First lets take a look at what simulators are available and what their strengths and weaknesses are.

Realflight G2 and G3 are probably what come to most peoples minds first. These simulators tend to be marketed and promoted more than any others.

G2 is actually a great simulator, though the graphics are a little dated. The physics for general flying are very good, while certain planes can use a little work out of the box. The helicopters are all fairly representative of what can be expected with the real thing. G2 however does NOT have a sophisticated enough physics engine to provide adequate “3D flight”. In general 3D maneuvers feel very wrong.

G3 has some issues which have lead to lots of complaints from users. Some people use it and have no problems with it, others find it practically unbearable. The most notable current “bug” that ticks most users off is that occasionally you seem to run into invisible walls. Some also complain that all the planes in G3 have a tendency to snap stall way to easily. The 3D physics are much improved, though still not up to par with some of the other simulators. Both G2 and G3 come with a “controller”. This means you do not have to use a transmitter or even own your own transmitter for that matter. This does make them attractive for someone who is just starting out in the hobby. Another feature that both G2 and G3 support which is not found in ANY of the other simulators is a multi-player mode. In short, this allows you to connect to a server while you’re connected to the internet and have other people flying at the same time your flying. Equate this to a fun fly without ever leaving your house, though you’ll have to supply your own hot dogs. One downside to both of these simulators is that you can not create your own or download any extra aircraft. To expand your hangar you’ll need to buy one of their add-on packs. There are downloads available, but many of these rely on at least one or more add-on packs, and they are simply small changes made to other existing aircraft.

Another simulator which has long been popular over seas and is just now starting to have a strong presence in the is Aerofly Pro and now, Aerofly Pro Deluxe. Aerofly Pro Deluxe is an updated version of Aerofly Pro. It offers improved 3D physics, and right out of the box has lots of aircraft. There are literally hundreds of various aircraft that can be downloaded for both of these simulators. Both of these simulators have superb graphics. The airplanes fly fantastic, though some of the user created planes need a little touch up before they feel realistic. The scenery in both aerofly’s is photo-realistic. It’s literally just like being there. One complaint that is often heard about Aerofly pro and Aerofly Pro Deluxe is that the aircraft in general feel too floaty. In general it feels very realistic in all levels of flight. One feature it offers that is not found in other simulators is a speed setting. A really nice use for this is practicing difficult maneuvers. You can slow the simulation speed down to say 30% of real.   This gives you plenty of time to react and correct. Once you have the proper movements down, you can then start bumping the speed up little by little. Eventually you’ll be flying at 100% normal speed performing the same maneuver flawlessly. Helicopters however are a different story. The helicopters as they come out of the box are almost laughable. You need to spend a lot of time tweaking the settings before you’ll get a realistic feeling helicopter. Even after extensive tweaking it will still not feel exactly right, but pretty close. There also is a “commander” version which is slightly more expensive but includes a mock transmitter to fly with.   This again saves you from having to use your own transmitter, or purchasing one if you are just starting out.  

Reflex XTR is the last of what I would consider the “top” simulators. Reflex shares many features with Aerofly Pro and Aerofly Pro Deluxe. One feature that makes it better suited to beginners is its use of a “no fly zone”. This area is where the pilot stands as well as over top the pit area. If you fly into the zone, the screen shows red bars for a moment before resetting back to the initial starting position. The graphics with XTR are again superb. Photo-realistic sceneries are fantastic. That combined with reflections and lighting really gives you the sense of being there. One complaint commonly heard about reflex is similar to Realflight G3. That is, it’s actually a little more difficult to fly some planes on Reflex than it is in real life. When it comes to helicopters however, Reflex excels in every category. Straight from the box it has a variety of helicopters that fly incredibly realistically. There is almost no tweaking needed on any of the helicopters to get them to feel exactly like their true life counter-parts. While reflex does have some features good for beginners, it does not offer a version which comes with a mock transmitter. You MUST have your own transmitter to use. Reflex much like Aerofly has hundreds of downloads available off the internet for new aircraft and new sceneries. Reflex also has a unique feature not found in any of the other simulators. That is hover training and torque roll training. Hover training (for the helicopters) allows you to select one or more controls that you will have control of. The other controls will be handled by the computer. So for example you can choose to only control fore and aft cyclic That will be the only control you have to worry about. Later you can try left and right cyclic, and after perfecting both, try combining them together. Eventually you’ll be taking over all the controls and have no problem. This same principle applies to the torque roll training except for with airplanes of course.  

One other simulator that gets mentioned a lot is FMS. This is a free simulator that is available for download of the internet. While it may seem appealing since it is after all free, it does not have very good physics for either helicopters or airplanes. The graphics are very out dated and in general not going to make anyone very happy.

