Aviation Procedures in Microsoft Flight Simulator and X-Plane
If you enjoy aviation and haven’t stumbled upon my YouTube channel yet, be sure to check it out. Over the past two years I’ve made 108 videos of X-Plane and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 flights. It’s been a journey, and I’ve learned a lot about aviation procedures along the way. In particular, once I joined PIlotEdge, which offers by-the-book online air traffic controllers to interface with, I needed to learn real-life radio phraseology and VFR procedures. I remember when I first started being a bit baffled about how to fly in the pattern at an untowered airport. Later, learning how to talk with ATC to navigate out of a Class Charlie airport was a challenge. Even later, flying procedures like DME arcs was both fun and difficult. It always helped if I could find a YouTube video of someone doing the same thing, so I thought I’d list some of them from my channel if you’re looking to see how I tackled a particular procedure:
Class C Departure (Portland International)
VFR departures from a Class C airport will need to talk to Clearance Delivery, Ground, Tower, and Approach, and will receive a squawk code. You will also likely receive altitude and heading restrictions.
Class C Departure with Flight Following (John Wayne International)
VFR departures from a Class C without flight following will be told “frequency change approved, squawk VFR” upon departing the Approach ring, but if you have flight following you’ll keep your squawk code and be handed over to the next controller, who will give you traffic advisories as workload permits.
CTAF calls from Untowered airport to Untowered airport (PilotEdge CAT-01)The Common Traffic Advisory
Frequency (CTAF) is published for each untowered airport. Pilots should (but are not required) make calls on it to announce their intentions to other pilots.
Los Angeles Bravo Transition via the Coastal Route
The LAX Bravo is a complex airspace that has corridors carved out for VFR flights. Some allow you to fly simply making CTAF calls using Special Flight Rules. Others require precise flight paths and altitudes.
Basic IFR Flight
Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) rely on navigating with your plane’s instruments and ATC communication.
IFR Flight Planning using VOR/DME
You don’t need a GPS to fly IFR, depending on the airways you’ll fly. This tutorial takes you through the details of planning an IFR flight.
Flying an Airliner IFR
Jets add complexity but also automation, helping you get from point A to point B.
New York Bravo Hudson River Exclusion Special Flight Rules
Similar to Los Angeles, New York’s Bravo has areas carved out for VFR pilots. The Hudson River Exclusion is a scenic area with special flight rules.
NDB Approach with Procedure Turn
Non-directional beacons (NDB) are like homing signals for your aircraft. Some airports still have instrument approaches using them. Procedure turns are a series of maneuvers to precisely reverse your course.
Flying a TEC Route
Tower Enroute Control (TEC) Routes are pre-packaged IFR flight plans that let you fly between airports without needing to talk to Center. Instead, you’ll talk to Tower and Approach.
Flying the OshKosh Fisk Arrival
Every year hundreds of pilots flock to OshKosh’s AirVenture show, flying the well-known Fisk Arrival to get there.
Flying a DME Arc
Before GPS and RNAV approaches, pilots needed another way to precisely fly an instrument approach where VOR intersections were not available. Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) allowed pilots to fly an arc of an orbit around a fixed point, executing a turn to line up with the runway.
VFR Navigation using NDB, VOR and visual references with Special Flight Rules
There are many tools for VFR navigation, and I use them all here.
VFR Flying with Visual Navigation Only
The main tool a pilot needs for VFR navigation is his eyeballs. The photogrammetry in MSFS is so good that you can navigate like a real-world pilot, spotting buildings, roads, and rivers to get you there.
VFR Flight Planning using Visual References
You’ll need a plan before you climb into the pilot’s seat.
Pattern Work/Touch and Gos
I use visual navigation to fly to a Class Delta airport and execute a few touch and gos while remaining in the pattern.
I hope you enjoyed these!