Get A Head Start On Your Flight Lessons With A Flight Simulator

A lot of people enter into flight training with very little actual knowledge of what it's like to fly

. With a little investment up front of time and money, you can potentially save yourself thousands of dollars and an enormous amount of stress by practicing on a flight simulator. Take the time to learn as much as possible before laying all that money on the table. It also helps your stress level when you get behind the controls if you have a good idea of what to expect.

Microsoft Flight Simulator is by far the most used and trusted of the available flight simulators for personal computers. You can quickly pick up a copy for around sixty dollars at your local electronics store, install and be ready to go in just an hour or so. If you really want to get as close to the feel of the controls as possible, go to an online store and look into Saitek flight controls for your computer. You can get the yoke, pedals, throttle... almost the full flight deck. Flight Simulator is a great tool for practicing landings under different weather conditions, navigating, learning the look of the flight panel, and many other things.

There are also plenty of websites and forums out there that will give you a hand in learning your flight simulator. You can join one of the many online flight simulator forums and ask questions. Some even have download sections where you can get scenery packs and new airplane models that you can fly. The members are relatively friendly and enjoy the opportunity to bring a new member into their community by teaching potential new pilots. That support group is a great help in motivation and education, both.

In addition to the flight simulator software, you should some money to begin your library of flight training books. There are hundreds out there, but I highly recommend any title produced by the Federal Aviation Administration and I especially recommend Rod Machado's "Private pilot Handbook." Machado has taken the time to boil the technical jargon out of the FAA manuals and put the lessons into everyday language so even the novice can follow along relatively painlessly. He also has put out a number of other books along with CDs and other products.

It also helps to take some of the nervousness out of talking on the radio if you get a little practice on your flight simulator and listen in to live air traffic control through websites like LiveATC. Also some highly recommended books are titles like "Say Again Please: Guide to Radio Communications." Again, I highly recommend joining in one of the special channels on your flight simulator as they will usually take the time to help out rookie pilot's.

In addition to the above described resources, every new pilot should become a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), as they have innumerable resources for new pilots. A large part of AOPA's mission is to grow and nurture the general aviation pilot population, and they put forth an enormous amount of resources to make that happen with things like Flight Training Magazine (it's free!), blogs, podcast and so forth. If anything, your membership dues will help strengthen the general aviation community since AOPA lobbies Washington on behalf of private pilots.

In conclusion, you will do yourself a big favor by spending a little money and a bit of time up front by using the resources that are readily available to potential pilots prior to going to flight school. Those resources can be an invaluable part of your flight training schedule. If one thing you learned with any one of these options will save you one hour of training time, then it has more than paid for itself. It's your choice and you're money.

by: John Smith

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