User Guide

Flight Simulator
20002000
20002000
2000
30
Microsoft
Pilot Supplies
As a Flight Simulator pilot, you’ll find many real-
world pilot supplies useful. Find a local flight
school or pilot’s shop in the phone book, then
head on down and see what they’ve got. The
salesperson will be glad to show you around (and
will most likely try to sign you up for flying
lessons!). At best you’ll become a student pilot. At
worst, you’ll walk out with an armload of toys. If
you’d rather do your shopping from the comfort of
home, there are a number of well-known pilot
supply companies that do business on the Web.
Take a look at aviation charts (some stores give
them away when they’re out-of-date), calculators,
course plotters, and radio scanners. Most stores
have a lot of aviation books too, on subjects such
as aircraft and aircraft systems, weather, naviga-
tion, communications, and training.
Fly for Real
Flight Simulator 2000 is a game, a simulation, and
a training aid all rolled into one. Many Flight
Simulator enthusiasts have gone on to become
licensed pilots, and many pilots (both recreational
and professional) fire up Flight Simulator to have
fun and practice their skills. It’s not unusual these
days for a new student to arrive at the airport for
his or her first flight lesson already knowing about
control towers, stalls, and the horizontal compo-
nent of lift.
Flight Simulator provides a comfortable, relaxed
atmosphere in which to learn and practice the
fundamentals of visual and instrument flying,
including:
· Operating flight and engine controls
· Using and interpreting flight instruments
· Using navigational aids
· Flying in an airport environment
· Flying solely by reference to instruments
· Understanding and managing systems
failures
Student pilots using Flight Simulator can isolate
specific tasks and focus on them without the
distractions and complexities of flying a real
aircraft in busy airspace. Instructors can use Flight
Simulator as an interactive tool for pre- and post-
flight demonstrations, as well as for classroom
presentations. The ability to save specific situa-
tions as Flights, record and playback “videos” of
Flight Simulator flights, and induce systems
failures is particularly useful to instructors. Keep
in mind though that while Flight Simulator is a
great complement to flight training, it’s not a
substitute for instruction from a Certified Flight
Instructor and is not part of an approved training
program under the standards of the FAA or any
other regulatory authority.
The next chapter, “Getting Certified,” describes
the path real-world pilots take in their training
and lays out a curriculum you can follow to climb
the career ladder within Flight Simulator.