Need a airliner with manual so I can LEARN how to fly it.

Ok, I want to LEARN to pilot a modern airliner, I don't care about the model, Airbus or Boeing, but It need to have a understandable step by step manual so a guy that me that the biggest plane I ever used was the Cessna 172 can LEARN and UNDERSTAND how to fly, navigate and land one of this behemoths. I think is time to retake my dreams of being a airliner pilot, even If is only in a PC sim.

BTW I have both FSX + Acceleration and Xplane 10 so I can get a plane for any of this two sims.

Thanks a lot!!

Youtube videos are the best way to learn IMO. I got proficient with the PMDG NGX that way.

Even in real life, I can read about VOR navigation, but it's much easier to understand when my instructor shows me in the plane in real time what to do.

But the PMDG NGX and Aerosoft Airbus both have extensive manuals as well so you'd have both options.

Agreed that PMDG are very comprehensive aircraft with most working systems and a very good manual.

Much of what you are interested in depends on how much you really want to learn. Any good type rating class is going to spend at least as much time in the systems as it is in the sim. Unimportant you might think for what you are asking, but the way you look at the panel before you understand the systems and the way you look at it afterwards is utterly different and you will understand WHY you do something, not just HOW.

Beyond that, any popular aircraft like the 737 will have online a bunch of stuff about profiles, procedures and whatnot.

So, I think that PMDG is a great starting point, but I'm not sure that you aren't going to be basically flying a 737 like a Cessna (and to be sure on the surface they both fly the same way and for the same reasons). If I understand that you want something deeper, I'd try to supplement your sim manual with whatever you can find online of real world ops.

IIRC, the 737 type took two weeks and I put in something like 90 hours of study before I even showed up, so there's plenty to sink your teeth into if you so choose.

Deacon

As bonchie points out, there are loads of Tutorial videos on Youtube. That might be a good place to start.

After that you've got various products that were made specifically for the flight simmer who wants to get to grips with some of the more complex stuff:

Probably the best known is Angle of Attack - http://www.flyaoamedia.com/

A newcomer is Airline2Sim, who currently offer a syllabus based on the Majestic Dash 8 Q400 - http://www.airline2sim.com/

Going back a while now this guy has had a number of publications available on Simmarket - http://secure.simmarket.com/utem.mhtml

If you want to learn how to manage an airline join IVAO or VATSIM. They have some training that resemble a civilian pilot training, even if a bit easier. Inside that community there are real airline pilots so you may ask questions if you have some doubts.

I agree you can use 737 PMDG as one of the most real airline simulator or 747 PMDG (I think it is the smae company), as another good one.


If you want to learn how to be an airline pilots simply buy the Oxford aviation books and study. Oxford Aviation Books Those are books used in real flight schools. If you learn what is given inside there, you can fly an airliner.

It's maybe a blasphemy but i vote for Coolsky's MD-80 or DC-9 Classic. The PMDG is outstanding, but my older sytem the Coolsky planes is smooth and just enough complete system simulation wise.

If you're interested in learning older types of radio navigation (VOR to VOR), I'd agree with Apelles, the Coolsky DC-9 Classic for FSX is very good and includes some inbuilt tutorials. For modern planes, I'd go with PMDG's 737NGX or 777, not cheap but have great depth of systems. The manuals are very good but online tutorials or training guides like some of those suggested by other posters are very helpful in getting the most out of these complex simulations.

Well my idea is to fly a aairliner like a real airliner pilot will do it. From cold and dark to navigation and landing, including bad weather and things like that. Thats why I need a understandable manual.

I'm cheking your ideas right now.

A good deal/choice is the majestic dash8 which is on Easter sale now/today on justflight.com and then there you can get also the airline2sim videos from a real air pilot with a 20% advantage with the coupon "tutorial"...they are really professional...

If you want to learn IFR after learning VFR, you should watch some videos and study explenation about IFR navigation and then start to practice on a piece of paper with a pencil. That's because when you fly, you have to keep control of the aircraft and this reduce your mental skills to dela with IFR problems. So initially you have to fix on how to solve those navigation problem and after a while move to an airplane and practice. Use a twin propeller psiton engines on FSX and you should be fine. Next step is turbine. Do not start with a turbine engine, mainly because they are faster so you must learn to anticipate next two or three steps and at the beginning, you will be always behind gasping for time to think. So propeller airplanes will give more time to think because they are slower.

Another good information books are Jeppesen private pilot and next read Jeppesen Instrument/Commercial Manual


They are not the best but you can get a quite good source of information.

I know how to fly VOR to VOR, read manuals, write things on a notebook, practiced a lot. I need now how to fly a airliner.

Well, if you know those things , then you already know how to fly an airliner.

1. You will already have a checklist so, disregarding why you do the things you do, you can still get the airplane in takeoff configuration.

2. If you have an EFIS airspeed indicator, you will know the flap retraction schedule. If not, look it up online.

3. Any good sim suggested, will have a manual discussing the autopilot and FMC operation. There's lots of bits and bobs, but the basics are pretty basic.

4. Look up the approach profile, dirty up as recommended and either auto land or hand fly.

Beyond all the flap speeds which are odd to a light civil pilot at first, the plane flies just like any other. Any of the suggested sims should have a fairly good manual (I know the PMDG 747 is quite comprehensive), and once you know what the different modes of the AP do and how to program the box, then you just need to follow the profiles. Enroute nav is nothing more than flying the FMC.

If you have specific questions, most products have a rabid fan forum presence and you can fill in any gaps there.

Deacon

This two things is what scares me the most.

I doubt it, but there's a good freeware airliner I can use to learn?

Ah, well if you throw freeware into the mix, I'd say "no".

I was a big freeware only guy, but you aren't going to get the systems complexity that some of the best payware is going to run you. The AP will be modified FSX standard, which is to say "simplified" and the FMS will likely be the same.

I haven't tried freeware airliners recently, but I just don't think that has changed much.

That's not to say that there isn't some great freeware out there, just that it won't be the fidelity that it seems you are looking for.

I could be wrong so anyone know of some great freeware, please chime in!

I imagined it, but wanted to ask before getting one of the expensive planes. Thanks!