subject: Soar Through The Clouds [print this page] For the aspiring pilots amongst you, there is no greater feeling than soaring through the clouds amidst the wide blue yonder. Yet if the cost of flying lessons is proving prohibitive, there is another way that will let you rack up a number of practice hours without coasting the earth. Personal flight simulation technology has now reached such a pitch of advancement that even programmes designed for use on home computers can help you develop the skills you need for your private pilots license.
Indeed, when accompanied by a professional flight joystick, dynamic feedback seat and high quality HD projector, the experience is overwhelmingly realistic to the extent that many professional pilots will often use such systems to get a feel for new airports. Even though the experience will not count towards your practice hours it will help you get the most out of them when you are up there. Indeed, flight simulation is a great way to learn about the principles of flight and will allow you to explore the limitations of an aircraft without risking yourself or others. It is also a great way of practicing emergency drills so that you know exactly how to react when taking your final exams.
There are many programmes available, from the ever popular Microsoft Flight Simulator, to X-Plane by Valusoft. All have their own unique strengths and weaknesses and what you choose is largely going to be a matter of personal preference. If in doubt, there are lots of gaming community websites that will gladly give you advice on the relative merits of different systems and the various bits of kit and hardware that can help augment the experience.
All in all, you should be able to put together a good system for less than 300 and the cost saving you will make on flying lessons will easily outweigh the additional price. Indeed, you may well find that your progress starts to improve rapidly as you get the chance to consolidate what you learnt in your private flying lessons. Finding the best deals on flight simulation equipment is easy and you can get much of the info you need to make an informed investment by searching on the web. There are a number of dedicated flight stores that provide a range of equipment and resources to trainee pilots and they are often run by extremely knowledgeable staff that will be happy to help with any questions you might have.
