Computer Simulation with Flight Simulator X Mastering Flight – Level 3

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Computer Simulation with Flight Simulator XMastering Flight – Level 3

http://www.creativelearningsystems.com/






What You’ll Learn…

Stuff You’ll Need… Flight Simulator X software CH Eclipse Yoke

What information is required in a proper flight plan How to plan and fly a simple route How to read flight plans How to locate departure and arrival airports How to respond to air traffic control commands







ePortfolio Suggestions… Before you begin this Learning Launcher, list the most important

flight skills you learned in your prior Flight Simulator X activities. List three interesting things you learned in the What You Should

Know… section. Keep a record of each flight plan you create. Show the plan and the

flight results in your logbook. Use “Print Screen” to capture the image of the map for each flight and store this in your ePortfolio.

Maintain a pilot logbook of your flights and include it in your ePortfolio.

Take screen captures of your flights and include them in your ePortfolio.

Explain how you selected your departure and destination airports. Create a glossary of flight words you find in this Learning Launcher

or in the Flight Simulation software







What You Should Know…This is Not a Video Game!Flight Simulator X is a realistic computer simulation. You will use it to learn flight dynamics and piloting skills – you will not get to shoot down fighter jets or battle aliens.

The controller you will use is called a yoke. Handle it GENTLY! There are two good reasons for this. The first is that it’s a delicate and expensive piece of electronic equipment. The second is that successful flying requires smooth, controlled movements. Can you imagine what it would feel like to be on a plane if pilot tried to control it with big, jerky movements? In real flight, small movements of the yoke result in big movements of the plane. Most beginners move the yoke too much (over compensate) causing the plane to fly off course by a significant amount. Small, smooth adjustments of the yoke will get you where you’re going!

This piece of equipment is called the YOKE. If you handle it gently, you will

become a successful pilot.







What You Should Know…Before beginning this Learning Launcher, you should have completed the Level 1 and 2 Learning Launchers, Introduction to Flight Simulator X and Flying Missions. You should be very comfortable using both the software and yoke. You should have mastered all of the flight skills in Flight Simulator Lessons 1-7, and Tutorials 1-5. You should know how to maintain your pilot’s log book.







Warm-Up FlightNow that you are more experienced with flight simulator, let’s start this Learning Launcher with a warm-up flight! Go to the Mission main page.Select and fly one of the following missions: Sitka Approach Mid-Western Fly-in Flower Power Telluride Landing

Document this flight in your pilot’s logbook. Save the mission and add any mission photos you took to your logbook.

Flight times for these missions are 5-15

minutes.

What You Should Know…







What You Should Know…Flight Plans, Meteorology, and NavigationYou arrive at the airport, check in, pass through security, and hustle to the gate to board the plane. Not exactly a complex process and maybe kind of like catching a bus…for YOU.What about the pilot and crew? Chances are, they have worked hard on this and many flights to ensure that the passengers have a smooth and comfortable trip. Behind the scenes, the pilot has created and filed a flight plan, checked the weather, and made sure that the plane is in perfect working condition. Flight plans are part of the larger topic, navigation.








What’s in a Flight Plan?• Pilot’s name

• Departure and destination airports

• Route Type

• Flight time

• Alternative airports should poor weather or equipment failure require landing

• Passenger list or number of passengers

• Fuel requirements

Flight PlansWhy Create a Flight Plan?Pilots submit flight plans for personal or commercial travel to prepare for the trip, to avoid flying into another aircraft, to avoid hazards such as weather and terrain, and to let others know where to search for the plane in the event of a crash.







What You Should Know…Route TypesUnlike car drivers, pilots have several systems they may use to fly from place to place. Cars must rely on roads but, planes follow paths designated by different rules or types of equipment.

Airways: These are pre-defined flight paths, similar to the roads used by cars.

NavAid: a system of electronic beacons that send out directional signals. The pilot flies along a path of signals toward the next beacon.

Direct: an option for short flights where no other routing methods are available.

In the U.S., all flights performed using IFR (instrument flight rules) require submitting a flight plan to the Federal Aviation Administration. If visibility and weather conditions permit flying under VFR (visual flight rules), flight plans are recommended but not required.







What You Should Know…WeatherClearly, weather is an important factor in flying airplanes. In the Level 1 and Level 2 Learning Launcher activities, you flew missions under clear and stable weather conditions. Until you are competent, continue to learn to fly under the best conditions. Once you feel ready for the challenge, you may use Flight Simulator X to change the weather conditions for your flight. As part of the flight planning process, you can select Weather Options.

To improve your skills, try flying the same route in fair weather and again in stormy weather.







