Practicing forced approaches with MS Flight Simulator

[xysn]

I don't fly often enough because of my day job and weather and availability.

Practicing forced approaches in FS worked out pretty well as it allowed me to practice the procedure under realistic time pressure. When practicing in the plane I tended to rush as if the ground were seconds away, but doing in at my desk let my mind soak in how much time there actually is when gliding down from 2000 / 3000 / 4000 feet or whatever.

Although the terrain in FS isn't great you can still pick a spot to land on from a certain altitude, and you can always slew back up to that altitude and over different terrain.

Obviously the finer points of being able to judge a landing spot and looking all around you is tougher with one monitor, but I think the ability to practice the procedure, plan approaches (360? Circuit? S-turns?) and get familiar with the time available was very helpful to me.

[Changes in Latitudes]

It's a great supplement when the real-thing isn't available!

As long as you realize that the glide ratios and flight dynamics may not be perfect, I think that anything that gets you thinking like this is a plus. Going through scenarios, flows, checklists in that environment never hurts and will build your situational awareness. You'll gain a better understanding about your options at 4000 feet vs 1000 feet vs 100 feet, as far as trouble-shooting, re-starts, etc, are concerned.


Good luck with your training. What is your goal with the flying, if you don't mind me asking?

[FastFlyBy]

As long as you realize that the glide ratios and flight dynamics may not be perfect

That may actually be a good thing.

If you max out your weight to increase your descent rate, you can condition yourself to think faster than necessary. Try max and min weights and OAT's to learn what you need to do to prevent overshooting & undershooting.

Set yourself up in realistic situations instead of just over the training area, things you couldn't (wouldn't) do in a real aircraft.

[FlyGy]

You can even set up MS Sim to have failures at random moments, so you aren't just practicing on your own terms, but at random times during a simulation.