User Guide

Getting Certified
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Tutorials are found in the next chapter of this
book. In them, renowned flight instructor, aviation
educator, and humorist Rod Machado walks you
through the basics of flying. Each tutorial starts
with some homework; read the suggested
material in the onscreen Help, watch the videos,
and you’ll be better prepared to absorb the
information to come. The tutorials themselves are
hands-on. You’ll read a section, then use Flight
Simulator to apply what you’ve learned. With
Rod’s assistance, learning is fun, and you’ll be in
the air before you know it.
Lessons team you up with a virtual instructor
who guides you through maneuvers step-by-step.
The Lessons complement the Tutorials and
increase in difficulty as your skills increase. Rod
will be your virtual instructor for the Private and
Instrument Lessons.
Checkrides put you in the cockpit with an
Examiner who will test your mastery of certain
tasks. Before you take a Checkride, make sure
you’ve met the prerequisites listed in the Preflight
Briefing. Once you pass, you’ll be awarded a
certificate that you can print, frame, and hang on
your wall.
Lessons and Checkrides are real-time, interactive
experiences in the cockpits of Flight Simulator
2000 aircraft. To get to them, click Lessons on the
Flights menu. Be sure to watch any associated
videos and study the Preflight Briefings before you
go flying.
After you’ve completed a series of Lessons and
passed the associated Checkride, try flying some
of the suggested Adventures—they’re a fun way to
use your new skills. Adventures range from short
dramatic scenarios lasting a few minutes to
lengthy realistic flights of several hours, complete
with air traffic control. On the Flights menu, click
Adventures.
Renting an Airplane
There are more than 600,000 pilots
in the United States. Some own their
own airplanes, but the majority take to
the sky in aircraft they rent. Most flight
schools, flying clubs, and fixed-base
operators (businesses at airports that
provide training, rentals, fuel, supplies,
maintenance, and so on) charge a “wet”
hourly rate, meaning that the rate
includes fuel. Renting an airplane isn’t
cheap, but because renters usually pay
only for the time the engine is running, a
rented airplane can be a feasible way to
get from one place to another.