VOLUME 10 ISSUE 4 APRIL 2006

USA $7.95
CANADA $9.95
AUSTRALIA $9.85 (INC. GST)
A PC AVIATOR PUBLICATION

HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?

The Flight Sim Club Experience
FLYING THE MEMORIES
“April Fool’s Day”
FLIGHT SIMULATION
Is it a Health Hazard?
COCKPIT BUILDING SERIES CONTINUES…
Thrustmaster Cougar Mods

LIVING ON THE EDGE!

Exploring the Flight Envelope

cpm1004.indd 1 2/21/2006, 11:31:08 PM

 Your

M I C R O S O FT F
N ERY F O R
TO - S C E
C P H O
A L I S TI
P E R -RE
HY

A BEFORE & AFTER SCREENSHOT OF GLACIER PEAK, WASHINGTON STATE.

SHOWING WHAT YOU ARE EXPERIENCING NOW AND WHAT YOU’LL EXPERIENCE WITH MEGASCENERY!

COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION AT WWW.MEGASCENERY.COM

S
ay goodbye to boring default scenery
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MegaScenery and MegaCITY let you experience
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• The list goes on... You also get realistic
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• Relocation of default FS2004 objects to
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• Faster Framerates! Yes, your Flight Simulator,
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ALSO AVAILABLE AT THE FOLLOWING RETAILERS IN THE USA - FRY’S ELECTRONICS AND MICROCENTER STORES.
© 2005 PC AVIATOR INC, AEROSOFT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD. MEGASCENERY AND MEGACITY ARE DEVELOPED BY AEROSOFT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD AND PUBLISHED BY PC AVIATOR INC.

cpm1004.indd 2 2/21/2006, 11:31:37 PM

 MEGASCENERY MAIL ORDER FO
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cpm1004.indd 3 2/21/2006, 11:32:47 PM

 C
From the EDITOR
Howdy folks. Welcome to the April 2006 issue of Computer Pilot magazine. Many will be aware
of the recent record-breaking flight made by Steve Fossett in the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer
aircraft, traversing the globe non-stop with over 26,000 miles covered in a little over 76 hours
of continuous flight time. It certainly is an amazing accomplishment no doubt, and I’m sure
there will be several flight simmers who might even attempt to replicate this effort at home on
their PC flight sims, and yes, stay up for 76 hours to try and achieve it. Well, you w
me doing that! Besides, if I did attempt it, you might not get next month’s issue at all!

