Fun… Yes. But Also a Great Simulatior Instructional Aid!I recently added the new X-Plane 9 to the contents of my iPad.  I previously had X-Plane on my iPhone and thought it was ok.  I was sure in for a surprise when I downloaded X-Plane 9 for the iPad.  X-Plan 9 simulator is simply incredible, and well worth the $9.99 price tag.

There is no doubt that X-Plane 9 is fun and challenging, but what surprised me most about the app was the realism of certain aircraft and their behaviors, and how this could be used as a tool for training pilots of all levels.  The developers seem to have taken their time to figure out a good aerodynamics model to simulate a variety of aircraft with.

Several of the educational aspects of the app that I find very useful are the display of lift and thrust vectors.  The B1B, with it’s variable geometry wing sweep is a great aid in illustrating lift coefficient as you try to land the B1B at 230kts with the wings still swept! 

While I’m always skeptical that any simulator can train motor skills correctly, you can certainly teach good scanning through the use of this app set in IMC conditions and holding or making an approach.  The mapping interface is helpful to explaining a variety of navigation principles.

In any case, this is a slight diversion from typical topics on this blog, but I wanted to give two thumbs up for X-Plane 9.  A great app, can’t wait to see the next release!