| 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 – | | | | computer game – in other words, extraordinary. |
| that it's hard to fly! So what to do? Easy, get an | | | | Some versions come with an exact replica of a real |
| instructor! Well, this also means more money and a | | | | radio controller as a joy stick, others will come with a |
| few hours of lesson time. No matter! In for a penny in | | | | connector cable that allows learning pilots to plug in |
| for a dime! You take those lessons and learn | | | | their favorite RC controller, really good versions will |
| everything you can from the (expensive) instructor. | | | | allow for both options. |
| Pretty soon, you can 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, | | | | everything that can and will happen on the real airfield |
| you take the RC airplane / helicopter out and attempt | | | | can and will happen in the simulated flight at 99.99% |
| your first solo flight. Suddenly for some reason that | | | | accuracy. And that is not an overstatement. |
| you don't understand, you loose control and crash. | | | | Price of these RC simulators is dropping too. Really |
| Unrelenting, you fix the craft, spent (much) more than a | | | | good and well branded simulators costs around $300 |
| few dollars and hit the flying field again. You finally | | | | dollars. Others that are just as good are available for |
| realize why you crashed last time, and you overcome | | | | just under a hundred bucks. The best deals come |
| it. Wonderful! But this time there's another hurdle, you | | | | even cheaper than that, they are free! Don't think that |
| turn the aircraft in to face you, you get disoriented and | | | | free RC simulators aren't up to scratch; they offer |
| then – yup – another crash. You fix it; try | | | | features that rival their high priced counterparts. Still, |
| again, crash again, and again and again – and | | | | even the most expensive package will pay for itself |
| yet again. A few months, a dozen crashes and | | | | on the very first simulated crash you make (and you |
| thousands of dollars later you finally learn how to fly! | | | | will make lots of them). |
| Wow! Great ending! | | | | So there you have it, the best way to learn to fly an |
| This story repeats itself over and over with every | | | | RC model today is to crash, crash, crash, and crash |
| new pilot. No matter how careful, a new pilot will crash | | | | some more until you got it! Of course, do the crashing |
| more than a few times as they learn. In doing so, they | | | | on a flight simulator where it won't cost any money. |
| will have to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars. | | | | |