Rating: 
Summary: The book was not what I expected
Review: I purchased this book expecting it to give me a lot of information on flying all of the aircraft that were available. In particular, I was looking for detailed information on how to master the Boing aircraft so that I could create a proper flight plan that included climb and descent information that I could then execute in a realistic simulation of a commercial flight. However, I found the book contained very little information that was beneficial to me in this area. A significant portion of the book is spent covering topics already covered in the FS2002 documentation. Very little information is given on how to really use the flight planner and navigation log. Overall, I am disappointed with this book and am still looking for one that will really teach me how to master the heavies.
Rating: 
Summary: DON'T waste your time and money.
Review: I received this book as a gift thankfully...or I would be really mad about wasting my money. There is no flight sim substance in this book that cannot be found on the CD-Rom manuals. I suggest that you save your money.
Rating: 
Summary: What You Really Need To Know About This Book
Review: Sybex's Official Strategies & Secrets of Flight Simulator 2002 is a really nice inexpensive first book for getting to know Flight Simulator 2002, and the thought processes of flying. I say "Flying!" because Microsoft's Flight Simulator motto, "As Real As It Gets", is "jaw-drop-pingly" accurate for this low cost computer software. The words of this book make you see and feel the level of commitment, and attention to thinking, and analysis, required to be a fully competent pilot. It has the knowledge the other reviewers had to learn before they could ask any advanced question. In other words, their complete focus on their advanced needs makes them incapable of correctly evaluating this book. If I were to lodge a complaint about it, I would say that it should have had as many instrument status pictures and examples as the manual that came with Flight Simulator 2000 Professional. The current online help method of explaining is nice, but having a book open next to you while you try different instrument settings without having the leave the flight screen is even nicer. Anyone using Flight Simulator 2002 for fun or to begin the process of learning how to fly must understand that you must read as many different expressions of flight knowledge as you can. Doing this will do something essential to pilots with no flight time or with low flight time, and that is to keep your pilot thinking sharp and automatic for an environment where small lapses in thinking, and knowledge are fatal. I recommend this book to anyone who is new to Flight Simulator, because it is a good conversation to hear about how to begin learning how to fly for real, or for learning how to fly as a game. Honestly,
Bernard L. Williams, Real Pilot In The Making
Rating:
Summary: What You Really Need To Know About This Book
Review: Sybex's Official Strategies & Secrets of Flight Simulator 2002 is a really nice inexpensive first book for getting to know Flight Simulator 2002, and the thought processes of flying. I say "Flying!" because Microsoft's Flight Simulator motto, "As Real As It Gets", is "jaw-drop-pingly" accurate for this low cost computer software. The words of this book make you see and feel the level of commitment, and attention to thinking, and analysis, required to be a fully competent pilot. It has the knowledge the other reviewers had to learn before they could ask any advanced question. In other words, their complete focus on their advanced needs makes them incapable of correctly evaluating this book. If I were to lodge a complaint about it, I would say that it should have had as many instrument status pictures and examples as the manual that came with Flight Simulator 2000 Professional. The current online help method of explaining is nice, but having a book open next to you while you try different instrument settings without having the leave the flight screen is even nicer. Anyone using Flight Simulator 2002 for fun or to begin the process of learning how to fly must understand that you must read as many different expressions of flight knowledge as you can. Doing this will do something essential to pilots with no flight time or with low flight time, and that is to keep your pilot thinking sharp and automatic for an environment where small lapses in thinking, and knowledge are fatal. I recommend this book to anyone who is new to Flight Simulator, because it is a good conversation to hear about how to begin learning how to fly for real, or for learning how to fly as a game. Honestly,
Bernard L. Williams, Real Pilot In The Making
Rating:
Summary: What You Really Need To Know About This Book
Review: Sybex's Official Strategies & Secrets of Flight Simulator 2002 is a really nice inexpensive first book for getting to know Flight Simulator 2002, and the thought processes of flying. I say "Flying!" because Microsoft's Flight Simulator motto, "As Real As It Gets", is "jaw-drop-pingly" accurate for this low cost computer software. The words of this book make you see and feel the level of commitment, and attention to thinking, and analysis, required to be a fully competent pilot. It has the knowledge the other reviewers had to learn before they could ask any advanced question. In other words, their complete focus on their advanced needs makes them incapable of correctly evaluating this book. If I were to lodge a complaint about it, I would say that it should have had as many instrument status pictures and examples as the manual that came with Flight Simulator 2000 Professional. The current online help method of explaining is nice, but having a book open next to you while you try different instrument settings without having the leave the flight screen is even nicer. Anyone using Flight Simulator 2002 for fun or to begin the process of learning how to fly must understand that you must read as many different expressions of flight knowledge as you can. Doing this will do something essential to pilots with no flight time or with low flight time, and that is to keep your pilot thinking sharp and automatic for an environment where small lapses in thinking, and knowledge are fatal. I recommend this book to anyone who is new to Flight Simulator, because it is a good conversation to hear about how to begin learning how to fly for real, or for learning how to fly as a game. Honestly,
Bernard L. Williams, Real Pilot In The Making
Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: There is virtually nothing here that can't be found in the included help and tutorials of FS2002. The only redeeming feature are the "adventures" in the back, but even then, how many times can you fly from Nantucket to Provincetown? And where is the single resource for all of the ILS frequencies that are available in this terrific software?
