Going Offline For Two Weeks

A beautiful day to fly over the Muskoka region in Central Ontario (Nikon D5000, Nikkor AF-S DX VR 18-105mm, f/13, 1/250, ISO 200) - see more at Sorin Vacaru Photography

I wanted to let my readers know that I will be offline for the next two weeks. As some of you may have read in by bio page, I am finishing my commercial pilot training. Over the next few weeks I will be focusing mostly on preparation for the various flight tests that are part of this process.

I may publish the Photo-of-the-Week post and any earth shattering news that could hit between now and the middle of May, but otherwise this site and the Sorin Vacaru Photography website will be quiet.

In the meantime, happy landings for those of you that are pilots. Everyone else, get out there and take some photos … 😉

The iPad Makes Its Way Into the Cockpit of Major Commercial Airlines

Recently I came across this interesting announcement regarding the use of iPads by American Airlines.

FAA Approves iPads in the Cockpit

This is one of many indications that the iPad’s impact is spreading to aviation.

Flight Simulators at Home (setups for VFR/IFR/EMG training) – Part 2

In a previous post I was talking about whether using a flight simulator for real training at home was a good idea or not. My experience is that with rigor and discipline it can be very beneficial to use a home simulator to complement the standard flight training.

However, we must make sure that our setup matches the task.

Step 1 is to select the simulator software. I realize that I am now in religious war territory, but I will state that there are only two vendors that can theoretically compete in this space: Laminar Design with X-Plane and Microsoft with Flight Simulator X. The comparative analysis will not fit in this post so I will go on the record and say that X-Plane is currently the only home flight simulator software that is suitable for a flight training setup. (I might decide to write another post about X-Plane vs. MSFS X if there is enough interest). It suffices to know that the home edition of X-Plane offers the EXACT same features that are available in the commercial version installed in certified simulators around the world. The only additional features you won’t get are advanced visual display modes targeted for commercial cockpit displays and the certification of the other hardware components (yoke, panels, etc).

Step 2 is to decide what we are planning to do with the simulator:

– IFR Training
– VFR Training (including the instrument training lessons that are normally part of the PPL and/or CPL training curriculum)
– Emergency procedure training only (limited in scope to only recognizing the emergency and executing the corresponding checklists)

Step 3: selecting the hardware; here we have some components that we have to buy regardless, some that are recommended and some that are specific to the different setups.

The master computer needs to be a fairly capable machine. Fast CPU clock speed, one or two cores and a fast graphics card are mandatory. At this point, the number of cores the software takes advantage of is limited but in version 10 that might change. There is never enough GPU performance so the fastest graphics card you can afford is just good enough; the larger the monitor, the better. A 22 inch widescreen is the minimum I would recommend.

Other mandatory hardware are the yoke, pedals and throttle quadrant. I recommend a yoke over a joystick unless you fly airplanes that come with a central mounted joystick. Goflight, Saitek and CH Products are some of the mainstream vendors.

Recommended specialized hardware includes radio, switch and multi-purpose panels. These will significantly enhance the realism and improve the effectiveness of the training sessions, especially for instrument training.

It is also better to have second screen for the instruments: the so-called EFIS screen. You have two solutions here: either use a second networked computer running another copy of X-Plane (a small laptop works best) or an iPad running the X-Plane EFIS app. Place the laptop or iPad in front and slightly below the main screen. If you have your panel stack to the right, you now have a very basic simulator cockpit.

This setup works perfectly for IFR and EMG training, where you do not need lateral visual reference.

In order to practice VFR you will need at least one more networked computer running another copy of X-Plane for the left forward view. This will give you the ability to get the necessary visual cues, especially when flying the standard left hand traffic pattern.

If you want the same ability for right hand patterns you need to repeat the above once more.

Ideally, the computers running the left and right forward screen must be close, if not identical to the master.

The last piece for the setup is an instructor’s console. This can be another computer running the X-Plane IOS screen or you can use the master to operate the console yourself.

To recap, for the minimum setup for IFR training you will need:

– a good master computer with one 22″ screen running X-Plane
– an iPad running the EFIS app or a laptop running X-Plane
– yoke or joystick, pedals and radio, switch and multi panels

For the full setup, add

– two more computers similar to the master
– another, less powerful computer for the Instructor Operating Station

It seems a lot, but you may already own many of the components, so the incremental investment could be minimized.

