A flight simulator can be more than just an enjoyable game for a licensed pilot,cheap ralph lauren. Airplane simulators can help you develop ingrained habits to deal with real-world emergencies when they arise,cheap ralph lauren. Use the following five techniques with a flight sim to boost your safety and confidence when piloting a real aircraft.

#1. You can use a flight sim to "pre-fly" a route to an unfamiliar airport. As you approach the airport using the simulator you can get a feel for the approach patterns, and how the airport is situated to a nearby town, a lake,cheap ralph lauren, or other physical features,cheap ralph lauren. If the simulator you're using is detailed enough, you might experience a strong sense of dé,cheap ralph lauren;jà,cheap ralph lauren; vu when you actually fly to the airport for the first time.

#2. Pilotage is becoming a lost art in this age of GPS. This is flying without reference to instruments, and prepares you for the day when the GPS suddenly goes on the fritz, and there are no VOR's you can track. With your simulator, choose a destination,cheap ralph lauren, plot a compass course, calculate the wind vectors,cheap ralph lauren, and see how close you can come to your intended destination using only time and airspeed.

#3. Use an airplane simulator to practice instrument procedures. If you don't have an IFR license, it's likely that the last time you flew without ground reference was when you were first training for your private pilot license,cheap ralph lauren. Being able to control a plane without reference to the ground can save your life if you suddenly find yourself in the clouds,cheap ralph lauren, or in a thick layer of smoke from a forest fire. Use a flight simulator to practice choosing two VORs to cross-track to a particular IFR intersection. Then concentrate on maintaining your stick and rudder coordination as you make shallow turns without ground reference.

#4. Many pilots wait too long in the landing sequence before electing to "go around." The winds might have shifted,cheap ralph lauren, or an animal might have wandered onto a rural runway. By practicing go-arounds on a simulator, you can get the feel for the correct procedures in your aircraft, and establish them as habits. Do you raise the landing gear first,cheap ralph lauren, and then the flaps? One or two notches of flaps? How fast can you climb to avoid a 75-foot obstacle at the end of the runway,cheap ralph lauren?

#5. Emergency procedures can be expensive and even a little dangerous to practice in your real aircraft, especially if you're doing low-level engine out procedures. With an airplane simulator,cheap ralph lauren, you can choose an airport, close the throttle,cheap ralph lauren, and see if you can put the plane "on the numbers."

Then,cheap ralph lauren, set up a simulated cross-country flight. From a common cruising altitude -- say 3,cheap ralph lauren,000 feet above ground level (AGL) -- simulate an engine out situation. How do you set up for the best glide speed,cheap ralph lauren? Are there clues as to the wind direction? Choose a potential landing spot and head for it,cheap ralph lauren. Can you successfully spiral or glide down to a chosen approach point, and then reach your intended landing spot,cheap ralph lauren, or do you overshoot or undershoot? Do the same practice from other flight elevations,cheap ralph lauren, such as 2,cheap ralph lauren,000 feet or 1,cheap ralph lauren,500 feet AGL.

Get an airplane simulator that includes plane similar to the one(s) you fly, and also make sure that it can simulate changing weather conditions. Then use it to keep your flying skills sharp,cheap ralph lauren, and develop smooth, established responses to emergency situations. You'll save money,cheap ralph lauren, avoid bending your real airplane, and become a safer pilot.

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