These Wiki-articles might be interesting to read:
ATC communicationsFlight PlanningAircraft speeds: quite interesting: be sure you know the difference between indicated airspeed (IAS - the speed you 'see' in the cockpit), true airspeed (TAS - the speed you actually fly at, at high altitudes it 's way higher than your IAS) and Ground speed (GS - the speed you move with over the ground, it 's affected by wind, temperature etc, so can be significantly different from you IAS and TAS).
Flight displays: Make sure you understand what's shown by the aircraft instruments, compare to your personal aircraft, as the presentation varies between aircraft.
ILS: The instrument landing system makes practicing your first landings very easy; this wiki article contains a link to a small tutorial on how to use the ILS at London Heathrow. When i started flying in Flightgear, I used to make continuous trips back and forth between KSFO (San Fransisco) and KSJC (San Jose), two airports lying quite close to each other with runways almost aligned, which makes it easy to takeoff and prepare for a landing at the other airport. Be sure you are able to land your airplane by hand, it 's
much more fun than letting your autopilot do it
And remember: practice makes perfect. You 'll be doing a lot of flights before you 'll get a good feeling on how your aircraft behaves. Exploring the internet for your aircraft's specifications and operation procedures can clarify a lot.
I 'm not that familiar with virtual airlines, but there are and have been quite a few in Flightgear.
Here you can find some more information.
I myself am busy at the moment with finishing the next version of the Excel logbook I used for more than 4 years to distribute it to the community. It calculates flight times, suited altitudes, and the fuel you need to reach your destination and alternate airports. It is also able to automatically file your local flightplan to
the ATC-site of Lenny, which is very handy for controllers to anticipate on your flight. I 'm busy with fixing the last bugs at the moment, and expect to release it near the end of this month. Let me know if you are interested!
Feel free to explore the wiki further, it 's full of very interesting information! And don't forget to practice the knowledge you acquire, it 's the most fun way to learn how to fly!
Welcome in our community!