Rating:
Summary: Encyclopedia of useless trivia
Review: This book was put together by a researcher who has no feel for FS2002. It is cold, dry and dull! Sure, all the information is here--but it seems to have been written by a technical writer whose boss told him to get something, ANYTHING, in print that will fill 200+ pages ASAP--or else! Don't buy this book. It gives you LOTS of information, but little of it will help you enjoy the game. The writer merely grabbed technical information from flight manuals etc. so that Sybex and MS could try to syphon a bucket-load more money out of your pockets. FS2002 is fantastic..this book isn't!
Rating:
Summary: Lazy attempt to teach FS 2002
Review: What "Strategies and Secret" are contained in this book? Its a lazy, lame, horrible attempt to teach you how to fly in FS2002. Chong's FS 2000 book was much better - what happened? This book won't teach you anything you can't find in Microsoft's manuals, and even then, those manuals are better. Like another poster said, it would be nice to have a "door-to-door" flight tutorial for one of the heavies like the new 747, but there isn't anything close to that in the book. Chong spends too much paper rambling on and on about the FS2002 adventures. Gimme a break. Join a virtual airline or online club instead, you'll learn much more about flying FS 2002 there. This book seems like he copied and pasted the thing together in a weekend, and now he's laughing all the way to the bank. I bought this book because I was disappointed Microsoft doesn't provide a hard-copy manual, but I found myself trashing the Chong book and spending a weekend printing out the Microsoft manuals. Don't bother buying this book unless you want some lame tips on the 2002 adventures.
Rating:
Summary: Lazy attempt to teach FS 2002
Review: What "Strategies and Secret" are contained in this book? Its a lazy, lame, horrible attempt to teach you how to fly in FS2002. Chong's FS 2000 book was much better - what happened? This book won't teach you anything you can't find in Microsoft's manuals, and even then, those manuals are better. Like another poster said, it would be nice to have a "door-to-door" flight tutorial for one of the heavies like the new 747, but there isn't anything close to that in the book. Chong spends too much paper rambling on and on about the FS2002 adventures. Gimme a break. Join a virtual airline or online club instead, you'll learn much more about flying FS 2002 there. This book seems like he copied and pasted the thing together in a weekend, and now he's laughing all the way to the bank. I bought this book because I was disappointed Microsoft doesn't provide a hard-copy manual, but I found myself trashing the Chong book and spending a weekend printing out the Microsoft manuals. Don't bother buying this book unless you want some lame tips on the 2002 adventures.
Rating:
Summary: Not an extended manual for Flight Simulator 2002
Review: While this book offers advice on the many items related to flying in general, it is not necessarily very specific for FS2002 (it does use examples of the planes offered in 2002 though). For any experienced flight simmer, it is contains pretty routine information and talks more in generalities than specifics. I was looking more for an "extended manual" which would offer specific examples how to use each of the features offered with FS2002. For example, ATC, which is virtually left out of this book entirely. Also, there is no index for looking up a quick reference and no keyboard command reference. For my purposes, I was very disappointed in its content. In my opinion, this is NOT an "extended manual" as I've seen it advertised on some web sites, nor is it a "how to" book for FS2002 and unfortunately, that is exactly what I was looking for when I bought this book.
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