To summarize, if you want to find a bargain simulator, pick up a used copy of G2. If you’re mostly interested in airplanes and especially 3D flight, then pick up a copy of Aerofly Pro Deluxe. If you have your own transmitter and are even contemplating helicopters, then definitely go for Reflex XTR.

Everyone can benefit from using a simulator. Not only will it improve your skills, but it can also give you the luxury of flying even when Mother Nature doesn’t agree.

One of the skills of utmost importance in our hobby is that of hand-eye coordination. Simulators allow you to fine tune this skill.   Most of us only get a chance to fly once or twice a week. In general it has to be a planned event. With a simulator it’s always ready and available when you are. If you have a spare 15 minutes you can fly right away, not have to spend the entire 15 minutes loading up your car only to realize you no longer have any time to fly. The more you fly, the more your hand-eye coordination will improve and the more familiar you will become with the sticks.

Another great skill that can be learned or honed by using a simulator is that of direction reversal and aircraft orientation. Flying a simulator will get you more used to what your particular aircraft looks at in many different orientations. This helps avoid those momentary lapses of control when you’re wondering just exactly which way your aircraft is actually orientated.  

Perhaps one of the most important features of using a simulator for some of us is that of cost. When you’re trying to learn a new maneuver with a real plane or helicopter it can get very expensive very quickly. With a simulator, when you make a mistake you simply hit the space bar and start again until you get it right. Once you are comfortable and consistently getting it correct on the simulator it’s time to give it a try on the real thing. It certainly doesn’t take all the risk out of things, but it certainly helps, not to mention the bolstering of your confidence knowing that you already know exactly how to perform it.

There is also the benefit of being able to try out a variety of aircraft without pulling your wallet out first. Like the looks of that P-38? Give it a go on a simulator first to see exactly what you’re in store for.  

For helicopter pilots a simulator can replace months and months of training. One of the most important aspects of flying a helicopter is developing your muscle memory. That is, being able to react to a given situation WITHOUT actually thinking about it. I read a post somewhere that said something to the effect: “Flying a helicopter is something like riding a bicycle down a bumpy road while balancing a marble on a butter knife.” In reality what makes helicopters so difficult to fly is that if you TRY to fly it, you’ll never succeed. Sounds a bit contradictory huh? Think of it this way. If you’re balancing that marble on a butter knife and it starts to roll back off the knife. You see what is happening and think, “gee, I better tilt this thing forward to roll stop the marble from rolling.” Now your brain tells your muscles to move to tilt it forward. The problem is, while all this thinking was going on, you hit a bump that bounced the marble forward and it’s almost rolling off the front edge of the knife. Whoops. To fly a helicopter you need to have a general idea of what you want it to do. Then as you visually take in what the helicopter is doing, your fingers should automatically be constantly reacting to what your eyes see. Almost as if you’ve taken your brain out of the equation and tied your eyes directly to your fingers. This allows you to react fast enough to stay on top of the helicopter. This is what is meant by muscle memory. It’s having stored information about what inputs need to be given in any particular situation. This can be learned over time in real life, but again, it’s much cheaper and much quicker if it’s done through a simulator.  

For pilots wishing to do 3D aerobatics a simulator is almost as must as well. Most of the maneuvers done for 3D flight are extremely difficult to do unless you have a very good and close up view of the aircraft. A torque roll for example is MUCH easier to perform with the airplane 15 feet in front of you and at eye level. You can see the control surfaces, and react to minute changes very quickly. When you’re looking at it 100 feet up at an angle, it’s almost impossible to tell the exact orientation of the aircraft, which is almost a necessity for 3D flight.

Pattern fliers also get a great benefit from simulators. Most simulators have sceneries available with “grids” in the sky. This allows the pilot to see exactly how well he is following his lines and executing his maneuvers.

Beginners can also benefit greatly. Most beginners are very anxious to fly and fly all the time. A simulator allows them to do just that, even if their instructor isn’t available. It also gives them the confidence later on to be able to sever the umbilical cord offered by having an instructor tethered to their radio. Most beginning pilots struggle to do their first solo. Not because they don’t have the skills necessary, but because they don’t have the confidence necessary. Simulators also allow beginners to practice situations that may occur in real life. For example an engine dying, or an aileron failure, etc. Later if these events occur in real life (you listening Jerry?) they’ll know exactly what to expect and how to deal with the situation without panicking.

One thing that does need to be stressed to beginners, however, is that while a simulator is a terrific tool, it is NOT a replacement for an instructor. It is impossible to learn the wealth of information that can be learned through an instructor. Things such as pre-flight inspections, setup, engine tuning, safety, and others, are information that will not be learned through the use of a simulator.