COMPUTER PILOT PDF - VOL 15 ISS 1 - DECEMBER/JANUARY 11

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2011 VOLUME 15 - ISSUE 1 - This is the full magazine in digital form!

The Best of 2010

Santa Claus has got to be a huge aviation fan. Consider this- he does not fly often but when he does it is unquestionably an epic trip where he undoubtedly encounters a variety of meteorological conditions and he executes an unbelievable amount of takeoffs and landings in a single day. Therefore, it is quite fitting to make requests at this time of year and hope that this experienced aviator will deliver. So, whether you have these items on your Christmas wish list or not, these are some of the best products released in 2010 for flight simulation in our humble opinion.

The Quest for the Best Freeware FS2004 737 Panel

While the default 737-400 panel can be used in the newer aircraft (and is the standard panel with some of the freeware NG aircraft models) it is a bit dated and does not accurately represent the feel of the newer flight deck with its CRT screens in place of steam gauges. Evidently more than a few panel designers felt the same way and created freeware panels for that aircraft. We set out to sample some of what was available and compare them in order to try and find the perfect freeware panel.

The Control of Air Traffic Control

There are two major online ATC providers- VATSIM and IVAO. I examined those two organizations in this magazine (CP November 2008) and am of the opinion that VATSIM is the more popular and extensive online ATC provider. I thought it might be of interest to peek behind the curtain and explore the structure of VATSIM to get an idea of why it is a dominant and enduring entity in online flying.

3D Vision Surround and Alternative Flight Simulator Displays

In this article, we’ll look at alternatives for viewing Flight Simulator on multiple and large displays, including NVIDIA’s 3D Vision Surround system, AMD/ATI’s Eyefinity multi-monitor graphics card technology, a 46” LCD TV, a Flight Training Device that uses five 52” LCD television displays, and a 720p home theater projector that displays FSX on a 106” movie screen.

FAQ – Systems for Flight Simulation

Looking to buy a new PC or upgrade your current system? Wondering what the best system is for flight simulation? Will that particular video card run X-Plane or FSX well? These are all questions we cover in this new column!

I learned about flying from that – Part 6

“To fill a square on the training syllabus, I was scheduled for a night formation flight. I needed a wing takeoff and was assigned as Number Four in a four-ship formation. The first element of two would launch, and the element I was in would take off a minute later and would perform a join up to fulfill the four-ship night formation requirement.”