How many of you have flown real aricraft?

[akuma]

Just curious how many of you sim fans out there have actually flown a real aircraft?

By this I mean actually flown, not been a passenger in.

Personally I've had 3, 1 hour trail lessons in a light aircraft, 2, 1 hour lessons in a helicopter and finally I have logged 14 hours in gliders.

For those that have, what do you find is similar and what do you find is different?

[Ancient Seraph]

+/- 130 hours in gliders, and +/- 130 in small single-engines. The main difference is the lack of feel for the airplane, and outside forces like turbulence.
But ofcourse the Cessna is in no way comparable to a Spit or La . It's like comparing a Fiat 500 with a McLaren F1.

[akuma]

True, although there is the fear factor to take into account as well, I'm pretty confident pulling a 6G diving turn on BOP, not so ballzy in real life though!

[Tudorp15]

While in the Air Force in the 1970s and 1980s, I was an aircraft electrician, but was studying to get my privates pilots license. However got to where all I needed was my solo flight to qualify for my full single engine license, but stopped short there when I got married and started having a family. So, yes, I few real airplanes for a short while, but never solo'd. Only with an instructor. And yes, I actually flew with the instructor next to me.

I also flew RC aircraft for years, and had lots of fun with that. Not the real thing, but does teach allot about aircraft control, and aerodynamics as well.

I am retired, and disabled now, so I am having a blast with BOP, since I can not fly for real any longer.

[Ancient Seraph]

Haha, agreed. Although experienced pilots know what they can and can not handle, and by practicing you'll reduce this 'fear factor'. Still, you need balls of steel .

[akuma]

I got a few hundred hours logged on RC aircraft (plane and heli,) but alas I crash them as much as I crash in BOP so I dont buy nitro, just the cheaper electric models.

[Wayfindre]

I've been wondering this myself. I've logged a little over 4000 hours total time. About 900 ours of it is as pilot-in-command and a flight instructor. I am a commercial pilot for an airline and the rest of the time is in the First Officer position. (Hoping to upgrade soon to Captain after the recession). I like to think I know a little bit about how aircraft handle. However, I know there are plenty of ppl on here that know WAY more than I do about aviation history and world war 2 in particular. I find those guys to be pretty interesting.

[King Jareth]

Another RC pretend pilot here, I have a healthy fear of dieing and if youve seen me fly BoP on Sim you'll understand why that means I wont hold a real joystick.

[caphead]

does RC aircraft count? 1/4-1/3 scale?

[gcnorth]

For a number of years I played Combat Flight Simulator. Several years ago for my birthday, my wife gave me an hour flight in a North American AT6 fighter trainer (WWII). I had never flown a plane before. The flying experience did not seem entirely new because of playing CFS. However, after doing several rolls and a loop I felt nauseous! I wanted to do other maneuvers but, unfortunately, I didn't have the stomach for it. Playing sims is great, but it is entirely different when you experience the g forces. It was a great experience that I would heartily recommend to any sim pilot. You have a better appreciation for what pilots endured flying these machines.