PilotEdge Forums

I am a Cirrus SR22 owner who is gearing up for IFR Training. I want to work through all the PilotEdge IFR courses.

I have an old unsupported version of FS2004 running Eaglesoft SR22 plug-in on XP (not supported). It's actually all works well...even the Foreflight interface. However, I'm concerned that such an old config could fall apart at any moment.

Has anyone been able to get Prepare3D, X Plane, or any other platform to function well with full Avidyne and IFR capabilities? If so, any advice on what you used would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you.

Don't waste your time with fs2004.
Upgrade to xplane or prepared and be done with it.

I haven't seen avidyne modeled but I've been very pleased with carenados aircraft including one with dual GNS430 and aspen pfd that mirrors the piper arrow i flying the real world. Never mind that it's in a bonanza a36.

I wouldn't get too hung up on mirroring exact cirrus performance since youll.never get the feel of a real aircraft. Model the systems you need to master and procedures for ifr

Chad eclipse pro yoke is a good investment.

Good luck.

Thanks, Talan. Only issue with Carenado is it appears they discontinued SR22...only have SR22T now.

Get a touchtrainer, or buy simavio from flythissim and roll your own. That is going to give you the best avionics imementation for your airframe afaik.

Or, if the avionics aren't critical, use a payware sr22, or another plane entirely.

If you already know the avionics in the airplane then if is about staying ahead of the process more than anything else. I fly mu2, Lear 25, baron, and c208. All of them allow me to practice what I want.

If you can afford it, get a Touch Trainer. But it's not cheap.

Checked out Simavio...I could probably figure it all out, but it costs $2K without sim software and hardware. Seems like there are two bad alternatives if I want a sim of my real plane: 1) Flythissim package ($5.5K...wow), 2) My awful FS2004 XP with Eaglesoft SR22.

Perhaps the best approach to IFR is to use a vanilla plane like a 182. But then I'm not really learning to use my avionics. Maybe I'll post for a used flythissim on the Cirrus board or look on EBAY.

biecholz,

Good idea, check out the COPA forums for a used FTS TouchTrainer. But you also could put together an X-plane setup and just buy the SimAvio Pro software if you're inclined. I fly a Cirrus also, and used SimAvio during my instrument training. Can't give a high enough recommendation to get it - you will not regret it and will use it long after you're certified. Combine that with PilotEdge and it's fantastic practice . . . and great fun.

rtataryn wrote:biecholz,

Good idea, check out the COPA forums for a used FTS TouchTrainer. But you also could put together an X-plane setup and just buy the SimAvio Pro software if you're inclined. I fly a Cirrus also, and used SimAvio during my instrument training. Can't give a high enough recommendation to get it - you will not regret it and will use it long after you're certified. Combine that with PilotEdge and it's fantastic practice . . . and great fun.

Thanks for the advice...I checked out the website, and the software alone is $2K and it looks more like a developer tool. I have no idea where to even start. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place.

Bob, I know we've exchanged emails about this, but since we're also talking about it in the forum, I'll mirror my post here for completeness:

If you feel as though you have a need to replicate your avionics, you can roll your own setup with SimAvio. Or, you can buy a turn key system that's ready to go (the non-certified TouchTrainer would be the most cost effective, if they still offer it). Given your time constraints and the fact that you don't want to spend much time assembling a solution, the latter would make more sense even if it does cost more money.

Alternatively, if you are comfortable with the avionics, then all you need is a sim that works and a plane that goes roughly as fast (or faster) than your Cirrus. I gave up trying to replicate my airplane a long, long time ago. In fact, if someone were to release a Lancair 360, I'd be apprehensive about flying it because I know I would look at it with a very critical eye since I know the numbers for my airplane so well. I'm blissfully ignorant of how a Baron actually flies, so it's a perfect platform for the sim since the speeds are in the same ball park.

I also have no need to practice the Garmin 430 in the sim as I'm already 100% comfortable with that in my airplane. So, I use the sim to stay sharp on procedures and staying ahead of the process. As a result, I don't really care what avionics are in there and typically just fly a /A steam gauge setup. If there's a 430 in there, fine, but it's by no means a requirement.

So, if I were in your shoes, I'd think about what it is I really want to practice and then plan accordingly.