User Guide

Flight Simulator
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Microsoft
Tutorial 4: Slow Flight
Okay, here’s the deal. I’m going to stick you in an airplane that’s capable of doing 120 knots—twice as
fast as the cars on the freeway below—and I have only one request: I want you to fly as slow as you
can. Sounds reasonable, right? Not really. This is like asking an Indy race driver not to take his
machine out of first gear. There is, however, a good reason for flying slowly.
The practice of slow flight is the proving ground on which you prepare for aviation’s biggest event:
landing. After all, you don’t want to land at cruise speeds, because airplanes weren’t designed to
maneuver on the surface at high velocities. You don’t want to burn the tires off the rims, do you?
(Just kidding, but it’s not far from the truth.) In general, the slower you are upon touchdown, the
easier it is to control the airplane on the runway.
Additionally, airplanes can’t fly too slowly, or they’ll cease flying and start falling (this is called stalling,
but it has nothing to do with the engine stopping, as you’ll learn later). That’s why I want you to feel
comfortable operating at slower speeds so you’ll know where the dangers are. And, as you’ll
eventually discover, it’s sometimes necessary to follow slower airplanes. You need to know how to
adjust your airspeed to prevent chewing up their tail feathers. These are only a few of the reasons we
practice slow flight. It’s an important maneuver. Let’s get started.
Guess where we’re going? You got it, Europe. ”Oh no, not again!” Yes, you must redeem yourself.
Many Italians think a strike by your landing gear put the “lean” in the Leaning Tower of Pisa. You
must show them you’re a masterful pilot by slow-flying your airplane over their country. So, let’s
reactivate our European vacation.
1. On the Flights menu, click Select Flight.
2. Choose Tutorial 4, Situation 1.
3. Click the OK icon.
4. Press Z, then Ctrl+Z, then Ctrl+V to activate the autopilot’s altitude hold and wing leveler.
5. Let’s also add the Spot Plane View: click the Views menu, then point to New View, then click
Spot Plane.
6. Drag the new window to the upper-left corner of your screen, if it’s not there already.
The airplane should be established in straight-and-level-flight at 110 knots at 3,000 feet above
sea level.