OT: Flight simulator programs

[William]

I was wondering if anyone had recommendations on flight simulation software? My son’s birthday is coming up and he’s asking for one of these. Ever since we went to the Quonset air show last year he’s really been into airplanes and even asking about learning to fly. I’ve seen a few realistic looking programs on the market but never having used one myself it’s unfamiliar territory. As realistic as a software program can be would be good.

One possible limitation, it has to be Mac compatible.


Thanks,
William

[William]

Btw, this is the one he keeps bringing to my attention. Persistant little guy he is. :)



William

************************************************** ****


http://store.apple.com/us/product/TR482LL/A?fnode=MjQzNDcwNg&mco=MjQzNDcyMA#overview

X-Plane 9 by Graphsim
The benchmark for civilian aviation realism, X-Plane simulates anything that flies: from single-engine fixed wing props to multi-engine jets; gliders to dirigibles; helicopters to spacecraft to VTOLs such as the V-22 Osprey and AV8-B Harrier.


X-Plane is the most comprehensive and powerful flight simulator available for home computers. It includes subsonic and supersonic flight dynamics, simulating aircraft from the Bell 206 Jet-Ranger helicopter and Cessna 172 light plane to the supersonic SR-71 and Mach-3 XB-70 Valkyrie.
X-Plane comes with 29 aircraft spanning the aviation industry (and history), and several hundred more are freely downloadable.
It includes scenery for the entire continental U.S. You can land at any of thousands of airports, as well as test your mettle on aircraft carriers, helipads on building tops, frigates that pitch and roll in the waves, and oil rigs. Weather is variable from clear skies and high visibility to thunderstorms with controllable wind, wind shear, turbulence, and microbursts. Rain, snow, and clouds are available for an instrument flying challenge, and thermals are available for the gliders. X-Plane can download real weather data from the internet, allowing you to fly in actual current conditions.
X-Plane also has detailed failure-modeling, with 35 systems that can be failed manually, or randomly when you least expect it. You can fail instruments, engines, flight controls, and landing gear at any moment.
The integral Plane-Maker allows you to create your own airplanes, and World-Maker lets you create your own scenery. Also included is Weather Briefer, which produces a weather briefing based on actual weather conditions downloaded from the net.
X-Plane is extremely customizable, allowing you to easily create textures, sounds, and instrument panels for your own airplanes that you design.
Features
• More than 40 aircraft spanning the aviation industry (and history), and several hundred more that are freely downloadable
• Ability to land at any of over 18,000 airports, as well as on aircraft carriers, helipads on building tops, and more
• Variable weather, from clear skies and high visibility to thunderstorms
• Detailed failure modeling
ESRB content rating: E for "Everyone"

[onekgguy]

William,

There's nothing like the real thing. I wrote this piece (http://onekgguy.blogspot.com/2009/03/simulating-experience.html) a couple weeks ago. I know it's not what you're looking for. Sorry, I can't help you.

Kevin g

[05Fierte TI]

If you have a newer mac, do not forget that you can use bootcamp and also make the machine a pc. I have windows xp on my macbook pro and will boot up into the operating system i need for a particular application. I prefer to stay in the mac operating system but sometimes windows is necessary such as your application

[William]

William,

There's nothing like the real thing. I wrote this piece a couple weeks ago. I know it's not what you're looking for. Sorry, I can't help you.

Kevin g


That sounds like a great experience. Thanks for posting. :cool:


If you have a newer mac, do not forget that you can use bootcamp and also make the machine a pc. I have windows xp on my macbook pro and will boot up into the operating system i need for a particular application. I prefer to stay in the mac operating system but sometimes windows is necessary such as your application

Actually we just picked up an iMac so that is an option. Thanks for the heads up. :cool:



William

[dogdriver]

It depends.

If he wants to just play and get the fun visuals, shoot down other guys and break things with bombs and missles, I'm sure that there are tons of cool games out there to consider. Having been lucky enough to do that for real, I'm not so interested in the computer stuff...

If he wants to start some actual instrument training, PC/Mac based stuff can provide a very legitimate platform. I basically gave 3 guys their instrument ratings on PC's with Microsoft Flight ten or so years ago-- they weren't made of money and we used the PC to do most of the basic procedural training, and when they went to the simulator and the airplane, they already pretty much had the fundamentals down. I haven't done any instrument instructing since then, so I can't speak to current programs, but don't sell the PC option short. The PC based stuff is far better than what I learned to fly instruments with in the military (for real) in the early 1980's.

