SurClaro Flight Simulator Resources

[skipperdan]

Last night, I read an excellent article in the AOPA magazine "Flight Training".

A question was posed to Rod Machado who we all know as a expert on aviation. A flight Instructor asked Rod for advice for how to wean his students off the the Moving Map. The instructor feels that too many of his students use it as a crutch in the beginning of their flight training.

Ron (in his great wisdom) stated, "Before any student learns basic VOR navigation, he should be capable of navigating solely by use of the compass, paper chart, and landmarks. Before a student learns to use GPS Navigation, he should be capable of navigating solely by raw data from a VOR display (Right-Left needle, To-From indication). Then, and only then, should a student be taught to use GPS and its moving map display for navigating."

I found this discussion to also pertain to Flight Simulator students. How many of you'll out there want to jump into flying "Heavy Medal" or Air Force Jets before you are capable of flying a Piper Cub? How many of you'all want to learn how to program your GPS before you are able to understand basic navigation? 8) 8)

[viche12345]

Haha I did the exact opposite of what Mr. Machado proposed. I'm more comfortable with the GPS than with gauges.

[capt.PropwashKCHS]

that depends. ..... sometimes i just want to hop right in there and fly that F14 around the heavens chasing Steve.... but then again, i would actually like to know HOW to program the dang Garmin 1000... yeah the map is nice... but um... "Navy AA100, decend and maintain 2500 expect vectors to ILS" --- ok, IM 3 MILES AWAY & I SEE *beep* RUNWAY! I DONT NEED ILS, and by the time i put it in... i could have landed!!!!! UGH!!! (just give me FSNAV and ill be fine)



although flying the Default 737 on VFR is pretty fun and HARD..... i did KCHS to KATL on VISUAL ONLY. following the roadways below. talk about SCARY!!!!! ---- no instruments, just look out the window and fly.... no compass, altitude, heading, NOTHING. Just look and fly.

[skipperdan]

Captain:

Ask and you shall receive. Here is a great link for learning how to use the G1000.

http://www.fs2000.org/simnews/2008/news/Using_the_Garmin_G1000_Glass_Cockpit.htm

I frequently like to quote the famous Notre Dame football coach, "We are going to start with the basics--This is a football".

[jaeger52]

I'll be among the first to admit that for some doggone reason, the GPS has been a source of frustration for me. *beep* thing is not the least bit user friendly in my experience! One can get so easily lost in its multi functioning buttons and displays a real bear of a learning curve!

I'm bookmarking the link you've posted up Skip with the [dreaded] thought of one day taking a more serious stab at mastering this sixty-four legged critter!

Kicking and screaming! :evil:

Jaeg-

[mel wilson]

Bruce...

Cat has a perfectly good, step-by-step Tut on the GPS on the Maddie Site, It the one I class as my bible... Try it.

Mel.

[Cat1]

Yes, yes... Says I.
That one will walk you through it step by step, I wasn't aware you didn't have if for all the Maddie flights. It really made things a lot simpler for most others and myself. :lol:
I even sent a copy of it to Skipper for review and use.


Keep in mind... The G1000 is an integrated flight display system, otherwise known as a "glass cockpit", it replaces the majority of the analog flight instruments it is NOT the same as a GPS500 or any other stand alone GPS, though it will display that information as well as TAWS (Terrain Avoidance Warning System), EGPWS Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System) Weather Radar and some other information if equipped.
Some of this is limited to the real world G1000.
And no... There is not a G1000 on a F-14. Caravan 208, yes, F-14, no... :P

[jaeger52]

Thanks for the reminder, Mel.

Ugh! Here goes I, yippee skippy-skipping down the hall with my dumb shoulder bag flopping out a counter beat against my backside to a classroom which I most pointedly detest! :evil:

I hope the door's locked when I get there! :wink:

Jaeg-

[capt.PropwashKCHS]

G1000, GPS500, ........ any GPS that is on Flight Sim... heck with em, cant use em. I could... but i have NO CLUE how. Thats why i just stick with FSNav and it gets me where i want to go. I know how to imput my flight plans in FSnav and then hit the perverbial GO FLY IT DUMMY! button. and everything is done for me. Only things I need to worry about are the radios, gears, flaps and lights.


oh well, ill eventually learn em one day. like i said, why give me VECTORS TO ILS when i am 3 miles away and can SEE the runway???? Ill just land it Visually, F* IFR/ILS if i can SEE where i am going!!

[jaeger52]

Well, I'm sort of with Capt Prop at this point, but (ha ha) after taking another look at his avatar, I'm considering jumping ship! Can the GPS 1000 or any other model see through six feet of mud?

