| Flying model aircrafts rates as one of the most | | | | Sadly, this fact "was" absolutely true - before! |
| intriguing hobbies. Very few things can compare to the | | | | No More! |
| experience of seeing your first RC airplane or | | | | Nowadays new pilot can learn to fly without having to |
| helicopter take flight. For non-pilots, seeing someone | | | | pay for expensive instructors. Even better, they can |
| else fly an RC aircraft is extremely captivating. So | | | | crash their aircraft as often as they want without |
| captivating that often times it makes you want to learn | | | | having to spend any money to fix it! How? The |
| to fly! | | | | answer comes on a CD Rom, the Flight Simulators! |
| Then the story starts. You spend hundreds or | | | | To be fair, RC flight simulators are nothing new. In fact, |
| thousands of dollars to buy your first airplane/helicopter | | | | they were around since the 80s. However, early flight |
| plus a few more hundred for the radio, fuel, batteries, | | | | simulators were extremely unrealistic and so |
| gyros, glow plug, flight box, charger, fuel pumps, | | | | expensive that it might be cheaper to actually crash |
| engines, starters and a hundred different things that | | | | your model a hundred times. |
| the shop tells you is a must. Just when you thought | | | | Luckily, competition and technology changed all that. |
| that the cash spill finally ends, it doesn't! | | | | Modern flight simulators' realism rivals that of the latest |
| New RC pilots quickly learn their first lesson - that it's | | | | computer game - in other words, extraordinary. Some |
| hard to fly! So what to do? Easy, get an instructor! | | | | versions come with an exact replica of a real radio |
| Well, this also means more money and a few hours of | | | | controller as a joy stick, others will come with a |
| lesson time. No matter! In for a penny in for a dime! | | | | connector cable that allows learning pilots to plug in |
| You take those lessons and learn everything you can | | | | their favorite RC controller, really good versions will |
| from the (expensive) instructor. Pretty soon, you can | | | | allow for both options. |
| fly "half" the time! Great! | | | | The physics engine that come incorporated in these |
| Then eventually the lesson time runs out and you're on | | | | flight simulating are also the very best modern |
| your own. That should be ok, since you are now "half" | | | | programming technology will allow. Simply put, |
| a pilot - or so you thought. On your next flight, you take | | | | everything that can and will happen on the real airfield |
| the RC airplane / helicopter out and attempt your first | | | | can and will happen in the simulated flight at 99.99% |
| solo flight. Suddenly for some reason that you don't | | | | accuracy. And that is not an overstatement. |
| understand, you loose control and crash. Unrelenting, | | | | Price of these RC simulators is dropping too. Really |
| you fix the craft, spent (much) more than a few dollars | | | | good and well branded simulators costs around $300 |
| and hit the flying field again. You finally realize why you | | | | dollars. Others that are just as good are available for |
| crashed last time, and you overcome it. Wonderful! But | | | | just under a hundred bucks. The best deals come |
| this time there's another hurdle, you turn the aircraft in | | | | even cheaper than that, they are free! Don't think that |
| to face you, you get disoriented and then - yup - | | | | free RC simulators aren't up to scratch; they offer |
| another crash. You fix it; try again, crash again, and | | | | features that rival their high priced counterparts. Still, |
| again and again - and yet again. A few months, a | | | | even the most expensive package will pay for itself |
| dozen crashes and thousands of dollars later you | | | | on the very first simulated crash you make (and you |
| finally learn how to fly! Wow! Great ending! | | | | will make lots of them). |
| This story repeats itself over and over with every | | | | So there you have it, the best way to learn to fly an |
| new pilot. No matter how careful, a new pilot will crash | | | | RC model today is to crash, crash, crash, and crash |
| more than a few times as they learn. In doing so, they | | | | some more until you got it! Of course, do the crashing |
| will have to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars. | | | | on a flight simulator where it won't cost any money. |