Talk:FlightGear Flight Academy

Talk

Started a draft to outline the Academy's goals and content.
Please, for any suggestion you'd like to give on it, have in mind to keep it as simple as possible and as close to the daily IRC and forums routines. We are not going to simulate an IRL-Academy but establish a helpfull institution for the FG-newcomers (, I think ;-)). Thank you!

Flughund 09:11, 23 October 2012 (EDT)

Draft

Goal of the Academy is to help people to get used to FG itself and its documentation to get them on their own feet quickly, if possible. Otherwise, for people who need some more attention on some topics, there can be lessons arranged with an adequate instructor. In-sim lessons mostly are one instructor one student only (except ATC-training, ...).

There are no such things like tests or certificates, students have to learn self-reliant.

Not all of the instructors have to know the entire subject matter of the Academy, but there should be at least one or two who do. Most of the instructors focus on their special subject.
Ideally (all|most) instructors (who hang out in #fg_school) are familiar with

the set of documents we refer to for the learning content, to point help seeking persons anytime to the right one.

the content of those documents to be able to answer questions on them anytime on IRC.

the controls and instruments of the c172p, to be able to explain them anytime to newcomers on IRC.

...

Teaching content

Short term, until the Academy is structured and the instructors are familiar with the teaching content:

Getting to know FG

Basic/essential FG options and set up for training

select airport "home base" and parking position

Time setting "noon", except ILS approaches

Weather setting "fair", except special lessons

no AI traffic

Set up Multiplayer, required for Dual-control in-sim lessons

Communication (chat, fgcom, ...), only needed for in-sim lessons

(Get scenery, depending on the location of the home base)

The aircraft, c172p

Aircraft controls

(Basic/VFR) Aircraft instruments

Physics

Why do planes fly at all?

Effects of the control inputs (rudder, elevator, ailerons, flaps, prop/engine)

Piloting

Navigation (VFR)

Preflight

Making a flight plan

Prepare aircraft, taxiing

Takeoff

Approach

Touchdown

Long term, things that we might teach in the future:

IFR

NDB

VOR/DME

ILS

TACAN

...

Using the autopilot

Helicopter physics and control

Talk to ATC (probably ask some online ATCers to provide in-sim training)

...

To-do list

Find a home base (EGLC?, drawback atm: no parking positions)

Decide on teaching content and find/write usable/proper documents for each lesson. (Personally I'd prefer to stick to FG's official manual and our wiki as much as possible, which probably means to improve/create some articles there.)

Instructors have to get used to those documents

Decide on helper applications, like fgrun (yes, we might have to teach this) or mpmap/atlas for navigation.