There are certainly many more nice-to-have things you can do. If you have a portable aviation GPS, you can hook it up to the simulator and use it for your instrument training. You can buy Goflight modules for your navigation instruments and add them to your hardware panel stack. They will all increase the level of realism and allow you to do more with your home sim.

The key however is the way you use it. Create lesson plans and stick to them. You will see the results next time you take to the air.

Until next time

Happy Landings

Flight Simulators at Home (are they toys or flight training devices?) – Part 1

And now for something completely different…. (I hope Monty Python’s Flying Circus didn’t copyright the phrase … 😉 )

When you start your flight training towards your Private Pilot License (PPL) one of the first questions your instructor is likely to ask is: “do you use a simulator at home?”. If your answer is “Yes” you are politely asked to stop doing that and for good reason. Although it might come as a surprise, flying a non motion simulator correctly is harder than actually performing the same procedures in a real airplane. The lack of sensory feedback is the biggest problem for the student pilot. Add to that the fact that you don’t know yet how to perform the maneuvers and procedures correctly and you are in danger of acquiring bad habits. Bad eating habits may eventually lead to health problems, but nothing gets you in trouble faster than bad habits in the cockpit.

So what about that shiny new sim you set up at home to prepare you for your flight training?! All hope is not lost and with attention to detail, patience and perseverance you can use it to your advantage. Here are some tips that might help.

1. Make sure you have the correct setup for the kind of training you want to do. If you are looking for IFR training, a dual screen setup with one screen for the instrument panel will be sufficient. You may even get away with a single screen. Same goes if you are focusing on emergency procedures training, but you will need a second computer and someone to help you trigger the events. If, on the other hand, you want to practice all of the VFR stuff your instructor is throwing at you I recommend at least three screens and another instructor’s console. I will discuss detailed simulator setups in a future post.

2. Ask your instructor for the lesson plans. You can also buy one of the Instructor’s Lesson guide books available in specialized aviation shops like Aviation World or Sporty’s. Create your own flight lesson plans and set your performance objectives. Stick to them.

3. Before starting the simulator prepare your flight EXACTLY the same way you prepare for the flight with your instructor. Get your knee pad out of your flight bag, plan your flight, check/set the weather, go to the bathroom, etc.

4. Execute ALL checklists exactly the same you would in real life. You cannot walk around the airplane but you can go through the items and mark them complete.

5. Most important of all, treat your simulator lesson as a real flight. Always aim for an outcome that would not make you, your instructor or the insurance company unhappy if you were in a real airplane. If you are simulating extreme situations that you couldn’t execute in an airplane, keep it real and choose your situations based on possible events that you might have to deal with.

6. Last, but not least, study study study. There is excellent material available on the web, from basic flight maneuver instruction to very advanced subjects. Keeping you head in flying is one of the most overlooked but very important things you can do to improve. If you are not up there flying, read, study, fly the sim. Keep your head in the game.

Used properly, your home flight simulator is an important asset in your flight training and ultimately in the safety of you and your passengers. As I mentioned earlier, it is vital that you have the correct setup for the job, but this is the subject for another post.

Until then,

Happy Landings

In My Bag Series Introduction

One of the topics I am planning write about is related to the tools of the trade I am using (or not) for photography and aviation. Generally these will not be full featured reviews, as I do not have the time and resources to do that on a consistent basis.

I will share my experience with these tools behind the lens, in front of the computer or in the cockpit, always looking for your feedback and thoughts.

You can expect to see posts about post-processing tools (why I hate Photoshop), how diffraction may limit the usefulness of yet another sensor resolution increase to a zilion megapixels and how the iPad has found its place in the cockpit of airline transport and light aircraft categories alike.

One more note about the posts: they will all be in English but you can write to me in Romanian, German, French or Serbian if you feel more comfortable.

Stay tuned.

My First Blog Post

I never thought that writing a blog was an easy task. Now that I am actually trying to do just that, it seems even more daunting. We constantly share thoughts, opinions, formulate theories or simply speculate on a daily basis. At our jobs, with friends or family most of us are reasonably good at communicating what we believe is worth sharing. Not so easy when we stare at a blank page on our computers trying to bring order to the chaos in our heads…. or maybe it is just me.

Regardless, here I am. I will do my best to share some of my thoughts on topics that I feel might be of interest to someone out there. If you spend a fraction of your limited time reading this, I thank you.

My intention is to update this blog at least once a week. You can expect any subject, from photography to aviation, from the environment to technology and gadgets. Hopefully some of you will return to see what else I come up with.