The question of such an achievement must be asked though. What was the purpose of
flying no-stop around the world in under 80 hours? Sure, it has now been done in
aircraft, but it only carried one pilot, no passengers, and certainly not a cargo-load of
passenger baggage. There seems little achievement to this accomplishment apart from the
fact that they were able to do something that previously was thought not possible. I mean,
when you think about it, what is the point of flying around the world, experiencing 76
hours of potential DVT-producing sitting positions only to end up back where you started
(roughly)? And I can only guess as to what this whole adventure cost in dollars from start
to finish… Many millions for sure, perhaps tens of millions, perhaps more? Of course, there
is more to it than that. I am sure a lot has been learnt about aircraft design and aircraft
endurance that will probably find its way into future aircraft design that will benefit us all,
however, has it been a really ground-breaking exercise in aviation from a practical sense, or Publisher: Robert Ferraro
just an exercise in PR? You could probably debate it either way, but I’ll leave you to ponder Editor: Dean Bielanowski
on that one. If you want to try the flight for yourself (perhaps in stages at least) you can
download a Global Flyer model from the popular download libraries online to use in your Layout & Design: Tony Liatos
simulator. It would make an interesting flight if nothing else. You can find more information Contributors In This Issue: Dean Bielanowski,
on the Global Flyer record at http://www.virginatlanticglobalflyer.com Tom Kurtz, Matthew Edwards, Gene Davis,
Chuck Bodeen, Sean James, Mike Glynn, John Lattanzio,
Ok, back to the issue. We have several good flight lessons this month to enjoy which should Peter Stark, Al Pelletier, Peter Dodds, Rod White,
take you away from your regular comfort zone in your simulator. Seaplanes, gliders, and David Ison, Hans Biggelaar.
handling emergencies – all a good challenge, and great fun. Of course we also have some
reviews, regular columns and some great feature stories and articles all worthy of your Subscription Managers: Australia: Adrian Lazzarotto
attention. Enjoy this issue and see you next month! USA: Mark Jakubowski
Editorial Submissions: Please address editorial matter
to The Editor at editor@computerpilot.com or to the office
closest to you listed at the bottom of this page.
Advertising Inquiries: PC Aviator Inc.
Dean Bielanowski Phone: 843-232-1160. Email: advertising@computerpilot.com
Editor
Website: www.computerpilot.com
General E-Mail: info@computerpilot.com
US Distribution: Ingram Periodicals, International
Supplement
your reading in Computer Pilot Magazine
Periodical Distributors, Media Solutions
Printed By: The RL Bryan Company (USA).
by visiting the Computer Pilot web site at www.computerpilot.com Disclaimer: Any information, advice, maps, charts, tables
As well as features for first time visitors, the web site is and other information published in this magazine is exclusively
for use with PC flight simulations. The publisher does not
designed with our readers in mind.
accept any liability for any accident or incident arising from any
information conveyed or implied in this publication.
For subscribers
• Renew your subscriptions on-line Copyright: © Copyright 2006 The PC Aviator Pty Ltd
• Notify us of address changes Incorporating PC Aviator Inc. All rights reserved. None of
• Join our electronic mailinglist – SubscriberNews the information in this magazine may be reproduced in any
form or stored via any electronic means without the express
permission of the publisher.
General services include:
• Direct links to web sites mentioned in our on-line article Cover Price: USA.: $7.95. Australia: $9.85*. Canada: $9.95.
• Software downloads including links to patches and demos for Subscriptions:
every flight sim on the market Computer Pilot is published monthly
• On-line competitions • Australian Annual Subscription: AUD$79.95
• Computer Pilot Interactive Phone: 1-800-807-747
• Much more • US Annual Subscription: USD$39.95
Phone: 1-800-664-0033
Bookmark our web site and visit it frequently. • Other International Subscriptions
It will enhance your reading of Computer Pilot Magazine. Asia/Pacific Region: Ph: +61-3-9532-8258
Rest Of The World: Ph: +1-843-232-1160
or visit www.computerpilot.com
ISSN: 1324-7336
Published by: PC Aviator – The Flight Simulation Company
Australian Office: The PC Aviator Pty Ltd
Suite 6, 219 Balaclava Rd
North Caulfield, Vic, 3161
Ph: 03-9532-8258 Fax: 03-9532-8916
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839 Surfside Drive
http://www.computerpilot.com Surfside Beach, SC, 29575
Ph: 843-232-1160 Fax: 843-232-1166
* Recommended Retail Price only
Computer Pilot Volume 10 Issue 4, April 2006 (ISSN 1324-7336) is published monthly
V10I4

by PC Aviator, inc., 839 Surfside Drive, SC 29575. Computer Pilot is an international magazine, proudly
Periodicals postage is paid at Myrtle Beach, SC and additional mailing offices. published in Australia. Printed in the United States
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to P.O. Box 15907, Surfside Beach, SC 29587. of America.

cpm1004.indd 4 2/21/2006, 11:33:30 PM

C
CONTENTS

6 NEWS AND NEW RELEASES

All the latest news and new releases since our last issue.

REVIEWS 50 ROUND ROBIN ADVENTURES

24 Things-To-Come’s Alaska Cinematic Volume 1 We are flying for Southwest Airlines on the Boeing 737-700. This Airline was
31 Flight 1’s Ultimate Terrain USA one of the first “no-frills” airlines and operates only Boeing 737s. Today’s flight
44 Flight1’s X-Treme King Air B200 is a regular schedule run from Dallas Love Field to St. Louis/Lambert, Kansas
City and back to Dallas.
10 FLYING THE MEMORIES – APRIL FOOL’S DAY
56 AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT IN THE VIPER: PART II
You have a grip on your radar modes as explained in last month’s issue... You
know the parameters of your missiles and you can fire the cannon with deadly
effect… You have bought the big watch; you talk with your hands and walk
with a swagger. It’s time to start the kill-fest!

60 EXPLORING THE FLIGHT ENVELOPE

So, you download a new type and find that the documentation isn’t so
hot. How do you find out what the numbers are? The V speeds, the cruise
speed, power settings and fuel consumption? You test fly it to a schedule and
create performance charts and graphs. You end up with a set of performance
figures just as real world test pilots do…

y 66 GROUND SCHOOL: GLIDER THEORY

Who needs an engine when you have air flow and gigantic wings? Well, you
y might need a little glider theory too to make your flight successful!

72 FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR: FLYING SEAPLANES

“It was April 1, 2001, “April Fool’s Day”, but for Lt. Shane Osborne, Senior
chief Petty Officer Nicholas Mellos, and the other 22 members of Squadron
One (VQ-1) the “World Watchers” it was a serious business day. Earlier in
the day they had departed the USAF Base at Kadena, Okinawa on an aerial
surveillance mission. They were flying a U.S. Navy EP-3E Aries II Electronic
Surveillance Plane on a routine mission over international waters of the South
China Sea off the coast of China.”
What comes next? Find out on page 10!

