Hello,

I am not a pilot - but I play a lot of flight simulator. I wanted to
talk to some real pilots about flying proficiently. I feel like I am
pretty good on simulator, but I have no way of knowing b/c I don't
have feedback from an actual pilot.

I was wondering what makes a pilot proficient? When making turns,
does the VSI fluctuate at all or should a pilot be able to keep it at
0 fpm at all times? What degree of fluctuation is considered
proficient? When leveling off after a climb or descent, how quickly
should the pilot be able to get into straight and level? When landing
an aircraft - especially a jet, does a proficient pilot stay precisely
on the glide slope 100%%? How else can I build proficiency and how
well does flight simulator emulate reality?

If you are a proficient pilot, what types of things do you ensure in
take-off, cruise, landing, etc?

I've heard that good piloting is more about knowledge than skill, but
personally it seems like skill is a massive aspect of flying - am I
wrong?

Thanks so much for the advice!

Get a clue out there- why expend the energy and bandwith arguing with
someone who has never flown, has never taken a lesson, and never even held a
medical?

It is an exercise in futility. He will never be one of the rest of us who
are fortunate to have actually flown an airplane. No matter what he says or
claims, he will never be a pilot, and by definition never have any
credibility.

I just had the opportunity to go out for an hour and throw the airplane
around, with a bunch of somewhat sloppy, but fun acro. There is nothing that
beats flying upside down for a while and pulling/pushing some g's to really
feel alive.

Yes, and like a lot of others, I've also suffered through a load of ice,
electrical and vacuum pump failures in IMC, etc.

Anthony will never have the opportunity to have these experiences- we who
have actually flown are fortunate to have done these things, from pulling
out the plane on a warm day, feeling the rumble of the engine and the sun
shining through the windshield on a summer afternoon. He will never be able
to share these opportunities with the rest of us.

Look at the link for a picture of my manual aviation computer. It has two
different places to put in pressure altitude and temp to get density
altitude and convert airspeeds. Can anyone explain the correct use of these
two similar functions?

<http://flickr.com/photos/26467772@N05/2508589733/>

"WTF!!!" gmail.com> wrote in message
news:o%%zYj.4$ON3.1@newsfe06.lga...

What has that to do with your subject line?

I fly in the southeastern US, nearly always under IFR, in a complex
sel. In reading other threads it's pretty clear that some others who
post here don't understand what IMC means. I mostly hand fly, and I'm
guessing 30%% or more of my IMC flying is using the outside horizon,
with occasional glances at the VOR needle, altimeter, and DG to assure
myself I'm on course and at the correct altitude. Is that what most of
you GA types experience as well?

Maybe some posters have fogotten that IMC means weather conditions
including visibility and proximity to clouds that are not allowed
under VFR.

Knocked out a couple of approaches today in IMC conditions. Was cut
short due to a vacuum system problem (note, not the pump).

Ceilings 1500 at KJAN and 1400 on my approach into KMBO.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCvDb3mCAf8

Just after entering the clouds, saw my attitude indicator show an
extraordinary pitch up. Quick scan of my airspeed and VSI did not
confirm. Since I was IMC decided to continue approach and just work
my partial panel skills. Turning back wasn't an option.

In the full scheme of things, no big deal.

Camera was placed on glare shield for the outside view since I didn't
have a passenger It would have been nice to capture the
instrumentation discrepancies if anything for others to see it happen
under real conditions .but somebody had to man the shop and reaching
for the camera myself was not an option in IMC..

On May 15, 10:49 pm, "Coffee, Tea or Flames"
wrote:

A new survey shows customer satisfaction with the airline
industry dropping to near historic lows, with Atlanta-based
Delta Air Lines ranked fourth out of the seven biggest U.S.
airlines.

The survey being released Tuesday by the University of
Michigan found customers giving airlines the worst grades
since 2001, with the industry's overall scores down for the
third straight year.

Does anyone have a suggestion on what material to hand out to
someone questioning me about flying? I'm not saying it happens
often, but while I'm working in my garage on my homebuilt someone
wanders in and asks questions about flying and building.
I'm not much of an explainer so I thought it would be nice to just
hand out a pamphlet that starts to explain and has some web addresses
already on it. You could tell someone where to look on the web, but I
would guess that out of sight out of mind come into play. I could take
them
flying but since I'm a member of a club, it's just not possible to get
a plane
on no notice.
So, anyone have an idea of what I could print out or send for to
hand out
to wanna be pilots?
Lou