subject: Cessna 172 Simulator - Do You Know How Authentic Are Flight Simulation Computer Programs Anyway? [print this page] Until recently flight simulators were extremely basic. Nowadays, as computer software technology has more powerful, flight simulators, such as those for a Cessna 172 plane, are extremely complex.
The software design that goes into the creation of a flight simulator program basically allows you to take control of practically every aspect of piloting this type of plane.
There is no longer any doubt that a Cessna 172 simulator is really as true to life as you can possibly be, to aviating the actual plane.
Yet, just how good of a a training tool can an aviation simulation software program really be?
Aircraft simulation software programs have come a long way since the beginning days of computers. If you pilot the simulator, it is as though you were really aviating the real thing.
In fact, a number of instrument flight students (who are learning to operate a plane solely by depending on the instruments with no visual reference of what's outside the windows - (also referred to as flying "blind") attest that there is unsubstantial difference between a simulation and real life.
Practically every aspect of navigating an aircraft, every law of aerodynamics, and every possible outcome of various weather phenomena are incorporated into the simulation to be as true to life as is technically feasible.
The experience of operating a simulator program is so true-to-life that it offers a seamless transition from flying the simulator to piloting real airplanes.
With respect to all of the advances in computer programming technology that we have available these days, in the twenty-first century, one of the greatest and most essential tools that every pilot, irregardless of whether he or she happens to be a newbie pilot or an experienced pilot, must have available to him or her, is a reputable flight simulation program.
A flight simulation program can help to close the gap during those unforeseen periods of indeterminate downtime in between flights.
It can also empower you to touch up on your skills, help you maintain proficiency, and can even enable you to earn some additional time in those areas in which you could use some improvement.
Flight simulator software can help you become a safer pilot.
They can also help you to save money, as well as time, on extra training or unnecessarily having to repeat flying the same practice maneuvers over and over again.
The good news is, flight simulation software is so sophisticated, that operating a simulator is practically every bit as realistic as operating the real thing. The instrument panel is identical. The control inputs are the same. The world "map" built into the simulation is based on real life cartographic data. The way the aircraft performs to various internal (weight and balance, fuel, aircraft performance) as well as external (weather phenomena, air temperature) forces is designed to mimic real life scenarios.
For many people, a flight simulation program is merely a very high-tech video game. And in many ways, it can be enjoyed at that level. After all, you never have to be fearful of crashing the plane in a simulation!
But for many others, a flight simulation program is a serious learning tool, and for many professional pilots, it is an integral part of their aviation career.
