I've just begun FS Academy VFR Training

User Support Hub User Interface & Activities
, , ,
1

Although I bought this a year ago I’ve only just got around to using it this week.

I’ve completed the first lesson twice and started Lesson 2 tonight.

The manual is excellent and very helpful, as are the lessons but flying the plane like this is much harder than I thought.

For example, on being told to accelerate to 100 knots or decelerate to 60 knots I can easily comply. Likewise, instructions to climb to 2400 feet are simple to execute.

But being given an altitude instruction and target speed together, different story! It felt like I had two half full glasses of juice and was being instructed to pour liquid from one glass to the other until both are full.

If I tried to gain speed my altitude would also climb, if was trying to lose speed I’d also lose altitude. Trim is wierd, I touch the honeycomb trim wheel and it reacts instantly to the slightest touch but then settles down and does the opposite again.

Is it this difficult to achieve in a real plane on first attempts as well?

On Lesson 2 I’ve either encountered a bug or I did something wrong. I got told about the targeted basic descent speeds and rate of altitude loss per minute which were easy to understand, but difficult to execute.

Then I was told the procedure for a Go Around. It came up with an instruction to execute the go around (I wasn’t at the airport, this is still at 2400 feet training for what might happen when we get to the airport) so I applied full power and climbed, but nothing happened.

I just flew for a few minutes waiting for further instructions but nothing happened and ended up several miles past the airport so I quit and will try again tomorrow.

I’m guessing I needed to do something to trigger the next action, but I was hoping there would be a warning if I’d make a mistake to guide me back. In the event, nothing happened at all. Anyone else experience this?

2 Likes
2

Hang in their on this training. I have found all the FS Academy material to be excellent. When I first took these lessons I had a very similar experience to you but as I picked up some knowledge and experience of controlling the throttle and altitude I got to the point of completing it easily. Its a fundamental skill and worth the practice.

I will say I recently had my first lesson in a real aircraft and the instructor talked about these very skills and stressed the importance of using the throttle to control altitude. I also commented to him that it seemed easier to trim an aircraft for real than in a sim and he agreed that the lack of tactile feedback in a sim did make it a little more challenging.

I would also agree that FS Academy VFR does not catch your errors very easily and if you miss a time window you will not necessarily here feedback and will have to restart. Its frustrating due to the reload times of MSFS but again over time I think you’ll get it. Make sure you are getting the commentary on your screen(not sure if you have to turn on captioning or not in the settings) as its easy to miss some of the guidance from the instructor.

3 Likes
3

Hi there. I’ve run into the same issue. Tried it two nights in a row. After some YouTube searching I think I (and probably you too) have been starting the go around practice before he actually tells you to. He seems to say do it, but I saw a video where the guy kept descending after being told don’t pull up too hard. And then when I thought it was forgotten the instructor said “let’s try it now”! Will try again tonight. Third time lucky! Good luck…

2 Likes
4

Thanks! I’ve not had chance to try again yet either, I’ll give that a go too.

1 Like
5

Hey there, @JS81North, and welcome to the community. Seems you may have figured out a solution. Lots of very knowledgeable folks here to help.

Now that you are here, please take some time to check out the Code of Conduct to better understand the rules of the road in the forums. There is also a Forum Guide where you can learn about the features available to you here.

Again, welcome to the community! Blue skies and tailwinds.

7

Hi everyone,

I’ve just come across this thread. I suspect that the go around was inititated too early, but do get in touch if this problem persists.

8

I bought this package the other day and hit a similar problem with the second lesson, though in my case it happened a little later in the sequence of events. My instructor said he would tell me when to turn (on to base leg) but having passed the Car Factory, I was just left flying on into the blue yonder. I could only assume my instructor had been overcome by fumes or boredom and had fallen asleep. By the time I got to the cooling towers I thought enough was enough so I turned on to base and then on to a longish final leg (admittedly relying on the transponder to give ATC some clue what I was up to!) and landed at Liverpool. My instructor was gently snoring by then, so the landing can’t have been too bumpy.