That said, I have to agree with previous (and Capt Sully's comments to Congress) posts about not encouraging kids to a career in civil aviation. I'm telling my kids to get a real educaion, get established in a real career, and if they still have the aviation bug to buy an airplane and fly on the side. The days of the big bucks in the airlines are, I'm afraid, over for at least the current and next generation.

For what its worth, Chris

[znfdl]

William:

We got my son the real flight simulator.

http://www.realflight.com/

The nice thing about this simulator is that it uses a replica of the controller for RC airplanes.

My son mastered this before he graduated to RC airplanes.

[William]

Just a quick yip before I have to bug out again...

Thank you for the suggestions. :cool: At this point he's having fun but I don't know if it's a possible future career path at this point.


Interesting read:

The Question

Does flight simulation prepare us for flying a real plane?

http://www.flightsim.com/main/feature/question.htm



William

[Len J]

Back in the late 80's, I had a neighbor who was head of instruction for a large airline.........about once a month on a rainy Sat or Sun he would call me up and ask me if I wanted to go play on a simulator........that is absolutly the world greatest video game. I thiink I have like 100 hours (undocumented) in a DC 10 simulator.

[jasond]

A few years back I would play Falcon 4.0 which had a large following. The game manufacturer was no longer supporting the game however there were third parties that would release updates fairly often. There was multiple on line virtual squadrons so you could fly with other people and do on line missions.

I believe a new company took over the Falcon series and released an updated game a couple of years ago. The only problem with some of these simulators is there's a steep learning curve. Some of these simulators or so called games require a lot of reading just so you can land, take off, learn the optimal turn speed, etc…

Falcon 4.0 was a lot like flying a real F-16 minus the actual aircraft. You had to follow much of the same procedure a real pilot had to follow just to land or take off. Flying to and from targets were for the most part in real time. So if a target was 500 miles away you better put it on auto pilot watch some TV and wait to arrive at the next way point or wait to hear your radar alert you of enemy aircraft.

I could probably write a few pages on this subject but I need to get back to work. I hope you find a good one as there are a lot of them out there. One thing I will say is a pair of flight stick controllers help a lot. If you buy a popular brand and if the game itself is popular you can find software that will map the buttons for you. I will check back later when I get home and try to post some more info.


J

[Bruce K]

William

PM me and I'll put you in touch with Jesse.

He helped found Daniel Webster's flight sim club's stuff and could give you the kid's perspective.

BK

[William]

William

PM me and I'll put you in touch with Jesse.

He helped found Daniel Webster's flight sim club's stuff and could give you the kid's perspective.

BK


PM coming your way Bruce. Thanks. :cool:


William

[saab2000]

If this one won't work for you, go to Apple dot com or the iTunes store online and see what they have.

Otherwise there might be a Microsoft Flight Sim available for Mac.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3646/3366998919_57657ffb5c_b.jpg

[Bruce K]

Nice "home office" saab.

BTW, the kid just picked up his complex and private multi-engine endorsements over spring break.

He decided to forgo the aerobatics training he was contemplating (the dad says with some relief).

Currently he's finishing spins and energy management and starts his instrument training this summer.

Hopefully the industry picture will have improved some by the time he graduates in 2011.

BK

[andy mac]

check out this guy's home built flight simulator!

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/03/13/1236447451617.html


Matt's on a different plane ... and it's surreal
March 12, 2009


Sydneysider Matthew Sheil has built what could easily be one of the most elaborate big boy's toys in the world, and his efforts have earned him a Guinness world record.

Sheil is the top gun in the surreal world of flight simulator enthusiasts, where virtual pilots join virtual airlines, fly virtual routes and are assisted by virtual air traffic controllers.

For most, a joystick and Microsoft's Flight Simulator PC software is sufficient, but, over the past 10 years, Sheil has built what Guinness describes as the "world's most expensive home flight simulator".

A homebrew version of the $60 million simulators used to train pilots, Sheil's contraption is almost identical to the cockpit of a 747-400.

