PilotEdge Forums

Hello, I am a 1,200 hour, real world instrument pilot looking to join PilotEdge to be able to practice IFR work in a single engine aircraft. IRL I fly out of the Northeast US and with only one day of real world VFR flying in the LA basin (back in 2003), I would need to stock up on navigation charts for the region covered by PE. While I await my copy of FSX and assorted add-ons to arrive this coming week I had a couple of questions about PE and instrument work:

These questions come from the fact that the nav data and airport data in MS FSX are now several years old. Discrepancies between its data and real world data most likely exist.

1) Do the controllers at PE use current nav data (including current approaches, GPS waypoints, fixes, etc) and do they work with current airport statuses (match real world airport runway or complete closures as they happen, etc)? In other words, to match the PE controllers would I be safe in purchasing VFR sectionals, low enroute IFR charts, and approach plates from real chart suppliers? What about having to maintain chart currency (especially approach plates)?

2) What about GPS approaches? I recall that both the included FSX GPS and payware add-on GPS products use nav data that also is several years old. How, then, do current PE pilots flying with FSX use their "onboard" GPS units to fly current approaches? Is there a method for updating the nav data of these GPS units?

In my case I would want to subscribe to PE to practice my real world approach selection, which would only be GPS, VOR, and ILS/localizer approaches. No NDB approaches for me, thank you.

While I am at it, I have one other question about weather in southern CA. As a northeast US pilot I have an impression that the weather in southern CA is either low IFR (fog, marine layers) or no IFR (sunny, 'it never rains in southern California'). If I were to use a weather generator for FSX tied to real world weather, would I see real, approachable IFR days?

Thank you for your help. I look forward to becoming a member as soon as my sim and my armchair flying are back up to speed.

Hi Peter,

As a fellow NE pilot, I'm happy to help you with this (I'm in Lincoln Park, NJ, btw, how about you?)

Controllers use current data and weather for their controlling. It's understood that you might set your weather in the sim to something other than the current real-world weather. In such cases, simply inform the controller that you "have the numbers" and let us know your specific approach request.

You would be safe in purchasing current charts. The LAX TAC chart, sectional chart, approach plate book and low enroute charts would be a good suggestion. Alternatively, you could use skyvector.com on a second screen (that's what I do), or use an electronic flight bag, such as Foreflight (or one of many charting apps) on an IPad, for example.

I use X-Plane with relatively standard gauges, which doesn't include a functioning GPS. As a result, I limit myself to ILS, LOC, VOR or NDB approaches, even though the airplane I fly in real life has a Garmin 420.

If you're thinking of using this to help maintain your proficiency, you've made a great choice. I don't get to fly as often as I'd like in the real world, but when I do, I don't feel in the least bit rusty as a result of being able to fly IFR here with full ATC whenever I need.

Don't let the fact that you're on the east coast worry you, either. IFR is IFR wherever you go, and so is VFR, with just a few exceptions (the NY SFRA, DC SFRA, etc).

Welcome to PE! Be sure to let us know how your first few flights go.

Keith

Thanks, Keith, for the quick reply. I am based at Syracuse, NY, but I have been down to Lincoln Park, NJ, a few times to visit the Cessna dealer there. My most recent IFR flights have been business related to Westchester Cty, NY, though, and I thoroughly enjoy the busy-ness of the NY airspace.

I still am stuck on paper charts so I will go ahead and load up on that region - fortunately the PE coverage is small enough that it is inexpensive to get a complete set of IFR and VFR charts.

A follow-up question about the weather: If I set my weather to an IFR day to practice an ILS approach to minimums but the real world weather is CAVU, how do both the controllers and I handle the PE VFR drone traffic that flies about the airspace? Obviously I would prefer not to bump into a drone, but at the same time I won't be in a position to see and avoid if I am in my own little IFR world.

I am looking forward to flying in your world - I may even step through some of the training syllabus you have just to have some objectives as well as get familiar with the PE world. Like I indicated above, it will be another week or so before I join since I am in the process of rebuilding my sim environment after taking several years off from it.