Kamis, 23 Agustus 2012

Flight Simulator Controls

As any novice or seasoned pilot would know, it is impossible to fly any aircraft if one has little or no understanding of the instrument panels in each plane. And this is the same with flight simulators like Flight Pro Sim. Before you can successfully fly any of the more than 100 aircraft models that are available in this software, you have to be conversant with the flight simulator controls of each. As an example, let's take a quick look at the controls for the Cessna Skyhawk P in Flight Pro Sim.

Users can choose from a two-dimensional control panel and a 3-D cockpit. The 3-D simulation provides a far more realistic experience. You can toggle between the 2-D and 3-D views at any point. Irrespective of the view, all knobs and panel levers can be manipulated using your mouse (if you do not have a joystick or yoke).

Delving into the actual flight simulator controls for the Cessna Skyhawk P, we can start by looking at the attitude indicator which shows the plane's bank and pitch. The indicator has bank angle marks at 90, 60, 30, 20 and 10 degrees. Just next to the attitude indicator is the airspeed indicator. It shows flight speed in knots.

There are different colored arcs on the airspeed indicator each showing range of speed with flaps and with flaps retracted. But most important, the upper section of the airspeed indicator has a red dial that indicates the velocity you must not exceed. Under the airspeed indicator is a turn indicator. At its center is the image of an airplane which shows the plane's roll.

If the right or left wing is alighted with any of the marks on the turn indicator, it means you are taking a standard turn i.e.turning full circle in exactly 120 seconds. Within the turn indicator is an inclinometer that shows if the ailerons and rudder are correctly aligned. The inclinometer shows whether the plane is 'skidding'. But just in case you are not conversant with the Cessna Skyhawk P's flight simulator controls, you can always take off with the auto-coordination option enabled.

Next to the attitude indicator (on the right hand side) is the altimeter which indicates your altitude in hundreds of feet. A crucial note here is that the figure shown here is feet above sea level as opposed to feet above ground. Related to the altimeter is another vital cockpit instrument - the vertical speed indicator. This shows the speed at which your plane is climbing or descending in feet per minute.

The flight simulator controls in Flight Pro Sim however go a tad bit further than the actual Cessna Skyhawk P's standard cockpit instruments. For instance, there is a red field just under the compass. This filed indicates the status of the plane's brakes. It lights up whenever you engage the brakes. As you launch your Cessna Skyhawk P within Flight Pro Sim, it is important to remember that you can ignore radio instruments if your flight is strictly based in Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and not Instrument Flight Rules (IFR).

Want to learn more about Flight Pro Sim? Visit http://www.flightprosim.us and find out all the latest software.

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