Thanks to 45 different software programs running on 14 different computers, the simulator allows Sheil to fly to and from 27,000 different airports around the world with breathtaking realism.

By day, Sheil runs a trucking parts company but at night he takes to the skies with other enthusiasts from around the globe. The simulator is stored at his warehouse in Chipping Norton.

It is able to mimic real-world weather conditions in any country with startling accuracy, and the hydraulics system means Sheil can feel every bump.

"When you taxi out on the runway you feel it bumping on the cracks in the pavement, you feel it when the wheels touch down," he said.

While only a handful of people in the world have a simulator that's anywhere near as good as Sheil's, thanks to Microsoft's Flight Simulator, anyone with a PC, joystick and an internet connection can fly with him from the comfort of their bedrooms.

Terry Scanlan, founder of the virtual flying association VATPAC, says there are 5000 members in Australia.

"We've got real pilots that fly for Qantas that are on our network and we've also got air traffic controllers that do this as a hobby as well - one of the air traffic controllers that works in Melbourne is in charge of our training," he said.

Scanlan said although air traffic control sounds boring it's actually fun and challenging. Last night he was tracking 20 or 30 aircraft movements.

"The challenge - as it is in the real world - is to keep planes from flying into each other and you do that by the use of the simulated radar that we have and we can actually see the targets and following real-world procedures we keep the aircraft separated," he said.

In Sheil's simulator, computer screens replace the windows and if he is flying in the virtual world behind a person in Melbourne, and they are using a Qantas 767, "we actually see a Qantas 767 out the window - the software puts it in there for us - and he sees us".

Moreover, if Sheil flies through Russia, he is greeted by a volunteer Russian air traffic controller. Cars can be seen on the road when he comes in to land and people wave at him from the terminals.

Sheil says it's sometimes easy to forget that it's a simulation.

No one involved in virtual flying make any money from it. In fact, all of the money Sheil earns by renting out his simulator for training is donated to the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS).

The simulator cost him $300,000 to build - a far cry from the $60 million price tag on the professional simulators - but many of the parts were donated to him because of his charity work.

Every year, Sheil and scores of other simulator enthusiasts from countries including Britain, Scotland, USA and Austria, participate in an event called Worldflight (video here) to raise money for the RFDS.

Participants go to their nearest flight simulator - Sheil hosts about 15 people, some from overseas - and take part in a round-the-world-flight, taking legs in shifts for an entire week.

"They're here for the whole week and they'll be rostered on at certain times of the day to fly," he said.

"It's all done in real-world conditions - Qantas sponsors us and they provide airline food for a week."

Sheil is a veteran real-world pilot and owns a Beechcraft Baron B58. He said he preferred flying a real plane but enjoyed the simulator because there were no limitations.

"The [real] plane I fly you take off and you point it in the direction of Melbourne and you press a button and away it goes until you come into land, whereas a simulator you can do whatever you want - if you want to fly upside down, fly upside down," he said.

"If we hit a mountain or the ground the simulator just freezes in its current state and everything goes red - and then we just hit reset."

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/03/13/1236447451617.html

[rwsaunders]

William....so I'm looking out the window and this other plane is trying to cut in front of us.....

[William]

William....so I'm looking out the window and this other plane is trying to cut in front of us.....


Man, either air traffic control screwed up, or William Jr. has been joy riding in the family jet again while I'm at work. :eek:






William

[dogdriver]

Where? I'm guessing SFO.

[rwsaunders]

SEA

[dogdriver]

SEA

Ah... Same deal. "Visual approach" to parallel runways that are close together. Before the "trailer" gets cleared for this, he has to call the guy in front in sight. This guy looks to be 3000-4000 feet away from you, and with the all-important nose-tail separation. You ought to see 4 fighters in fingertip some day from the vantage of "four"-- it would water your eyes...

[rwsaunders]

Ah... Same deal. "Visual approach" to parallel runways that are close together. Before the "trailer" gets cleared for this, he has to call the guy in front in sight. This guy looks to be 3000-4000 feet away from you, and with the all-important nose-tail separation. You ought to see 4 fighters in fingertip some day from the vantage of "four"-- it would water your eyes...

Thanks for the info, as I am always like a kid in a candy store when we are flying. The pilot on that flight was cool enough to give us a close-up of Mt. Ranier too.