On a more serious note, I'm always wanting to improve my FS skills in many areas. But my reality is that when I encounter something incomprehensible---like trigonometry, calculus...my brain slowly melts down into a fixed stare---at the door where I intend to depart and never to return.

Speaking only for myself, I am a bit older now and the unknown isn't as threatening to me as it once used to be. I no longer feel that sense of classroom/examination-date pressure. In fact, the older I become, the more it bothers me to think that "a thing, a something, a concept" has beaten my mind into jelly.

To put it in other terms, it's like coming to the realization that smoking cigarettes has taken over a portion of my life and that I have somehow lost all control in that one single diamond (like) facet of my human existence! Who's in control of me? Me or the freakin' cigs?

Another way of saying it, it's rather like coming to the realization that your neighbor is harboring something over you and now he/she is in control.

ARE YOU GONNA CONTINUE TO LET THAT HAPPEN?!

Viche?
Cap'n Prop?
Other's of this ilk?

ARE YOU GONNA LET THIS DOG CONTINUE TO SEEK YOU OUT AND SLEEP ON YOUR CHEST EVERY NIGHT AT WILL?

WELL, NOT ME!

I'm crawling out of this hole we're in right now and any who want to follow, "welcome aboard"! Let's fire up a last cigarettes and smoke that sucker down to the last scalding puff until it burns the finger tips, and then climb into our cockpits out there on the flight line and...

At least try to fathom the incomprehensible together!

For those in the know, this may be a perfect opportunity for a Teamspeak series of classes if Cat or some other has the time and inclination to compose a series of lessons for us "hard nuts".

My best to all,

Jaeg-

[mel wilson]

jaeger52 wrote:
For those in the know, this may be a perfect opportunity for a Teamspeak series of classes if Cat or some other has the time and inclination to compose a series of lessons for us "hard nuts".

Jaeg-

Now thats sounds like a Very Good Idea :idea:

Mel.

[Cat1]

mel wilson wrote: Now thats sounds like a Very Good Idea :idea:

Mel.

Not to be mean, and I am willing to teach... To those that are really willing to learn!
But I have been fighting this battle at work for the last month...
One would think that a phrase of "FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURERS INSTRUCTIONS FOR TERMINATION" would be enough. But OMG!!! That means you are not going to tell me what to do, and I have to look it up and UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM SUPPOSED TO BE READING IN ORDER TO DO MY JOB... (only because the information is printed on the packaging the connectors come in) be it pilot, engine mechanic, or wing walker, know, understand and relate to the information. Then go forth and do it, try making a fire instead of standing around one started with a bow and block.
Sorry I'm ranting... Jaeg, I guess this answers your PM question :lol:

Yes, since we have a server I would be willing to teach a couple of "on line classes" if needed.
Dry runs (wow that sounds painful) would need to be done.

[capt.PropwashKCHS]

well, i dont know how long it would last, but for this / these lessons i might be so inclined to get out the old leaf blower and blow the cobwebs off my TS Server and see if it still works.

I'll let you all know later about it though in the SURCLARO TEAMSPEAK thread.....








My avatar: I do Water and Sewer (mains) Utility Construction and one of my coworkers actually did something like this with a JCB Steel Track Excavator on one of our jobsites. Sunk it up to the cab. Tracks are ~4 ft tall!!!! he then turned around and got a D-21 Dozer stuck in the same hole after he got the JCB Trackhoe out!!

[skipperdan]

You'all have it easy because you only have to learn how to use the Garmin 4XX, 5XX and G1000. In addition to these three series, I have to learn how to use the GX55 GPS which we have in our Civil Air Patrol aircraft.

About a month ago when I flew right seat from Tampa to Punta Gorda, I was trained on how to program the GX55. I made the mistake of exchanging emails with Col. Carlson who is our expert on the GX55. At our CAP Holiday dinner last night Col. Carlson asked me if I am ready to teach other people in my squadron how to use the GPS. The Civil Air Patrol GPS gets very complicated because you have to program it for several different "Search Patterns". 8) 8)

[groundsquirrel]

As an instructor from FSDUonline, I can tell you that it does indeed work. One other aspect to consider is that there is a strong visual component associated with remote learning. A couple of ways to tackle it are, one, you can use a desktop sharing program such as VNC viewer. I believe there are a couple of freeware app's available that will work for small groups. The other method is to use a powerpoint slide show to refer to while instructing. I am not certain whether or not FS allows instructor mode to monitor more than one pilot at a time.