Flying'SXool! Topics In Aviation Using Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 Using Microsoft Flight Simulator X
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Welcome to Flying'sCool!'s eLearning center :

We offer a wide variety of interactive products to teach you more about the world around you through aviation and help you get more out of Microsoft Flight Simulator.  Check out our flight shop and other shops, too, for apparel, posters, and other education and flying related items such as classroom wind-tunnels, books, and more.

Our eLearning presentations each contain ...
(Click each picture for a demo)
an interactive presentation with voiceover and animations, Click for Demo
Click for Demo quizzes to help you retain the knowledge,
videos you can watch to see the planes and procedures you learned about in action, Click for Demo
Click for Demo and an interactive mission for Microsoft Flight Simulator X where you can practice what you've learned,
which, together, will take you through the class, get you feeling comfortable in the cockpit, and ready to explore some more, whether its a training flight on a Boeing 737, to a scenic flight through the Grand Canyon or over the wilds of Alaska.  All from the comfort of your living room.

Each product will be released as a series of 5 "presentations" which can be purchased separately or together. The series will be developed from the Flying'sCool! classes, and will cover subjects ranging from:
  • Introduction to Flying
  • Advanced Subjects in Flying
  • How to fly:
    • Twins
    • General Aviation Jets
    • Commercial Jets
  • Famous People in Aviation
  • Famous Aircraft
  • Scenic Flights in the U.S.

and more...

We'll also be releasing fun kid-oriented products as well!


In each installment you'll also get a full set of specifications, checklists, and flight parameters for each aircraft used in the presentation.  Depending on the presentation,you'll have the option to either get the aircraft model used in the presentation with your purchase, or we'll tell you where we got the plane and how we modified the plane for the mission, plus other tools you may need to complete the mission.

Above all, our philosophy is to get you into the cockpit and
Have Fun!

 

Coming Soon!

Welcome to the Flight Shop!

Please excuse our appearance while we build and fill the displays.

Welcome to the Flying'sCool! Apparel and Gift Shop!

1. Choose your Design


2. Choose your Product

Recommended Products

Discussion and Reviews on Products to Enhance Flight Simulator

On this page, I'll discuss and give links to products I use and believe are indispensable in the use of Microsoft Flight Simulator (tm).

Microsoft Flight Simulator (tm)
I have used many different flight simulators since I purchased my first PC in 1987, starting with the seminal Strike Eagle and Gunship products from Microprose and Red Baron from Dynamix.  None have lasted on my desktop as long as Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight has.  Probably the biggest reasons are: it is the most realistic simulator to date, and there is a huge amount of supporting software available to expand it so I can get a taste for all the types of flying I have ever dreamed of doing.  It's expandability is such that I have been able to recreate the plane I own and fly and and added more detail to many of the airports to which I typically fly.  Add to that the flight lessons, help, and history built into the product and you've got a really great tool/game.  Hence, this product has become the cornerstone of this project.

Rudders and Yokes
Controlling the planes is a huge part of simulating flight, and there is no more important piece of hardware that I use than the CH Products Rudder pedals.  It's impossible to simulate several very important maneuvers without them, most notably being able to side slip down to the runway in a strong crosswind.  The "twist" capability of many joystick controllers just doesn't cut it.  You MUST get these pedals.  These pedals are relatively inexpensive compared to any of their competition, and yet they retain excellent quality and are very easy to hook up and use.  And they work with just about any flight simulator you would care to use.  They are heavy enough to stay in place and not slip around on the floor, the latest versions come with USB connection, making for great connectability with your computer and toe brakes just like real rudder pedals.  Toe brakes are very important for controlling aircraft on the ground, as many aircraft do not have steerable nose/tail wheels, and rely on differential braking to get around on the airport.  Make sure the pedals you purchase, in fact any hardware you purchase, have the USB port connection and DO NOT get the older "gameport" models.  There are some who prefer the competition's pedals out there, stating they are heavier and have more of the "feel" of real rudder pedals.  But the competition usually cost 3 - 5 times more than the CH Products pedals, and I am perfectly happy with the "feel" of these pedals and their reliability and consistency.

There are many joysticks on the market.  I have found it is extremely important that you have at least one 8-way "hat" switch on top of the stick so that you can change the view from the plane with your thumb as you fly, leaving your other hand free to do other things.  And a built in throttle is key.  As a GA (General Aviation) pilot, and since all of the planes I have flown have a yoke controller for the ailerons and elevators, my CH Products Yoke has been a treat for me.  Much better than any of the joysticks I have owned (many).  Plus, it has all of the controls I need and more for flying the single engine aircraft I typically fly.  It has the standard Throttle, Mixture, Prop controls, an 8-way hat, plus 2 trim controls, 4 buttons, and two switches, which allows me to control most of the functions I need without having to touch the keyboard.  The only problem I have with it is the way it connects to your table, which consists of two clamps from the bottom.  But, as long as you don't pull too hard on it, they work fine in most situations as long as there is enough real estate for them to grab onto.

TrackIR
The second most important piece of hardware I own is the Natural Point TrackIR 3 Pro.  It is a small infrared sensor which, using a small set of reflectors you attach to a baseball hat, is able to track the movement of your head and translate this into movements of your view in Flight Simulator.  So if you rotate your head slightly in both directions, you'll see an exaggerated movement of the view from side to side.  While the controllers are necessary, this product will really add to your experience more than anything else.  If you decide to purchase this product, make sure you get the Vector Expansion option.  This feature is standard on the new and very much improved TrakIR 4, and is an optional product for the TrakIR 3 (which I am extremely pleased with).  The vector expansion option translates not only rotations of your head, but also all of the other movements of your head.  If you need to look around a yoke to see a gauge, just move your head around and back and forth and sided to side until you get the right angle to see that gauge that's hidden by the yoke.  Want to look over the edge of your open cockpit airplane?, just rotate and move your head around and you'll be able to see right down from the plane.  This is an amazing product and a must have.  It's incredible how important it is to be able to look around your cockpit, or follow a point on the runway as you turn your plane towards it.  The TrackIR completely transforms my use of the simulator.

FSGenesis Mesh and Landclass
It doesn't do any good to be able to move your head around if there's nothing to see.  This is where the FSGenesis products come in.  FSGenesis' main talent is providing you with software addons that add detail so the mountains actually look like mountains and not just lumps in the landscape.  Their mesh products have at least twice the accuracy over the default mesh.  This allows you to actually recognize many of the nooks and crannies of your favorite mountains and surroundings.  Their US Landclass project is a huge step forward over the default in simulating what the ground cover looks like.  And they are constantly providing updates to this software as bugs are reported or new features come available.  An unsupported freeware version of their 38m Mesh for the US is available at www.avsim.com or www.flightsim.com.  Or you can go for their fully supported payware mesh available to cover much of the world at a variety of resolutions.  With the landclass, you'll see towns that MS did not include suddenly appear where previously there were only trees.  The detail is not perfect, but it is amazingly accurate and is a must have product.

Throttle Quadrant
Finally, the next piece of hardware I will be purchasing will be the CH Products Throttle Quadrant, so I can successfully drive a twin engine plane and control the engines individually.  This is basically a set of controls that allows you to control multiple engines and also adds several more switches for your convenience.

I'll be adding more reviews and products soon, so keep checking back!  And if you are in the mood to purchase any of these products, please click through using any of the links on this page to help support this site so I can give you even more content.  Thanks!

Warplanes.com - Handcrafted Museum Quality Display Models LEGO Shop at Home Cyberguys! X-tremegeek.com - Geek Gadgets for everyone
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