As a former pilot (Cessna 152) who now has macular degeneration and can no longer fly, I could still see enough peripherally to use a computer. Since my wife Anna knew how much I loved flying, she bought me something I could really enjoy; a flight simulator! Just download it on your computer, follow the instructions, and you’re ready to fly!
The technological development with this ‘Microsoft Flight Simulator X Deluxe’ (under $50.) is incredible. The detail is so extensive it would take pages to write about. Before I relate my experiences with this simulator, let me mention a few of the basics.
You can start at any skill level. You can fly out of any one of thousands of airports all over the world. There are many different aircraft to choose from. And as you develop more skill, it even includes jets. If you like night flying, it’s there for you with runway lights blazing and from a distance you can see the strobe approach lights pointing the way. And, as amazing as it is, you can even choose the weather. The sound effects put you right there on the scene; you hear the landing gear going down and the clear sound of the flaps moving into position. The authentic sound of your engine at full power or idling, and even the sound of rubber hitting the runway! It’s all there, along with an impeccable instrument panel exactly as it is in the aircraft you choose. You also change your views from the cockpit. You can even view your aircraft from the outside while in flight! The unbelievable detail of the city you’re flying out of, with its landmark buildings, bridges, rivers and roads. And this goes on and on, just too much to tell.
One of my exciting experiences on this simulator came from a flight out of La Guardia International Airport in my former hometown of New York City. I chose to fly a Beechcraft Baron 58. A beautiful fuselage with twin engines, plenty of power and still very smooth. Being very familiar with this city and the surrounding area, I knew exactly where I wanted to go; Floyd Bennett Field, a small airport in Brooklyn, about 15 miles south. (In the past, this was a Naval Air Station.) To make this flight challenging, I chose adverse weather conditions; major thunderstorms and rain. I was positioned on runway 4, engines idling. With the sound of the rain pelting the windshield, I pushed the throttle forward, accelerated to 90 knots and lifted off. Gear up and here I was, on a very bumpy ride with lightning and thunder. What sounds! Banking to the left with visibility about 5 miles, I could see the East River, Central Park and the Empire State Building. I trimmed it at about 1500 feet, staying just under the ceiling and followed the East River south. The bridges I passed were all true to form. I can hardly explain how good I felt controlling this aircraft, watching my airspeed, altimeter, and adjusting the power. The borough of Brooklyn was to my left. When I passed the Brooklyn Bridge, I could see the Belt Parkway below, and to the southeast, the Verrazano Bridge to Staten Island. Further southeast, I could see the beach at Breezy Point. Following this beach to the east I could see the waves breaking on the shore! All this detail on a simulator! Floyd Bennett Field came into view and, still following the shoreline, I eased the power back, put flaps down ten degrees, leveled off at about 800 feet and lowered the landing gear. Turning northeast over Jacob Riis Beach, I lined up with the runway and added another ten degrees to the flaps. At about a half mile out, airspeed now at 90 knots, I lowered flaps full, and on final approach I could see the runway was partially flooded! About 200 feet from touchdown I had to contend with gusts making control difficult. I finally arrived at the moment of truth and hit the runway very hard. My right landing gear collapsed! I was scraping down the runway, my left gear held up okay. With water splashing everywhere I finally came to a stop. Talk about realism! I viewed the aircraft from the outside in the pouring rain. Right wing leaning heavily on the runway. (Needless to say, I suffered no injuries.) How could the programmers at Microsoft even think of someone hitting so hard on the right side of the aircraft the gear would collapse? Wow!
Another intense experience I enjoyed: This time I decided to fly out of LAX (Los Angeles International) at night. What a beautiful sight; runway lights stretching way out in front of the Beechcraft and the control tower brightly lit. I was positioned for takeoff on runway zero seven. It was a clear night with lots of stars. After lifting off, I raised my gear and made a 180 degree turn over the Los Angeles city lights and headed straight toward the dark black Pacific Ocean on a heading of 250 degrees, maintaining an altitude of 2,000 feet, leaving the city lights behind. With no visual reference to the surface (ocean) or the horizon, I carefully monitored the gyro, airspeed and compass for about two minutes. I then made another 180 degree turn to a heading of 070 degrees and there were the city lights of Los Angeles in the distance. I could see the strobe approach lights of LAX . I took a straight-in approach and when I dropped the landing gear, three bright green lights glowed on the panel. On final with full flaps, I realized how very long this runway is. Very close to touchdown, I flared and in a moment heard the beautiful sound of rubber hitting the runway!
And if you really want to get the maximum amount of realism in this simulator you can add a ‘Joystick’. This is similar to a control stick on the airplane. There are different types that will work with this simulator. Mine is called ‘Logitech’. It cost me about $45. The amount of fun, however, is priceless.
Copyright Ron Caravello. All rights reserved. Ron Caravello, 79, can be reached at email: ronanna33@earthlink.net
