I spent a lot of time in simulators as an Air Force instructor pilot. Simulators allow you to practice things repeatedly and to do things that are too dangerous to do in actual airplanes.
To be effective, sims require the appropriate level of fidelity for the task being practiced. Advanced or complicated tasks require high fidelity. Basic tasks, which are what we’re dealing with here, require less.
If you saw my review of the Dynam Primo Smart Ready to Fly airplane package, you saw me give a brief description of using the Gavin 6A transmitter that comes with that package and the FMS flight simulator. That combo deserves a little bit more explanation, so let’s go.
Using a basic simulator allows you to develop some muscle memory regarding flying your airplane. For the beginner, that primarily means getting used to the difference in bank control when the plane is flying way from you and when it is flying towards you. Some folks find it easy to switch left and right control inputs. Others developed memory aids to help.
When I was learning, when the airplane was flying toward me, I told myself to point the aileron stick toward the wing I wanted to go up. After a while, things became automatic as they will for you, too.
Dynam has some Sim controllers on their Web site. They allow you to control the sim with a fairly high fidelity device. If you get one of their smart ready to fly packages the Gavin 6A serves that purpose without the need to buy an additional controller. All you need is their inexpensive USB connector cable that is also available from Bitgo Hobby.
They also have links to two free downloads. You can find them under the Manual tab for the USB controller product on their web site, along with some instructions. First is the Flying Model Simulator. FMS is a basic Sim with reasonable fidelity for a beginner with several models and landscapes . Additional models are available online. The other download is for a dll file for Windows 10 computers. FMS is an older program that is no longer supported so it needs the dll to talk to the newer operating system.
Don’t let the fact that FMS is an older program scare you. It’s taught thousands of RC pilots how to master the basics.
Just follow the easy instructions on the Bitgo webpage to get FMS and the dll onto your computer.
Check out the video review to see how to download, set up and fly the FMS simulator on a Windows 10 computer.
