The Ultimate Question -- Ext Views vs Locked Cockpit

[Azimech]

I think WW is useful for training only two things: learning to land a Corsair on a carrier and learning the difference in IAS and TAS for every altitude. Understanding the process of flying is done by reading IMHO, and the limited amount of instruments in WW can cause you to learn wrong. For example, it has no slip/ball and vertical speed indicator. Plus altitude is measured above ground level, so you still need the speedbar. But instead of looking at the ground altimeter, one learns it properly by examining the ground first, which falls under situational awareness.

Student pilots don't learn to fly in WW, they start with the Basic Six and LOTS of theory. Then again my father learned me to fly Flight Simulator II back in 1984, which had no external views, no WW and such graphics that flying the instruments was the only way to get it right. WW cannot ever compensate for lack of theory when learning to fly. And you learn quicker with the limited view a cockpit provides, you learn flight patterns.

One error I used to make was to attack in cockpit mode, then switch to F6 when the plane disappeared from direct view. Someone pointed that out. Nowadays I stay in the 'pit and roll/turn my plane so I can keep my eyes on him, and my flying has improved. If I lose him out of my sight, the lesson is that I didn't anticipate his move, or my actions were wrong, or both.