September 2006 VOLUME 10 - ISSUE 9 - This is the full magazine in digital form!
Learning from Accidents – An Encounter with Trees
Disaster was barely averted in the wee hours of November 12, 1995, on a tree-lined ridge in East Granby, Connecticut. A McDonnell-Douglas MD83 struck trees some 42 ½ feet above Peak Mountain Ridge, slightly more than two-and-a-half miles from the runway of intended landing at Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, Connecticut…
The Virtual Tower
You may have heard of, or even used the old desktop computer control tower simulation by BAO simply named “Tower”. Well, Hans Biggelaars had the opportunity to visit a much larger tower simulator used to train traffic controllers. Read all about it in this issue!
You Can’t Do That in Flight Simulator!
In June this year, four members of our flying club decided to go to the Bi-ennial Avranches Fly-in, in northern France. I planned a suitable route with intermediate stops to change pilot, then I did what I usually did for my more adventurous flights - I flew it first in Flight Simulator.
How Much Do You Know?
Just as participating in discussions is a great way to learn about people you’ve just met at a party, reading what flight simmers discuss on internet newsgroups is a great way to learn about people who like this hobby.
Exploring Nepal
David Wilson-Okamura goes exploring in the magnificent terrain and mountains of Nepal. This is truly one exciting, yet dangerous place to fly. Your skills will be challenged as you fly into and out of some remote airstrips and airports.
Flying the Memories
August 1, 1940 dawned fine and clear in the west and north, but there was low clouds over the English Channel and the Thames Estuary regions during the morning, but cleared by afternoon and was becoming warm. It was going to get really warm before the day was over for the pilots of the British Fighter Command.
Creating Dynamic Objects in FS2004
In recent issues we have looked at a number of less common, but quite challenging ways, that we can use Microsoft's FS2004. Perhaps you tried your hand at aircraft carrier operations, soaring or helicopter flying. It may surprise some to read that there are still more ways of enjoying FS2004 which are attracting traditional 'flight' simmers - let's take a look at some of them and see how we can use them to add even more realism to our virtual flying...
From the EDITOR.. Welcome to this months issue! Firstly, some interesting news that has come to hand for everyone waiting for the release of Flight Simulator X is that Microsoft have announced they will be releasing a demo of the simulator that you can download and try out for yourself before you commit to purchasing the title when the full product is released later this year (date still unknown at time of publication). The 600mb+ download which features several airports and aircraft should be enough to wet the appetite of most simmers, but more importantly, give us a glimpse of what we can expect from the sim performance-wise on our current computer rigs. The demo can be downloaded from the official FSX website.
This issue we have a special treat for you. We already know many of you are enjoying the new series of exclusive instrument lessons authored by Mike Ray is his unique and effective style, and yes, there is another installment this very issue, but we also have three additional flight lessons to get you airborne safely and efficiently. This is a special lesson-orientated issue, so enjoy the information provided, all of which should go toward making you a better and more knowledgeable virtual pilot.
If lessons are not your thing, enjoy the other content we have for you including adventuring in Nepal (great scenery!) or perhaps a lesson on creating moving, dynamic objects in Flight Simulator to enhance your virtual world. And of course we have a great lineup of reviews including some new hardware gear for those well into building their own virtual flight decks.
Stay tuned for more great coverage over the coming months, and a full, mega-sized review of FSX when it finally becomes available to the masses!
FLIGHT LESSONS
Pilot Operations at Non-Towered Airports
“Non-towered” is the new term for what used to be called, uncontrolled airports. Since all those fields, but for a few exceptions, are actually in controlled airspace, the new name makes more sense. You can make sense of how to pilot around these airports in this informative lesson. Flying the Heavies – Who’s in Command?
In the early days of aviation, very basic aircraft were flown by moving basic flight controls and throttles (connected by cables, wires, levers, pedals, etc., to the pilot). Flight was 'manual', with the pilot controlling the flight by moving hands and legs, but the aircraft and the flight was commanded from the pilot's brain… The Art of Instrument Flying: The Weather Radar
Hans Biggelaars takes an in-depth look at the weather radar instrument, and its usefulness in detecting and avoiding negative weather.
ND and EFIS Control Panels
Mike Ray has produced another exclusive lesson for Computer Pilot magazine. This time out in part three of an eight part series, Mike explores the workings of the Navigation Display (ND) unit and the Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS). Not one to miss!
THIS ISSUES REVIEWS
• Mega Airport Frankfurt
• GoFlight GF-MCP Pro
• Patchberri Flight Panel
• Wings Over Europe
