Serious simulators--they can teach you to fly

Flight Journal, Aug 2001 by Lert, Peter S

The FMS's myriad functions are simulated with complete accuracy, and because most 747-400 pilots spend as much time learning to work the FMS as to fly the airplane, this is an area in which the program is particularly valuable (and a reason it's used by some airline training departments). Line-oriented flight training (LOFT) is very popular, and crews can fly an entire long flight in the sim. PS 1.3 is ideally suited to either type of training; it includes an extensive "instructor console" display on which malfunctions of just about any aircraft system can be preprogrammed, as can varying weather conditions en route. It's quite challenging to run an entire flight from, say, Houston to JFK, including all the prestart checks, programming the FMS for the whole flight, etc.-particularly when the weather goes sour at the destination and systems start failing. I've been using a phone-booksize 747 crew manual "borrowed" from a Minneapolis-based major airline and have never encountered a condition in which the program didn't perform with absolute fidelity. The program comes with a very good manual.

Aerowinx's website (www.aerowinx.com) is replete with testimonials from satisfied PS 1.3 users. Among them are several former light-aircraft pilots who claim that practice with the program let them "ace" airline interview simulator checks and find their way into right-seat jobs flying the heavies.

Whether your goal is to work toward your instrument rating, enhance the skills you already have, stay sharp when the outside weather is too lousy to fly in, or move up into an airline flying job, a wide range of desktop PC training programs are available to help you. And, unlike real-world instrument flying, you don't have to be a pilot to use them. For the cost of an hour or two of airplane training, you can purchase a product that will not only help you to train but will also offer endless hours of entertainment and challenge.