That aside, I find the concept and especially the accompanying manual good, but I do have one gripe, which I saw someone else raise on here somewhere. That is the decision to use different aircraft for different lessons. It would suit me better if the student pilot could choose his own aircraft and stick to it for the course. I want to focus on the flying, not having to remember how the aircraft in lesson three differs from the one used in lesson two, eg when flaps are called for. And more particularly in my case I am trying to master using the G1000 glass cockpit, so the only aircraft I have in my (simulated) hangar, apart from a couple of helicopters, is a bush version of the Cessna 172SP G1000, and it is that in which I want to do my practising. (We’ll leave aside the entirely separate topic of marrying electronic aids with bush aircraft…)

I have tried to address this by going into the .FLT file for each lesson and substituting my aircraft for the one shown in the Sim= line. It works - to a degree. But I guess there must be some interaction with other files to do with the functioning of the lesson which I do not know about, since some odd things happen, like the plane being visible and flyable, but refusing to switch on the G1000 display. So if I want so see some instruments to comply with my instructor’s constant reminders to keep to 1400ft and 100 knots, the Bush Cessna has to be flown from the external view, where there is a sort of HUD which provides the necessary info. Not the way I want to do it, so I am continuing to experiment. I fear that at this stage my knowledge of the way these lessons are structured and scripted is too limited to lead to the outcome I am seeking. But eventually, perhaps… Who knows?

3 Likes
9

Hi there,

Thanks for posting of your experience with VFR so far.
We have deliberately used a small range of varied aircraft to promote adaptability. They all function in basically the same way, such as white arc for flap speeds. You will likely have a range of aeroplanes at a flying school and with change type several times on the way through. We also change location for similar reasons (and rule variances etc).

All of the FS ACADEMY range is designed as a realistic ‘flying school’ style starting point, so once the lessons are complete you are well positioned to go and explore in whatever aircraft you wish to focus on.

I hope you have a great time with VFR and learn a whole lot that you can take with you.

Best,
David
FS ACADEMY

PS: Please ensure that the Objectives Panel is displayed to avoid sleepy instructors.

10

Yea, I was not happy swapping planes. Go to NZ and start in the air with a new plane I was totally unfamiliar with. At least there should have been a introduction segment. I remember fumbling with the speed and failing. Have not gone back, after finding Alpha Hotels excellent youtube tutorials.

1 Like
11

I am having major struggles controlling the aircraft in the lessons. It is as thought there is severe turbulence all the time.

I bought last week via the ORBX store and I have upgraded to the latest version.

Any suggestions please?

Thanks

2 Likes
12

The last update overdid the turbulence. With the latest update (part of Beta 12) there is an option to select level of turbulence in the Assistance Settingsl. Turning to low will eliminate all that.

1 Like
13

Thanks - I’ll give that a try!

1 Like
14

Hi there,

Thanks for getting in touch.
As helpfully pointed out here, you can now adjust the turbulence intensity in the menus, which is most welcome.

Happy landings,
David
FS ACADEMY

15

I don’t do the Beta stuff but good that it will be fixed in SU12.

1 Like
16

Some triggers are way too narrow…

some I have managed to find and workarround (actually a turn-arround) the one in VFR.2 is just too narrow to catch.

17

Hello @FSAcademyLTD
I 've got two comments about the VFR 02:

1.Known issuse about go-arrond:
Yeah, you should definitely implement this :wink:
“We will review and update the dialog to make this discussion more clearly differentiated from the manoeuvre itself in a future update.”

2.After landing, I had to turn into Taxiway F to pass the lesson.
Wanting to save the brakes and turning into Taxiway E the lesson was stuck
After landing, I had to turn into Taxiway F to pass the lesson.
Wanting to save the brakes and turning into Taxiway E the lesson was stuck

I am not a pilot but it seems to me that we can not turn into Taxiway F after landing on RWY 27. am I right ?

image
image1279×482 48.1 KB

1 Like
18

Hi there,

Thanks for your support and feedback.

The go-around thing does crop up on occasion and has historically been a misunderstanding and premature exrcution of the procedure.

In a light single such as the C152, you can certainly vacate at the nearest suitable exit, which in this case is F. Minimum runway occupancy time is importnt at most airports and this is good practice. It also minimises taxi to the GA apron.

Happy landings

David