Flight simulators

[Clitheroekid]

Many years ago, I used to enjoy the flight simulator that Microsoft made. It was the FS 95 version, released in 1996, and I thought it was miraculous. Mind you, the only one I'd used previously was that on my ZX Spectrum, which I think was designed by the same people who designed Teletext, so it didn't take an awful lot to impress me!

But like most such things I gradually stopped using it, and haven't used one - or even thought about using one - for about 20 years or so.

However, I recently came across a YouTube channel called The Flight Channel. They basically use flight sims to recreate various aviation incidents, and I'm totally hooked on them. A typical one is this, which relates to an accident involving an Indonesian airline a few years ago - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiTO42q1Zt4

Apart from being gripping to watch, and interesting to find out both why the accidents happened and what was done about them, one of the most remarkable aspects for me is the brilliant quality of the graphics. At times it's hard to distinguish the sim from the real thing.

Which led me to have a look at what modern flight sims offer, and I was astonished by how much they've advanced since `the old days'.

MS are about to launch their 2020 flight sim, and this is a trailer, demonstrating the quality of the graphics, which is just astonishing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD2_zzQi7bQ The commentary is somewhat geekish, but it's worth watching, not just for the realism of the aircraft but the remarkable accuracy with which the landscape is now rendered.

Unfortunately, I daren't buy it, as I can envisage it being one of the greatest thieves of time ever invented!

[ReformedCharacter]

Many years ago, I used to enjoy the flight simulator that Microsoft made. It was the FS 95 version, released in 1996, and I thought it was miraculous. Mind you, the only one I'd used previously was that on my ZX Spectrum, which I think was designed by the same people who designed Teletext, so it didn't take an awful lot to impress me!

But like most such things I gradually stopped using it, and haven't used one - or even thought about using one - for about 20 years or so.

However, I recently came across a YouTube channel called The Flight Channel. They basically use flight sims to recreate various aviation incidents, and I'm totally hooked on them. A typical one is this, which relates to an accident involving an Indonesian airline a few years ago - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiTO42q1Zt4

Apart from being gripping to watch, and interesting to find out both why the accidents happened and what was done about them, one of the most remarkable aspects for me is the brilliant quality of the graphics. At times it's hard to distinguish the sim from the real thing.

Which led me to have a look at what modern flight sims offer, and I was astonished by how much they've advanced since `the old days'.

MS are about to launch their 2020 flight sim, and this is a trailer, demonstrating the quality of the graphics, which is just astonishing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD2_zzQi7bQ The commentary is somewhat geekish, but it's worth watching, not just for the realism of the aircraft but the remarkable accuracy with which the landscape is now rendered.

Unfortunately, I daren't buy it, as I can envisage it being one of the greatest thieves of time ever invented!

A friend is a MS flight sim fan and I gather that they're pretty good and 'real pilots' use them for training. The pilot of the vanished MH370 apparently rehearsed his last flight on an MS flight sim.

Changing the subject a little, apparently Boeing 737 US pilots could qualify to fly the 737 Max after an hour or two on an iPad

https://qz.com/1574878/pilots-trained-f ... ad-lesson/

RC

[Lootman]

However, I recently came across a YouTube channel called The Flight Channel. They basically use flight sims to recreate various aviation incidents, and I'm totally hooked on them. A typical one is this, which relates to an accident involving an Indonesian airline a few years ago - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiTO42q1Zt4

Apart from being gripping to watch, and interesting to find out both why the accidents happened and what was done about them, one of the most remarkable aspects for me is the brilliant quality of the graphics. At times it's hard to distinguish the sim from the real thing.

Yes, I'm addicted to watching these as well. There are also some good ones that are renacted as theatre such as this (long) one about a Qantas A380, with a happy ending:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKVGdjCkFBQ

I fly a lot and actually find these recreations be to be very reassuring. The incidents are getting rarer, 737-Max notwithstanding.

Unfortunately, I daren't buy it, as I can envisage it being one of the greatest thieves of time ever invented!

I haven't used a Sim but would expect the same. The accident videos steal a fair amount of my time as it is.

[dspp]

The incidents are getting rarer, 737-Max notwithstanding.

That's because they've grounded the 737-MAX.

Now the 737-NG is having a rather substantial scare about a significant bit of structure https://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/625 ... -jets.html .

I wonder if anyone has released a flight sim add-in that gives random MCAS failures or random structural failures to the 737 for added realism ?

regards, dspp

[Lootman]

The incidents are getting rarer, 737-Max notwithstanding.

That's because they've grounded the 737-MAX.

Now the 737-NG is having a rather substantial scare about a significant bit of structure https://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/625 ... -jets.html .

I wonder if anyone has released a flight sim add-in that gives random MCAS failures or random structural failures to the 737 for added realism ?

Yeah, it's starting to look bad, although Boeing's stock price is currently only 15% below it's all-time high, so evidently Mister Market doesn't buy doom and gloom just yet.

Not that I want to fly one of these things any time soon. That might be more exciting, in the wrong way, than any flight simulator.

Too bad they stopped making the 757. A nice, proper "old school" plane.

[Berwicklaw]

"A friend is a MS flight sim fan and I gather that they're pretty good and 'real pilots' use them for training. The pilot of the vanished MH370 apparently rehearsed his last flight on an MS flight sim. " Rather suggests the sim is not that good doesn't it ?
Actually I did use the MS sim whilst training for my private pilots licence though I am not sure my instructor regarded , or regards , me as a real pilot

[ReformedCharacter]

"A friend is a MS flight sim fan and I gather that they're pretty good and 'real pilots' use them for training. The pilot of the vanished MH370 apparently rehearsed his last flight on an MS flight sim. " Rather suggests the sim is not that good doesn't it ?

Rather suggests that you know the cause of the accident to have that opinion.

RC

[Lootman]

"A friend is a MS flight sim fan and I gather that they're pretty good and 'real pilots' use them for training. The pilot of the vanished MH370 apparently rehearsed his last flight on an MS flight sim. " Rather suggests the sim is not that good doesn't it ?

Rather suggests that you know the cause of the accident to have that opinion.

The prevailing theory is that it was not an accident.

[tjh290633]

Some of us learnt instrument flying on a Link Trainer. The controls were based on the Harvard cockpit, but you could try and do steep turns in the conventional way, and the only way it would change direction was to use the rudder bar. I'm not sure how the simulator programs work.

TJH