Beginner at flight sims...

Read the forum code of contact

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 2,343

I am brand new to using flight sim, and I have just bought FS2002, but am having some difficulty already, and was wondering if someone would be kind enough to help me...

Basically, I have tried to fly a 737-400 and the Learjet 45 on short routes (LHR-MAN mainly!), and I have managed to work out how to use the autopilot and the ILS systems (thanks to the tutorial on here!), but for some reason I can't seem to get the damn thing to land on the runway, regardless of what aircraft I am flying.

I don't know much about the speed/flap controls of these type of aircraft (i.e what speeds/flap angles to use), so I am presuming this is part of the problem?

Any simple advice for a beginner would be much appreciated?

Original post

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 6,503

As a beginner, slow your 737 to about 140 knots and set your flaps to full. That should do for now.

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 1,064

Why FS02 when FS04 is out and FS06 imminent?

Member for

19 years 2 months

Posts: 546

Cheap? Easy and simple GPS that does the job?

The fact that not all of us have power-pc's (though I'm slowly fiddling with 04 to the point it works alright, even with AI and PMDG 737!)

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 2,343

As a beginner, slow your 737 to about 140 knots and set your flaps to full. That should do for now.

Thanks, will try this when I next go on...I know how to do all that, but how can I tell that I am travelling at 140 knots?

Can anyone show me a screenshot as to what to do...?

Cheap? Easy and simple GPS that does the job?

Well, it was only £9.99 brand new, so I thought I would get that and then upgrade to a better edition when I am more confident. I didn't want to pay a huge amount for the latest software, just incase I didn't get on with it and ended up not using it...

Member for

18 years 10 months

Posts: 221

Well, it was only £9.99 brand new, so I thought I would get that and then upgrade to a better edition when I am more confident. I didn't want to pay a huge amount for the latest software, just incase I didn't get on with it and ended up not using it...

Excellent point. :)

And FS04 isn't much different in any case, mostly just looks nicer, so when you do upgrade you'll still have the foundations from FS02.

Member for

20 years 7 months

Posts: 2,623

cloud_9

The best way to ascertain your approach speed for a given weight is to think that your Vref, that's your speed over the threshold speed should give you a 2-5 degree nose up profile from about 4nm to run which will be the outer marker on an ILS, you should not be diving the jet into the threshold like it's a Cessna, the positive nose profile is there to help prevent a nose in landing, if your nose attitude is lower than that suggested then you need to decrease speed slightly (say 5kts) then wait for the change, if your nose is too high then increase speed slightly (5kts) then wait for the change, all this is based on the 3 degree descent on a standard ILS

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i48/Deano777/cloud.jpg

Here in this pic you have

MCP (Mode Control Panel) Basically your Autopilot commands
ASI Your digital & analogue Airspeed Indicators
PFD Your Primary Flight Display, if you see here at the scale you will notice a positive nose attitude of about 7 degrees, you need between 2-5degrees nose up for the approach as stated above.
VSI Your Vertical Speed Indicator, your rate of climb or descent in ft per min
HSI Your Horizontal Situation Indicator, basically where your navaids tuned will display information
RMI Your Radio Magnetic Indicator, basically displays VOR/DME radials / ranges

Edited, forgot to add
Altimeter Obviously your Height, or altitude or Flight Level dependant on what baro setting you are using,
FL is based apon the 1013 datum, so if you use flight levels you must have 1013.25 set.
Height is when you have QFE set in the altimeter, this will read height aal on approach
Altitude is with QNH set, airfield QNH or regional QNH and below 3,000ft transition altitude in general, transition altitude is the point where you set 1013.25 in the climb for Flight Level but this can raise to 6,000ft around major airports like London & Manchester.
To set the regional QNH and fly altitude just hit "B" and this automatically sets your altimeter to the regional QNH.

Dean

Member for

18 years 10 months

Posts: 221

Dean mate... You really gotta get out more. :D

Member for

20 years 7 months

Posts: 2,623

You think? :D

Member for

19 years 5 months

Posts: 93

Like Cloud9 I am a newbie to FS too.

Excuse me CLOUD9 if I borrow your thread regarding taxiing problems but....

My problem is not taking off or landings. It's the darn taxiing that's more sweaty than anything. I usually have to fiddle using power up and power down plus using breaks intermittently to keep the plane "on the yellow" but heck !!! I dont always get it right.

Any tips from experienced FS taxi drivers? ;) wink wink

Cheers
Dandpatta

Member for

17 years 10 months

Posts: 1

My suggested to the various newbies here would be to use the inbuilt Flight Sim Flying School. As total beginner to flight sim, just doing a few of the lessons will immediately show you where you are going wrong, but more importantly, what you should be looking at. Start with a Cessna so you only have a few primary instruments. Also, adjust your sensitivities on your flight yoke or joystick. If your rudder is oversensitive, you will never control the taxiing. Another taxiing problem can arise from frame rate problems. If your display is stuttering because you have all your settings maxed out, and your frame rate is too slow, you are adding control inputs which are responding to an image that happened previously, so the aircraft becomes uncontrollable.

Hope this helps. Always glad to see people who have just taken up this great hobby of ours. :)

Dave.

Member for

20 years 8 months

Posts: 3,394

Like Cloud9 I am a newbie to FS too.

Excuse me CLOUD9 if I borrow your thread regarding taxiing problems but....

My problem is not taking off or landings. It's the darn taxiing that's more sweaty than anything. I usually have to fiddle using power up and power down plus using breaks intermittently to keep the plane "on the yellow" but heck !!! I dont always get it right.

Any tips from experienced FS taxi drivers? ;) wink wink

Cheers
Dandpatta

Usually if flying any jet from the Learjet to the 747, I set the speed on the Autopilot panel to about 10 or around that makr to keep the speed up. Certainly saves me time instead of asjusting the speed manually, of course you may have to use the break abit on turns.

Works for me :D .