> VFR students shouldn't be anywhere near a simulator,

I agree but I wasn't talking about stick and rudder skills, I was talking about cross country VFR preparation (learning landmarks etc.). I guess you can do it just using Google Maps, but it would be fun to do it in sim IMHO.

PS regarding the expression "VFR students": there is a preconception where VFR skills are just something that you learn as a beginner pilot, and then once you have enough experience, you start focusing on IFR. I think this mindset is wrong. There are some very experienced bush pilots who regularly - and sometimes mostly - fly VFR; aviation is not just airliners.

Now that you mention it, I could see MSFS being useful for general area familiarization.

Foreflight has 3D mode now for the same purpose. But MSFS would certainly be more fun, and an instructor could mix in other navigation skills. It would be a good exercise to drop someone into an unknown area to practice VOR navigation.

(And 100% agreed about the "VFR students" thing. Poor choice of words on my part.)

Oh yes I love Foreflight 3D mode.

> an instructor could mix in other navigation skills

Yes you made me realise that my initial comment was not very clear, I said “VFR” but really I meant visual navigation.

Pair X-Plane with PilotEdge, and you've got something that can help you with your radio skills so that you can effectively communicate with ATC. So many pilots go without flight following (asking ATC to watch your path and notify you of things you should be aware of) simply because they are afraid of the radio.

Completely agree about stick/rudder skills though...

Is anyone doing anything akin to a direct drive system for HOTAS force feedback? That would be incredible.

I have TM's Warthog system which is presently collecting dust due to lack of triple screen support (Nvidia Simultaneous Multi-projection or SMP, AMD has nothing) - in my space/flight titles, but hopefully not forever.

It's not anywhere able to convey forces affecting the plane in the way my DD steering wheel system does for driving. The feedback I get there combined with transducers is truly sensational, especially once you've had the time to become attuned. I'm becoming half competent now and it's an amazing thing to be able to do from the home.

Whilst there might be limited stuff to simulate in higher end fbw planes, for anything hydraulic there ought to be some options. I once had a Microsoft FFB joystick but considerable time had passed since.

There are sticks, yokes and even rudder pedals with FFB, from a couple different vendors (for example the ones made by the Swiss company Brunner) but they cost thousands. Unfortunately, AFAIK, there is nothing in the lower cost segment.

Oh thank you, found this - https://www.brunner-innovation.swiss/product/cls-e-joystick/ which is just about exactly what I was hoping for, and is even allowing interchangeable grips including TMs.

Price levels compare with DD wheel base.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if someone could license brand names like Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, Cirrus, Garmin, or Cessna and sell reasonably priced panels mimicking instrument panels of those makers with their help?

An LCD touchscreen and a plastic overlay would do wonders and still be a reasonable compromise.

Yes, but stick and rudder skills are the easy part (I used to be a flight instructor). The hard part is everything else.

Out of curiosity, what areas did you find were the most challenging for your students?