Real Fight G5.5: do you realize.............

RF is a great simulator. Went from the 4.0 release and recently upgraded to the 5.5.

Alot of folks just fly with the "timid" settings. Not me, I crank in wind and engine failures, fuel runouts, over stress breakage, ect. I always fly it with the wind setting and change that constantly.

I have tried the Phoenix sim and it's a good one also. Either are just a finger on the sticks sim,,just to give you a idea of what it's like and to train your fingers to inputs. Once you get a real model in the air,,it's a bit different then the sims.

PV:

True that no sim is an EXACT re-creation of reality.

If find the Real Flight G5.5 mock Tx one of it's outanding and most useful teaching features. No more "flying" using the keyboard or phoney "joystick" like Sidewinder.

Not all sims are created "equal"; try an FMS if you are doubtful. GOOD LUCK!

Best way to learn is flying with instructor from a good RC club. I know this is not possible all the time and may not be an option. This Sim is good and like stated may save a few planes. Good feature but real life flying is different. No reset button after plane has a bad mishap. As a gift it would be very useful tool. Or treat yourself to something nice.

dankar04 wrote:Best way to learn is flying with instructor from a good RC club. I know this is not possible all the time and may not be an option. This Sim is good and like stated may save a few planes. Good feature but real life flying is different. No reset button after plane has a bad mishap. As a gift it would be very useful tool. Or treat yourself to something nice.

+1.

My club has a couple H9 Alpha .40 trainers they use to train newcomers. (Me too) It's free, the fuel too.

dankar04 wrote:Best way to learn is flying with instructor from a good RC club. I know this is not possible all the time and may not be an option. This Sim is good and like stated may save a few planes. Good feature but real life flying is different. No reset button after plane has a bad mishap. ..........

I'm going to jump in here on the "other side of the fence". I agree that an instructor and buddy-box system really helps get a newbie well on the way to soloing. However, folks that come to the field with several simulator hours are head and shoulders above those that are brand new to the hobby and their learning time is significantly shorter. I believe that the two greatest obstacles a beginner has to overcome is disorientation and the inability to recover from an adverse attitude. Sims allow them to practice, practice, practice, ...... until corrective reactions become instinctive. If you have to think about it, it's usually too late. Sims also remove the stress of having a plane in the air with all the associated bad things that can happen; when they do fly, their confidence level is higher and they are more relaxed.

PV Pilot wrote:Alot of folks just fly with the "timid" settings. Not me, I crank in wind and engine failures, fuel runouts, over stress breakage, ect. I always fly it with the wind setting and change that constantly...................I have tried the Phoenix sim and it's a good one also.

I wholeheartedly agree. To fully benefit from a sim, you need to do just that --- set it up so that it most accurately mirrors conditions you'll find at the field. Gusts, crosswind landings, deadsticks, stress failures ---- if you "fly" enough hours with adverse conditions programmed in, then there's very little that can happen at the field that you have not already experienced and learned to correct.

I started with one of the early versions of Real Flight, but I now am using the Phoenix, primarily because the helicopter physics are touted to be the best. I had a hard time with pitch management (pitch axis, not rotor pitch) on helicopters when inverted --- simulator time really helped and you don't have to worry about sticking your heli. It gives me the chance to practice manuvers that I would be hesitant to try otherwise, if for nothing else, just to get the feel of how it's going to react (and how my thumbs are going to react!) .

All of the packages have a host of settings that let you modify almost every aspect of the model and environment. Dig out the manual and have at it. They are money savers in the long run and you can "fly" in the evenings and wintertime.

andrew

Matter of fact, I can "fly" my sim sitting in my den, day or night, 24/7 and deal with any weather conditions that I choose using over 40 different aircraft each responding to it's own flight characteristics.

I'd didn't learn to fly on a sim but I wish that I had. I use the sim to practice, practice, practice my flight skills then I'm off to the flying field when the opportunity arises.

Does it come with an interface device, a simulated controller, or do you have to buy that separately?

RknRusty wrote:Does it come with an interface device, a simulated controller, or do you have to buy that separately?

The Real Flight G5'5 Tx has a USB port for adding a "Buddy Box" having a USB which can be purchased separately.

The Phoenix comes in two versions, one with a transmitter and one without. The transmitter is a Spektrum DX5e that can be used as an actual transmitter, but it's not much punkin'. Price is ~$170.00 . Or, you can get just the sim alone for ~$120.00 . The Phoenix is designed to plug directly into the Spektrum TXs. You can also get an adapter that lets it work with other brands. I've got an adapter that works with the square plug Futabas. I also have a Spektrum DX7. I wasn't interested in the DX5e (non-computer) since I already had several other TXs.

Almost forgot, the controller cord plugs into any USB port; simulator upgrades are available as free automatic downloads; new models and new airfields are also available as free downloads.

I even upped it one more level when i started with the realflight. I imported a model from the realflight forums "swaps" page that was very similar to my real trainer, which was a CG Eagle II. Dropped that imported plane into MS paint snd created a easily identafiable paint scheme,,then,, tested the colors on the real plane and ironed them on. Which currently is my avatar. This helped tremendously when i did get it in the air. The realflight controller is a futaba contoller designed/used with the RF sim and comes with it. You can use a few different controllers that are actual flying controllers, but there is some work to integrate it to use and the proper out leads.