Man who’s spent hours doing helicopter flight simulations sees if he can actually fly a real helicopter

This man had spent hours doing helicopter flight simulations and wanted to see if he could fly the real thing.

Andries Lombaard, from EG Evolved, wanted to see if years of practice on his simulator had prepared him for takeoff.

But practicing on your computer is very different from being in a real helicopter.

Would the helicopter flight simulations have served him well or set him up for disappointment?

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Flying in a real helicopter after hours of helicopter flight simulations

You can have a lot of fun on flight simulators, whether it’s taking on an ultra-difficult challenge or seeing if you’ve got what it takes to be a Boeing 737 pilot.

But there are people who take it seriously.

Andries Lombaard had spent between 40 and 50 hours using helicopter flight simulations.

But would all those hours invested pay off when it came time to fly?

Whilst the simulation has its benefits, particularly in giving aspiring pilots knowledge of controls and aerodynamics, there are still limitations.

There are still things that a simulator can’t prepare you for – like torque differences, wind gusts, and the response of a real engine.

For the sake of the real-world experience, Lombaard was paired up with a real-world instructor.

Although Lombaard might have had some jitters about the experience, he took to it very well.

His instructor said they got through nine exercises quickly, with Lombaard maintaining a ‘pretty stable hand’ throughout.

“It’s very evident that his simulator training and background have supplemented the actual practical flying in the helicopter.”

Lombaard was positive about his time up in the air.

“This is the real thing and it’s different, but it’s also the same,” he said.

“So I was able to apply a lot of my learnings, but I think it will definitely require a good amount of time of practice [for] the smaller finer details.”

Flight simulators can be great fun

We’ve seen a lot of flight simulators over the years, but they’re usually planes.

Some can pop up in quite unexpected places, whether it be in a man’s spare room or this British family home.

People can have a lot of fun with these programs – some of which are virtually impossible to recreate in real life.

But when it comes to flying for real, it’s always best to have a professional on hand to provide some guidance.

To see Andries Lombaard flying for yourself, visit EG Evolved Simulator Rigs’ YouTube channel.The post Man who’s spent hours doing helicopter flight simulations sees if he can actually fly a real helicopter appeared first on Supercar Blondie.