CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 12 Issue 3 - 39

CHIEF'S CORNER
WHOO-HOO, I GOT TO GO TO AIRVENTURE
2021. It was good to get back to the World's
Largest Airshow and see friends and colleagues
in person again instead of via webcam. It was
a great show and ASI had several seminars
throughout the week in our tent. If you missed
any of them or weren't able to get to Oshkosh you
can check them out on the AOPA Live YouTube
channel. If you did get there, I hope you had as
much fun as I did.
One of the things that I got to do while I was
there was a fun little exercise that one of our
partners had going on in two cool simulators
in the back corner of our main tent. They were
virtual reality or VR simulators. One was the
ultra-cool workhorse of the GA world-the
Cessna 172 Skyhawk and the other slightly cooler
aircraft was a F-22 Raptor. On Sunday when
the crowds had died down to a small trickle
through the tent, I went over and got suited up
to fly the Skyhawk. All right, I didn't slip on a
flight suit or my Nomex gloves and silk scarf,
SOMETHING FOR US TO REMEMBER AS
FLIGHT INSTRUCTORS-IT'S NOT ALL
ABOUT THE MANEUVERS, THE ACS, AND
THE CHECKRIDE. IT'S ABOUT THE FUN OF
FLYING TOO.
but I did get some help getting the VR helmet
situated on my head just right. The scenario I
chose was to sightsee around Sedona, Arizona,
and while I have not been there in person to
see how amazing the scenery is, it looked very
real and very cool to me. I started my scenario
in flight, so there was a little jockeying around
to get the feel of the controls, and then-since
I couldn't see my hands with the VR helmet on
or in the simulator view in front of me-I had
to use my sense of touch to find the throttle,
mixture, flap lever, carb heat, etc. Once I had that
mostly under control, it was a nice flight around
Sedona looking down on the rock formations.
With only a six-minute time limit (I got an extra
minute because I was controlling the airplane
quite nicely), I decided to get myself set up for a
landing. Everything worked as advertised and I
found myself lined up on the extended centerline
when my quarter ran out. Ah well, it was cool,
easy to use, and I can see great benefits to having
something like this available for a student to
gain some experience at a reduced cost with
more of the realism from the VR than lesser
ATDs.
Once the two young men who'd been in a
competition all week long finished their flights
in the F-22 it was my turn. Again, the VR helmet
was placed on my head and strapped down, the
voice of the Instructor Pilot gave me some basic
instruction on how to use the controls, and I
looked around this strange cockpit trying to find
familiar things. The voice in my head identified
the various instruments and displays, and I
think I understood how to use them. Shortly, I
lined up on the runway ready to launch and try
to fly a winding, twisty course through the rim
of the Grand Canyon flying though gates in the
sky to gain points. I knew there was no way I
was going to come close to those kids and their
three-minute times on the course. Of course,
first things first, I had to take off. A bit excited
I over-rotated and BAM! Crashed. Wonderful.
The human instructor chuckled and reset me
and this time I gently eased the stick back and
broke ground. Now on to the first gate and then
the next. To help you out, each gate has an arrow
that points you in the direction you want to go
to get to the next gate and it is identified on your
heading indicator and, if I recall correctly, the
heads-up display had an indicator too. A nice
touch was flying aggressively enough to induce
G-LOC and black out for a few moments before
regaining consciousness and looking for my next
gate. Gate 4 is where I met my match. For the
life of me I couldn't figure out how to get there.
My head was spinning faster than Goose and
Maverick's looking for Viper and Jester trying
to keep an eye on the gate and get back to it.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy5Xf-OOdWKhycTRS3kI95A https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy5Xf-OOdWKhycTRS3kI95A
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 12 Issue 3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 12 Issue 3
