Learn To Fly an Airplane - Advanced

This is an overview of all 8 modules in this advanced course.

I will go over the highlights of each module and the content contained within.

This will include bug set, barometric setting, the transponder, auto-pilot and a more realistic checklist. We will actually use a real checklist for the Cessna 172. In this course we also cover the checklists for other types of planes. That is both interesting and exciting at the same time. How do you manage that Beaver engine from startup to shutdown? How about that A320? Or the homebuilt Challenger?

This will also cover more in-depth procedures you need to perform on real planes, such as leaning the mixture control and how to do it properly.

The mysterious IFR or Instrument Flight Rules. This is what commercial pilots use to fly through any weather. It is the more realistic way to keep a schedule of flying on time. It is also an endorsement that all commercial pilots must have, to fly through the clouds and in bad weather where VFR doesn’t work. This is an important step for any pilot.

ILS approaches are an important skill for all pilots. Learn how it works and how to practice this in your Flight Simulator.

As we move away from the C172 Trainer, we progress to planes with more features, such as retractable gear and twin engines.

1. Many of you have asked, “What about the A320, or any airliner for that matter. The fact is, all pilots start out on a single engine trainer like the Cessna 172 to learn all their flying skills and get their pilot licence. Airliners are big, heavy, multiple engines and checklists. In this lesson, we examine what it takes to at least get one off the ground. We won't be landing it or doing advanced IFR flights, as that takes a whole course in itself. You can take it further if you wish after this introductory module.

An introduction to what it looks like in the cockpit and how it performs after takeoff. We won't go deeper than that as it would be a whole course in itself. But you can take it further if you wish. In this lesson, we get it on the runway, start it up and go full throttle. Within seconds we are thousands of feet up and loving the scenery, the handling and the speed. I will leave it up to you what you do next if you wish to pursue jet flying in your life....

In this section we have a look at classic planes that were popular in their era, such as bi-planes. We will jump in and learn to fly one of those. Low and slow is the theme here and bi-planes were at every airshow back in the day. Today, you can still see a bi-plane at an airshow as they still thrill the audience with their acrobatics. At a recent airshow in Baldwin airport (north of Buttonville airport), a white bi-plane was giving rides to airshow visitors. In this section we also take a look at other “classics” such as the DC3 or the Piper Cub. Many pilots learned to fly on a Piper Cub.

This is the demonstration Howard promised so you can see the famous Spruce Goose flying in Toronto Harbor. You too can download this airplane and try it yourself. You can find the Zip file here in the downloadable resources. Enjoy.

Destination Airports. Finding them and some very interesting ones to visit. Why you need them and where to find them to install in your flight simulator for a more realistic VFR flying experience.

A separate lesson: To GPS or not to GPS and the basics of using the built-in GPS500.

An extra video after you have watched the previous demonstration of the GPS 500 unit from Oshawa to Markham. This video tutorial shows the similarities and helps you get comfortable with this handy portable GPS unit for aviation. Updated August 2020 to include annotations and pointers.

In flying certifications, we simply call add-on certifications, “endorsements”. I am certified for single engine non high performance engines. When you want to fly float planes, you need to take the necessary training and get your “floatplane endorsement” before they will let you rent one or before you can legally fly one. This is the most enjoyable endorsement you can get as any lake is a runway now. It’s also good because in an emergency, a lake is a potential emergency landing site. We are going to have a lot of fun with this. We start out with the 172 on floats because we know the plane and then progress to the real float plane workhorses like the Beaver and the Otter. Then we cover homebuilt floatplanes like the Challenger or the Zenith CH701. Updated August 2020.

This lesson covers an area of flight simulator that makes flying a whole lot more realistic as you are flying with other planes being piloted by real people. Weather it’s a flight sim community or just any two people or more who decide to fly at the same airport. You connect by your network connection and if you are in the same room, by your wireless or wired network. If you are internet connected, that can include a wide range of people. If you have been to the FSX: Steam Edition home page, you will see a video of a number of people interacting at the same airport. A great video and realistic too. You can get a bunch of people together and do the same thing and it is done on a regular basis for some people.

From scenery to planes, you can keep buying more add-ons and just install them. Detailed airports, more realistic scenery and of course almost any plane you can think of.

Additionally, you can buy a whole lot of add-on hardware for your flight sim experience. Here, I will show you some of my add-ons that make things more real. Almost any control in the airplane can be bought as an add on such as the yoke, pedals, throttle quadrant, gauges, switches, screens etc. How about a realistic throttle and mixture knob you really pull in and out like real Cessnas? And then, there are those with some extra money and they buy or build a complete cockpit with all the add-ons and screens and really get real. Some amazing flight sim cockpits our there. In this module I will show you some of my add-ons and other things I helped fellow students with, such as a car seat for the cockpit and the main instrument panel made out of wood and finished with gauges and switches.

The future of flight simulation or the future of your flying endeavors. I will cover both in this section as a sign off section for you to take it further from here. We have been watching the new Flight Simulator 2020 unfold and are looking forward to the new heights of realism that will bring and all the advancements with X-Plane and Prepar3d.

But I will also focus on how you could pursue a pilot license in real flight lessons at your local airport. You will find that you will progress at a faster pace than your fellow student pilots. You know and have experienced so much more than them,  that getting into the cockpit for the first time will be familiar and you will already know what to do. That is the best part of all. The surprise on an instructor’s face when you talk on the radio or do checklists without taking an hour (as new students do). In this final lesson, I send you on your way to the enjoyment of mastering flight in real airplanes or a Flight Simulator with confidence and a smile.