PilotEdge - a glowing recommendation and a thank you!

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toby23
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon May 08, 2017 4:03 pm

PilotEdge - a glowing recommendation and a thank you!

Post by toby23 »

It's amazing that adding human ATC to a sim can force you to plan better, fly better and to be more aware of what's around you but it does. I am learning so much, so quickly and having so much fun doing it. Combined with Ortho4XP tiles and X-Plane, this experience is the closest that I have come to my real world training.

PE adds so much workload to flying that I have gone back to the default C172 until I feel comfortable taking on more. It's no surprise that so many C172's are used for training.

Over the years, I've used most, if not all, modern ATC software packages and have even bought many Ivona voices to add depth but nothing comes close to the service provided by PE. You just can't beat human interaction.

Old habits die hard, so one of the first things I did when I had access to PE was to load up an FSEconomy flight in the Pipistrel Panthera and off I went.. into one of the busiest mix of airspaces in SoCal... Big mistake... I was 'lucky' enough to have Keith as controller and he ensured that I won't be making that mistake again. Thanks to the human ATC aspect, I realised, for perhaps the first time in years of simming, how arrogant and foolish I had been to think that I could just jump in my favourite plane and fly from A to B, pressing some buttons to respond to the ATC when necessary. All of a sudden, this wasn't a 'game' that I knew how to play any more..Flights that I wouldn't have thought twice about before are now out of the question, since I've realised how careless and dangerous I have been.

I am finally learning all about airspaces and how to navigate around and through them. I'm learning how to read and understand a VFR sectional chart. I'm learning, not guessing, about the correct use of ATC at non-towered and towered airports. I'm learning from the beginning, just like a real pilot does, and I'm not trying to skip the queue, not any more.

I had also ignored the PE CAT flights, thinking this was something for me to get into in a few months once I had learned the ropes. I was wrong, it's an essential beginners guide to ATC that has been carefully planned, slowly increasing in difficulty as you gain confidence. Thanks to Keith for pointing that out to me, it's helping me tremendously.

It looks like I was wrong about a lot of things and I'm very grateful for the team at PilotEdge for helping me to see the light. My two week trial ends this weekend and, when I'm back from a business trip next week, I'll definitely be signing up for the SoCal area to improve my skills..

I cannot recommend this service highly enough, if you're serious about your simming. My thanks to Keith and the team at PE.

N23TR
dvlourie
Posts: 38
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2016 6:01 pm

Re: PilotEdge - a glowing recommendation and a thank you!

Post by dvlourie »

Very well said...I could not agree more...I too thought a game was a game and FSX and X-Plane were just that. I fly in the RW and both the sim and PE have saved me many hours of real world embarrassment. I remember I was training for a flight to KPIA and boy did I screw up the radio calls. Right after that I found PE and after taking the CAT ratings, my RW radio work was up to standards. I have since told all new students (and honestly, anyone that will listen!!) about PE. Keith and the crew deserve much applause and respect for what they do each and everyday. I had the pleasure of receiving and email from Keith after a test flight in a new Cirrus with a mutual friend and I told him directly. They are top notch professionals and will help create a new generation of much better trained pilots.
BFG
Posts: 212
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2016 10:39 pm

Re: PilotEdge - a glowing recommendation and a thank you!

Post by BFG »

Well said, both. PE is the best investment I've ever made in flight simulation. Its extension to real world training is invaluable.
Keith Smith
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Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2010 8:38 pm
Location: Pompton Plains, NJ
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Re: PilotEdge - a glowing recommendation and a thank you!

Post by Keith Smith »

So glad to hear it's having an impact for you guys. That's what it's all about.
rtataryn
Posts: 344
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2015 10:19 pm
Location: Spokane, WA

Re: PilotEdge - a glowing recommendation and a thank you!

Post by rtataryn »

BFG wrote:Well said, both. PE is the best investment I've ever made in flight simulation. Its extension to real world training is invaluable.
So true. For both training and RW ongoing proficiency. I flew down to KSBD today and was planning on staying north over PMD and V386, but got a re-route down to DARTS then V186 PDZ. No problem. Handoffs to multiple SoCal sectors, reroutes, altitude changes, vectors . . . No problem. And I thank PE for that. I really don't think there's anything RW SoCal could have thrown at me that I wouldn't be ready for.

Kudos to Keith and all the awesome PE controllers. You guys ROCK!

Here is a phone shot eastbound at DARTS.
DARTS intersection eastbound V186<br />DARTS intersection eastbound V186
DARTS intersection eastbound V186
DARTS intersection eastbound V186
IMG_0378.JPG (419.24 KiB) Viewed 3166 times
Rod
PPL, Instrument, ASEL, ASES
2013 Cirrus SR22T N877MS
2018 Icon A5 N509BA
1946 Piper J3 Cub N7121H
1942 Stearman N2S N6848
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