Can I learn to fly in a computer simulation?
The good news items include:
- Followed checklists in detail this time, preflight, engine start, run-up, etc., no skipped steps or backtracking.
- Handled all the radio calls myself, from taxi to landing, including the base call for each touch-and-go.
- Good taxiing -- stayed on the lines (remembering that the reference point is in front of MY eye, not the center of the cowling).
- Good takeoffs -- nice rotation, trim, hold 67-70 knots, stayed aligned with the runway heading until crosswind turn at 1700 feet.
- I remembered and followed all the pattern steps with almost no prompting.
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- I used trim much better, especially on climb-out and level off for the downwind leg. With this, I was able to fly with a very light touch and no PIO.
- My patterns were reasonably rectangular and I sometimes corrected for the slight crosswind, though I varied on this. Used shallow turns, none over 30 degrees, and rolled out aligned with the runway on most approaches.
- I noticed the spot on the windshield that did not move on touchdown.
- Looked down the runway for flare height cues (but didn't read them right most of the time!).
- Good takeoffs on the touch-and-goes -- get flaps up, carb heat off, full power, steer with small corrections. I did swerve a bit sometimes, and I kept too much weight on the nose wheel sometimes, leading to a dreadful rumbling.
- Did not get flustered when we passed briefly through a cloud on downwind -- I just watched the attitude indicator.
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