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What is the best Cessna flight simulator for a real pilot?
Jul - 26 | By: yulypis | 3 comments.
Filed under : Best Flight Simulation
I’ve got a close relative that was a pilot for many years but is no longer fit to fly. He pretty much only flew small planes. What would be the best flight simulator to get it as close as possible to the real thing? I’m willing to spend a few hundred bucks if necessary.
Thanks!
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3 Responses to “What is the best Cessna flight simulator for a real pilot?”
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The best simulators cost a lot more than a few hundred dollars.
For your budget, however, you could buy a desktop simulator for PC plus a few add-ons. Microsoft Flight Simulator is the obvious choice simply because there aren’t many choices. X-Plane is another option but it has a far smaller market of add-ons, and that may be significant. The simulator program plus a control yoke or stick and a throttle quadrant, along with rudder pedals, can make for an enjoyable simulator, even though it’s not going to be the same as the real thing by any means. Add-on scenery for airports or the area in which he likes to fly can enhance the experience; and an add-on aircraft, such as one of Carenado’s excellent Cessna models, is important for maximum realism and accuracy (the default aircraft involve many compromises).
That’s about the best you can do for a few hundred dollars. If you have many thousands to spend, you can get better simulators that will required a dedicated room in the home. Indeed, the more money you have to spend, the better you can get, all the way up to something that would be very hard to distinguish from the real thing.
If your relative enjoyed the procedural and intellectual experience of flying, a simulator can be a lot of fun. If he enjoyed strong sensations and the wind in his hair, a simulator may only remind him of what he has lost. I note that many PPLs who fly VFR only seem to place a strong emphasis on physical sensations (of which there are many in small planes), which unfortunately is a significant drawback of desktop sims. But a simulator may still be better than nothing.
Lest you be misled, both MSFS and X-Plane can be used in FAA-certified simulators (X-Plane makes it easier—and more expensive). However, these simulators require specially certified hardware configurations that cannot be modified, and to make the hours loggable, an instructor must be present. This would be a complete waste of time for someone who is no longer fit to fly.
X-plane does offer plenty of add-ons if you are looking for cessna-specific sim.
About $30 for the sim, $300 for the pedals and yoke, and you have a decent sim. You can keep adding to it spending over $10,000 for specialty equipment to make it more realistic (actual instruments, etc), but (IMHO) that is getting a bit fanatical.
You should note that X-plane is continually being developed, while Microsoft has abandoned the sim market. Also, the FAA may authorize an X-Plane based sim as actual simulator hours, while MS FS is not authorized. (Check with FAA concerning hardware requirements for sim, and check with X-Plane developer for commercial license requirements).
Google earth has a free one and you can pick your plane.it works best if you have a joystick that plugs into your usb port.Ya can pick the airports too.