Life finally has me in a place where I'm about to seriously start pursuing my PPL and eventually getting my own plane.
Within the next 7-8 years, I think I'm looking at attainable goals being a PPL with my IFR, and a M20J with my name on it.
I think I'm able to shortcut a lot of this.
Knowing all of the engine and mechanical stuff is easy. I spent several years doing race engine development. I got bit by the flight bug when I got a ride in a M20TN, and pointed at the TIT indicator and asked the pilot if he pulled on the mixture knob until the TIT gauge read ~1600 degrees once everything was settled in and the engine wasn't under a lot of load. That's without ever having been in a GA aircraft before.
I was also a Navy Electronics Technician, so I already understand all of the radio fundamental stuff. I had to maintain glide-scope indicators and other ATC systems. I could talk a bit about how stuff like VOR sidebands work and why rain matters with some of these radar systems. I also had to maintain all of the comms gear for an entire carrier strike group, so the basics of just talking on busy radio circuits is second nature to me.
I also went out and got a bunch of stuff from Sporty's. Real metal E6B flight computer. Real FAA VFR/IFR charts. Plotting tools. Terminal procedures publications and knee-boards, grease pencils, etc.
A lot of the pain in the ass of an instrument rating seems to be endless hours practicing doing plots, fucking with radios, figuring out radials, crosswinds, dew points, studying endless FAA rules, etc.
I have a copy of X-plane 11, with a really nice PC running everything. Maxed out graphics on a gigantic monitor that fills up most of my FOV, and still pushes ~30 FPS (which still sounds like it's above FAA required minimum frame rates). I have full analog controls for everything like rudders, toe brakes, yoke, throttles, mixtures, prop pitch, etc.
I also went out and picked up a copy of this:
https://www.carenado.com/sitecarenado/product/m20j-201-xplane/
From what I've seen on the internet through pictures of real cockpits, this all seems like a realisticish simulation of the real deal, as far as fundamental IFR stuff works.
I'm already at the point where I can use an ADF beacon and the cockpit card to plot distance to VOR beacons or other POI's shot off a VOR radial. I learned a lot of fundamentals of things like the difference between heading and course while I was still in the Navy. I understand the basics of drift.
Have I totally maxed out my knowledge towards a real IFR rating by only using this video game and some fancy controllers? Or is it worth investing more time and effort into x-plane to get a decent mastery of plotting? Am I wasting my time here? Or if I get really good at doing plots on paper charts, is that actual useful knowledge I'm carrying over towards an IFR?
I fully understand that when it comes to the actual dynamics of handling an airplane, a simulator like this is mostly useless, and I need a LOT of seat time. It also sounds like I might be totally uninsurable at any sort of reasonable rate on my own M20J until Hit 500 hours.
My question to y'all is this:
I understand I still have a mountain of knowledge to learn, but is x-plane worth spending more time in? Or do I need to be burning AVGAS and instructor time to really learn this stuff?
Thanks in advance everyone. This seems like a really great community.
