> but people wanting to fly recreationally, it can give them a headstart.
No it won't. It will make them over-confident in their abilities by detaching them from reality and allowing them to build upon all sorts of bad habits. Trust me, as I said, I was that person. I had bad habits. The instructor instinctinvley knew where they came from.
For a start, flying an aircraft is composed of three elements, "Aviate, Navigate, Communicate". The skill of a good pilot is to be able to juggle all three. No matter what is going on with the aircraft. No matter how busy the airspace is that you are flying with.
You can't do that in a sim, even the multi-million big-jet sims the airlines use. The airlines use them purely for specific, targetted, procedural training (which is always fully supervised by a third person who is not "flying").
You can't simulate the randomness of real-life in all three aspects of aviation.
Also, on your home sim you just can't replicate reality. For example, a common item during training is to simulate loss of situational awareness (i.e. you suddenly don't know where you are). The answer to that is to put your aircraft in an orbit (maintaining constant altitude, constant speed) and get a radio fix from beacons on the ground. Meanwhile not forgetting about the effect of winds, and not forgetting the busy airspace around you. And that you have to balance a printed map on your lap. No cheating with GPS.
Doing that in real life in a small aircraft where you don't have the luxury of an autopilot, only a trim wheel is an ask for a trainee .... you're kidding yourself it you think you can realistically replicate that in any sim, let alone a home one. Its far too easy with a joystick and a cup of tea sitting in your comfortable chair infront of your computer !
I understand what you said the first time and I agree with you, you won't be able to only practice in a flight simulator and expect to take your flight license after that.
But again, it can give you a head start. Even learning what yaw, yoke and so on is easier if you can actually practice it, even virtually, helps you more than not knowing anything when first starting out.
(I could say "trust me, I know, because I am that person", but I won't stoop that low).
No it won't. It will make them over-confident in their abilities by detaching them from reality and allowing them to build upon all sorts of bad habits. Trust me, as I said, I was that person. I had bad habits. The instructor instinctinvley knew where they came from.
For a start, flying an aircraft is composed of three elements, "Aviate, Navigate, Communicate". The skill of a good pilot is to be able to juggle all three. No matter what is going on with the aircraft. No matter how busy the airspace is that you are flying with.
You can't do that in a sim, even the multi-million big-jet sims the airlines use. The airlines use them purely for specific, targetted, procedural training (which is always fully supervised by a third person who is not "flying").
You can't simulate the randomness of real-life in all three aspects of aviation.
Also, on your home sim you just can't replicate reality. For example, a common item during training is to simulate loss of situational awareness (i.e. you suddenly don't know where you are). The answer to that is to put your aircraft in an orbit (maintaining constant altitude, constant speed) and get a radio fix from beacons on the ground. Meanwhile not forgetting about the effect of winds, and not forgetting the busy airspace around you. And that you have to balance a printed map on your lap. No cheating with GPS.
Doing that in real life in a small aircraft where you don't have the luxury of an autopilot, only a trim wheel is an ask for a trainee .... you're kidding yourself it you think you can realistically replicate that in any sim, let alone a home one. Its far too easy with a joystick and a cup of tea sitting in your comfortable chair infront of your computer !