as we went past the famous Na Pali cliffs (which are approximately 4,000 feet high). We then flew over Hanalei Bay, Princeville, Mark Zuckerberg's obnoxiously massive estate, and back to Lihue. The instructor simply had me focus on flying straight and level, and executing a few simple turns.

For flight #4 I flew about 75% of the route. The CFI ditched the idea of showing me any amazing scenery since I'd seen it all anyway. I instead got a good lesson in real-life weather-based decision-making. The weather patterns on this island are complex beyond my current level of comprehension. Every day there are thick clouds that fully cover the center of Kaua'i (making that center the literally wettest spot on Earth). Sporadically these clouds move across to other parts of the island, typically at elevations as low as 2,000 or 3,000 feet. I wasn't sure how an instructor teaching a student pilot in fully VFR conditions would remain VFR. We took off with clouds in the immediate vicinity of Lihue, and stayed below them. As we approached the Na Pali cliffs, we realized that the clouds were just too low for us to pass through in VFR conditions, so we turned around. Doing so would require us to enter the military airspace of Barking Sands Naval Base, so I enjoyed hearing the CFI interact with the BSNB controller to request permission to do so. We then got to fly almost directly above the BSNB airport. (This base is responsible for firing off anti-missile missiles btw. Again, super cool).

Landings and takeoffs were handled by the CFI this time. The whole thing was awesome. Can't wait to resume real lessons. Hopefully any bad habits I learned from being a simmer will melt away as I get further into this. Since I was in student mode it was not the time to take pictures, but I did manage to squeeze in this one while the CFI was approaching final at Lihue:

Hey, it's great to hear from you. I'd been wondering what you were up to. Your RL flying experience sounds fantastic. A while back, I circumnavigated Kau'i in MSFS, flying at about the same altitude as you did in RL. I did it counterclockwise as I recall.

I'm envious. I couldn't seriously consider taking flying lessons even if I wanted to because I have a permanent tracheostomy that would make it difficult for me to talk to ground controllers. (I have to cover the trach to talk, which leaves only one hand free for other tasks. Alternatively, I can wear a one-way speaking valve--as I do sometimes for social occasions--which leaves my hands free. But the valve's always at risk of falling off, which would be a bit troublesome in a cockpit.)

Please post more often about your RL flying exploits.

Best,

Steve in Aptos

Hey, it's great to hear from you. I'd been wondering what you were up to. Your RL flying experience sounds fantastic. A while back, I circumnavigated Kau'i in MSFS, flying at about the same altitude as you did in RL. I did it counterclockwise as I recall.

 

I'm envious. I couldn't seriously consider taking flying lessons even if I wanted to because I have a permanent tracheostomy that would make it difficult for me to talk to ground controllers. (I have to cover the trach to talk, which leaves only one hand free for other tasks. Alternatively, I can wear a one-way speaking valve--as I do sometimes for social occasions--which leaves my hands free. But the valve's always at risk of falling off, which would be a bit troublesome in a cockpit.)

 

Please post more often about your RL flying exploits.

 

Best,

Steve in Aptos

I actually thought of you while over there! If you go to Kaua'i in the near future, you might consider using the company I flew with. That outfit, Wings Over Kauai, is owned by a very smart, diligent, safety-oriented man who has lived in Kaua'i for many years. He owns a Cessna 208 and a Cessna 172 for tourists, and does not cut corners on maintenance or upkeep on them from my observations. As a tourist you can opt for a flight with either plane, but you can also opt for a student/instruction session in the 172 where you would not be doing anything stressful like talking to ATC or taking off. Once in the air, the pilot will simply get you to a safe situation and then let you fly for a bit here and there. Frankly, if I were you I'd just go as a tourist, because seeing the island in that 172 is thrilling beyond words. The MSFS version of the Na Pali cliffs do not even come close to doing them justice. Maybe opt for 30 seconds of taking over the yoke if you're feeling adventurous. :)

Wings Over Kauai, is owned by a very smart, diligent, safety-oriented man who has lived in Kaua'i for many years. He owns a Cessna 208 and a Cessna 172 for tourists, and does not cut corners on maintenance or upkeep on them from my observations.

Do his planes have the latest Garmin avionics? And if so, how do the Garmin screens in MSFS compare with RL?

No, like most 172s I’ve seen.

My fancy flight school that owns multiple $400,000 172s has glass cockpits. Those are even cooler than the MSFS version. But a small tour company on an isolated Hawaiian island really doesn’t need all that fancy stuff. Their pilots know every nook and cranny of that airspace by heart.

No, like most 172s I’ve seen.

 

My fancy flight school that owns multiple $400,000 172s has glass cockpits. Those are even cooler than the MSFS version. But a small tour company on an isolated Hawaiian island really doesn’t need all that fancy stuff. Their pilots know every nook and cranny of that airspace by heart.

I saw somewhere that a G1000 can add $50,000 to the cost of a 172.

I saw somewhere that a G1000 can add $50,000 to the cost of a 172.

At least that. I found this on the web:

"While an average base install of a Garmin G1000 in a King Air costs around $325,000, it adds an average value increase to your aircraft of around $275,000. In addition, it includes all of your upgrades like WAAS/LPV, ADS-B, RVSM and is safer, lighter, more reliable and can be completed in just 15 days."

Probably somewhat less on a C-172, but still far from cheap.

At least that. I found this on the web:

 

"While an average base install of a Garmin G1000 in a King Air costs around $325,000, it adds an average value increase to your aircraft of around $275,000. In addition, it includes all of your upgrades like WAAS/LPV, ADS-B, RVSM and is safer, lighter, more reliable and can be completed in just 15 days."

 

Probably somewhat less on a C-172, but still far from cheap.

I might've been off by a digit. Off tomorrow for Chicago in RL, from KSJC by way of KLAX. The flight out of KLAX is a Boeing Dreamliner; second time for me. It's a very nice wide-body, especially up front.

Another long-overdue update!

After taking a break for the summer heat in Arizona, during which I got my medical exam completed and did a lot of ground school studying, I have now resumed flight lessons again. Last week, I landed a plane on my own for the first time (CFI was with me). Pretty damn exhilarating.

Because I had received about 7 hours of RL (but sporadic) instruction before that session, it's really hard to say whether or not being a flight simmer helped for this first-time attempt on my part. Being a simmer has both negative and positive effects on people who choose to pursue RL flight lessons, so it's usually a mixed bag. But it's entirely possible that it was a help in this one particular scenario: visualizing what the plane and runway were really supposed to look like while I landed seemed to come easy. I didn't freak out and pull the yoke too much. It was actually quite smooth--keeping in mind that the instructor did have his hands on his yoke for any gentle nudges in the correct direction, much less any emergency needs.

Anyway, I am still a newbie beginner student pilot and basically a complete moron in the air, with lots and lots and lots more to learn yet. But it is fun and exhilarating. My many thanks to the small group of you over here, because the actual inspiration to even start this journey came from many of you. Cheers!