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Added common complaints, compass turning, vsi error, gyro drift
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(Added common complaints, compass turning, vsi error, gyro drift) |
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Despite marketing slogans to the contrary, some flight simulators are aimed at a casual game player market, and ship with their "realism" turned down. The realism is always turned up in FlightGear. | Despite marketing slogans to the contrary, some flight simulators are aimed at a casual game player market, and ship with their "realism" turned down. The realism is always turned up in FlightGear. | ||
FlightGear offers a great deal of realism, which may be confusing to first time pilots. | |||
* "Left Turning Syndrome" for the previously mentioned reasons. | |||
* Compass Turning Error: A compass when subjected to the forces of flight tends to turn in the opposite direction for a brief period before settling on the correct heading. This is not a malfunction. | |||
* The Vertical Speed Indicator is also subject to error. | |||
* The Horizontal Situation Indicator is driven by a gyroscope (why it is sometimes called a Directional Gyroscope), which subject to a phenomenon called gyro drift. For a number of reasons the gyro will drift from its current heading and must be periodically (about every 15 minutes) calibrated to agree with the magnetic compass heading. | |||
Many forces act on an aircraft in flight as well as on the instruments and systems used for control and navigation, which are counter-intuitive. Pilots must learn to recognize these phenomena and compensate for the effects. FlightGear models instrument errors that exist in the real world. | |||
=== Flying Using Navigational Aids and the Autopilot === | === Flying Using Navigational Aids and the Autopilot === | ||
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[http://maps.google.com Google Maps] and The FlightGear Online Map for multiplayers are both good resources as well as the FlightGear Community Flight Planner. | [http://maps.google.com Google Maps] and The FlightGear Online Map for multiplayers are both good resources as well as the FlightGear Community Flight Planner. | ||
== Getting Help == | == Getting Help == | ||