User Guide

Flight Simulator
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Microsoft
3. Press P to pause the simulation.
How was that? Not too bad, eh? Simple as this is, it’s an important skill to have. I make all my
airplane students master it before moving on to more complex skills.
Wing-Leveling and Pitch Reflex
Now let’s try the same thing with the autopilot
disengaged. I want you to maintain both the
pitch and bank attitude for straight-and-level
flight as shown in Figure 2. Yes, the turbulence
is still active. Give it a try.
1. From the Flights menu, click Select Flight
and choose Tutorial 10, Situation 2.
The autopilot is deactivated in this tutorial
and there is still a fair amount of turbulence
to discombobulate the airplane.
2. Press P to activate the simulation.
3. Practice maintaining the attitude for
straight-and-level flight until you’ve got the
hang of it (but stop before you experience
a complete loss of circulation in your hand).
4. Press P to pause the simulation.
Do you feel like you should be getting minimum wage and a compensation package for all the work
you’re doing? Well, instrument flying isn’t for the faint of heart (or for those who faint). It’s a lot of
work, but these exercises are worth it. Don’t rush through them. I can’t express how important they
are. I spend several hours with students in airplanes making sure they’ve mastered both the wing
leveling and the pitch reflexes. If you feel you’ve mastered these reflexes (and have some feeling left
in your arms) then move on to Step one of the three-step scan.
Step One of the Scan
Step one of the three-step scan is to select the attitude, power, and trim conditions for the desired
attitude. For instance, if you’re in straight-and-level flight and desire to climb (a major attitude
change), you’ll need to select a climb attitude, apply climb power, and then trim for this condition. Do
this by focusing entirely on the attitude indicator. From your previous experience, select the attitude
that gives you the flight conditions desired. You still remember these attitudes from the previous
tutorials, don’t you? If not, review them by holding your now-weakened hands up in mock surrender
and use your elbows to waffle through the pages of this book.
Figure 2