navigation fundamentals - the simple stuff: situational awareness

Whilst this forum seems to be mostly about getting software working well including FS2020 (MFS), thought might be good to post a thread for new pilots. As many of us say, and sometimes forget, then remember again, nothing beats self-training in a disciplined way: if you really want to learn to fly and understand how it's done, in real life and in the sim, the fundamentals, simple stuff, is the place to spend some time.

 

Circuit training is fundamental. Funny, I've been dabbling with FS for about 20 years, with big gaps, basically am a 66 year old 'old experienced newbie'! Given working full-time, life in general, not much time for the hobby. Having got 6 hours solo in a glider in my 20s under my belt, so was trained properly, the fundamental knowledge and training keeps coming back to remind me. Situational awareness, knowing where you are at all times, including height in relation to the ground, where you're intending to go, your compass heading. Although I'm very good with compass knowledge, just never seemed to click in my head, in an automatic, simple, ready-reckoner way, to think about my circuit headings before I start the circuit practice, until yesterday. E.g. from my local strip: take off runway 15, left circuit (4 x 90 degree left turns)), hence legs: depart 15, cross-wind 15-9=6, downwind 6-9=-3 i.e. 36-3=33 (the reverse direction of the take-off strip), cross-wind 33-9=24, final 24-9=15 (of course!). Thought "huh, why haven't I realised that before, how easy it is to calculate in my head"!). Scribbled this on paper (should be part of my preparation before flight: what am I going to do, where am I going to go, how am I going to do it? Ans: a standard left circuit (1000 ft altitude above ground standard circuit). (I learnt a year ago to set the heading bug on the compass to the landing heading, just hadn't bothered to learn that before, made life a lot easier having that visual guide to my orientation. Paid dividends as my circuits were no longer totally embarrassing!)

 

So a message to newbies, especially those without any flight training - have fun playing with all the different aircraft, airports etc. including the airliners, jets etc., but also give time to getting the fundamentals right, and just as in real aviation, that means puttering around a circuit in a Cessna or similar. You'll find your enjoyment increases many fold when you do play with the bigger stuff.

Edited December 28, 2021 by MAD1

Yes, a sim pilot can be intimidated by the difficulty of flying a sim, and they're often impatient and wanting to fly now, so they tend to learn just enough to operate some aircraft systems and depend on the forgiving nature of the sim and the help of the autopilot. But proper training can be of lifelong benefit to whatever simming one does through life.

 

It's great that you want to help the new folks, and there's some good stuff in your post. But there are other things that can help tremendously from the beginning and can help reduce the chances of developing bad habits from the start, for those who want to actually get proficient and skilled. But it DOES take time and effort and delays someone's dream of "flying" an airliner.

 

So while you have a good beginning, let me offer some additional thoughts to perhaps flesh out your good start.

 

nothing beats self-training in a disciplined way

Except learning with an instructor in a "disciplined way," which can be awkward to do in a sim.

 

Circuit training is fundamental.

It is fundamental AFTER a bunch of airwork first, which is even more fundamental. In real life instruction, the normal time for takeoff and landing practice (traffic pattern or circuit work) is after you've mastered control of the airplane, which means mastering the TRUE fundamentals, the four basic maneuvers:

 

1. Straight and Level
   
2. Turns
   
3. Climbs
   
4. Descents
   

along with changing airspeed (accelerate, hold steady, decelerate), including doing the four basic maneuvers mixed with each other and with airspeed changes, then mixing in flaps (if equipped) at various settings.

 

Granted that the instructor does work with the student on the one takeoff and the one landing needed for each flight, but even after the above are mastered, then there are ground reference maneuvers and practicing the pattern (circuit) at altitude prior to doing serious pattern work at the airport.

 

Obviously it's not REQUIRED that you do this stuff in the sim, but it's very beneficial to the student, and pays dividends throughout a simming "career" if one will do some of this stuff.

 

The Aircraft Flying Handbook on the FAA website has all this information, including good descriptions (and many illustrations) of how each maneuver is performed: https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/airplane_handbook/

 

Each section is a .pdf file that you can download and peruse at your leisure, starting with the Introduction To Flying: https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/airplane_handbook/media/02_afh_ch1.pdf

 

FS2004 and FSX (and perhaps other sims too) include lessons that you can invoke within the sim, which can help a lot, but they're imperfect, according to the many, many posts I've seen on the subject (not something I've used).

 

So, depending on how much you actually WANT to learn and how proficient you actually want to become at actually flying an airplane vs operating systems on autopilot, there are ways to learn a lot if you wish.

 

Basically, this means take the lessons offered in the sim (if your sim does that) and/or start with the FAA handbook mentioned above and work through all these things, asking questions here on the forum if needed.

Very good points lnuss. Yep, of course, before one can even try one's hand at a circuit, the fundamentals of an aircraft's controls, the air surfaces, need to be mastered. All this complexity is what makes flight sim world so interesting, never a dull moment or nothing more to learn. And yes, in my old 'legacy' software, FS2002, the in-built tutorials - the Rod Machado lessons are all very good. I've done some of them. Also, when one gets bored with doing 'the same old thing', the sims have in-built so many cool things to try. Re FrankPilot's post 'An easier way to land?', the 'Jacobson flare', have just watched a YouTube of Captain Jacobson explaining it. Very entertaining video including his description of his career.