What You Should Know…NavigationA good pilot keeps an image of each flight in his or her mind. Visualizing the trip from start to finish helps pilots to prepare for the flight and anticipate any challenges. Most of the flying you will do in Flight Simulator X involves simple plans and navigation. Each flight plan you generate comes with a map and chart. Review this information before each flight. Notice the departure and destination are clearly marked and an arrow shows your route between airports.Most planes have an image of the compass on the screen and/or instrument panel. Observe the compass, notice that when the nose of the plane in the center points in the same direction as the small arrow, the color changes from yellow to green. If the arrow is green, the plane is flying on course.







Flight Planner TutorialThe Learning Center has a very useful tutorial that will walk you through each step of how to plan a flight. Begin by reviewing this tutorial.Go to the Learning Center main page. Click on the Flight Planner icon.








Flight Planner TutorialRead the Flight Planner tutorial carefully.

Important steps and additional information are provided in the

tutorial.








Selecting AirportsTo locate an airport in the U.S. modify the filter at the bottom of the page to read “United States”.

Enter the name of the city you want to use for departure or destination.

OR, enter the name of the city in the “Airport Name” cell. Many airports share their name with the nearest city.

Flight Planner Tips

Setting Additional OptionsSet the Flight Plan Type to VFR and the Routing to Direct-GPS








What You Should Know…More TipsSaving & Loading Flight PlansClick, “Find Route”, to save the flight plan. This will take you to the map of your flight on the Edit page. Click the “save” button.

The software automatically

names and saves the flight plan for

you.







What You Should Know…Another Tip: NavLogAfter you create your plan, you can review it by selecting the “NavLog” button.The NavLog button opens a flight plan such as the example below.

Airports

Time required to complete flight







Keep it Simple! Planning Your First FlightIn this Learning Launcher, you will plan and fly three missions.

Let’s start with some simple goals:

Flight Time: 5 to 15 minutes. If you noticed, the mission information includes the length of time it takes to complete the mission in Real Time. All your flights need to occur within one class period. Check with your Facilitator if you want to plan a longer flight.

Flight Path: Keep it Simple. Start with a straight and short flight. Select two nearby airports or start-end points.

Terrain and Weather: Plan your flight over simple terrain and in clear weather conditions.

Select an Aircraft: It might be fun to fly a jet, start with a simple and “user-friendly” airplane.

Landing is Mandatory: Make sure you are comfortable landing in the type of plane you have selected. Know your controls and how the plane responds.

Do It!







Practicing Takeoff and Landing! Once in the air, you will generally fly straight-and-level. Therefore, it is more interesting, and you will learn more if you make several short flights than one long one.

After you master flight planning, change the terrain and/or weather to make the flight more challenging.

Do It!







Do It!Create and fly your own flight planNow it’s your turn to create your own flight plan…Create and successfully fly three (3) separate plans. Open Flight Simulator XClick on “Free Flight”Select “Flight Planner”Select locations for departure and destination.Set the flight plan type to “VFR”Set the routing to “Direct-GPS”Select “Find Route”Select “NavLog” to confirm the flight plan and time en route.Select FLY NOW! to fly the mission.







Do It!Create and fly your own flight planLog Each FlightIn the previous Learning Launcher you learned to keep a Pilot Logbook. Use the same system you developed earlier to record all three of the flight plans you created.

Date Time Airports Weather Plane Mission Outcomes

New Skills

Other Comments







Do It!Recommended Routes…If you’re struggling to come up with flight plan ideas, start with your local airports. Or here are some we think you may like.

Departure Destination CommentsProvincetown, MA Barnstable, MA Fly across Cape

Cod Bay; 18 minutes

Memphis, TN Richardson, TN Fly above the Mississippi River; 10 minutes

Logan, UT Ogden, UT Fly along the Wasatch Range; 28 minutes

Portland, OR Hood River, OR Fly past a volcano; 20 minutes

Use the Internet to find maps and images of your

route before you plan the flight!







Extend Yourself…NavigationFlight Planner is a part of a bigger topic, Navigation. Notice that when you first open the Flight Planner tutorial there is an icon that says, “Back to Navigation”. Select one or more of the topics in Navigation to learn more.







Extend Yourself…

A flight that requires taking off from and landing at multiple airports is said to be a trip with multiple “legs”.

Plan a flight that requires flying between three or more airports.

Multiple Legs







Extend Yourself…The Coriolis EffectHas it ever occurred to you that while you’re flying through the air, Earth is turning under you?

On long flights, pilots have to take Earth’s rotation into consideration or they’ll end up in the wrong place!

This is called the Coriolis Effect. Go online to learn more!

Click on the plane to see the Coriolis effect on airline

travel...



Computer Simulation with Flight Simulator X Mastering Flight – Level 3

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