15 HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?

Flight simming by nature is somewhat of a lonely hobby. It’s often a case of
you and your computer vs the flight simulator software. But in the age of the
Internet, it is easier to meet fellow hobbyists both online, and in the real world.
The best way to meet people with similar interests is to join a club. Peter Stark
tells us about his favourite sim club.
Seaplane… Just the word makes the average pilot’s eyes glaze over. Some of
20 “MODDING” THE COUGAR the seaplane flying that can be accomplished with flight simulators can be
Matthew Edwards continues our cockpit building series of articles. This time helpful to learn operations used in real world water aircraft. Take some advice
out he takes a look at how you can make modifications to the Thrustmaster from our rated seaplane pilot!
Cougar to achieve better functionality and easier control of your virtual fighter
jets. Some of the theory can be applied to applying “mods” to other branded 78 FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR II: EMERGENCIES!
controllers as well. Two for the price of one with the Flight Instructor this month! In this lesson,
learn how to handle some common in-flight emergencies. Would you know
28 FLIGHT SIMULATION AND YOUR HEALTH what to do when faced with possible disaster?
Yep, believe it or not, flight simulation as a hobby has the potential to impact
on your health. But never fear. Computer Pilot has all the antibodies and advice PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS:
you will need next issue to help you pass your flight sim medical exam!
PULL OUT POSTER
36 FLYING IN THE GROUND EFFECT “Brizzie Dizzie”
We have covered this to some degree before, but Chuck Bodeen re-explores
the theory and ground effect in more detail and shows some very interesting 49 INBOX
examples of the effect in process, even for helo pilots! Your letters to us.

cpm1004.indd 5 2/21/2006, 11:34:09 PM

 6 NEWS & NEW FLIGHT SIM RELEASES

Captain Sim to Release 757-200

POPULAR aircraft design group, Captain
Sim, have recently released some preview
information regarding their next commercial
release of their 757-200 package. This
will be welcome news to owners of any
of their previous aircraft add-ons, as they
have always been of very high quality.
Interestingly, this package will be released
in stages (blocks) and users can purchase
the blocks separately as they are released.
Each block offers a different feature set, so
you need only buy the blocks you feel you
require. The block features and prices are
listed as follows:
Block A (US$9.99) - Highly detailed
exterior (only) model with:
• Custom Model Animations.
• Exterior Model Systems Programming.
• High resolution Textures of 14 liveries.
• Stewardess Model in uniform matching
airline livery.
• Model Animation Control 2D Panel.
• Icons 2D Panel.
• Extensive Flight Manual in IV Parts.
• Repaint Kit.
• Exclusive Effects.
• Many Free Liveries available online (upon
release).
Block B (price TBA) - Exterior model +
highly detailed 3D virtual cockpit with:
• All ‘Block A’ features plus:
• VC Custom Animations.
• VC High resolution textures.
• Additional Systems Programming.
• Pop-up 2D systems panels.
• Highly-detailed Passenger Cabin.
Block C (US$4.99) - ACE (Aircraft
Configuration Editor) utility.
Block D (US$6.99) - Custom Flight Model.
Block E (US$6.99) - Custom Sound Set
(RR+PW).
Block F (price TBA) - Advanced Systems
Programming.
All blocks except Block F are expected to
be available by the end of Q1 2006, with
Block F appearing in Q2. Keep an eye out at
www.captainsim.com for more availability
information.

Flight 1 Releases Version 2 of The 727

FLIGHT 1 is offering existing customers “The best news is that this upgrade is free to become available as this goes to print and they
of their published Greatest Airliners 727 all previous purchasers! And in addition to are now available for download. So if you are
product a special update according to a the update, there will be 2 new livery packs already an owner of the Greatest Airliners – The
recent press release; totaling 30 new paint schemes released in 727 package be sure to grab this update from the
“Flight One Software, in partnership with the next 6 weeks.” Flight 1 website here - http://www.flight1.com/
DreamFleet, is excited to officially announce A total of 17 new liveries have actually just products.asp?product=ga727
a major update to Greatest Airliners - The
727. This update greatly extends the product
with many new aircraft, including the -100
and -200 Super27 with Winglets and also the
-200 with Winglets. There are now a total
of 9 different 727’s, each of which can be
set up to use either a conventional analog
flight deck or an updated semi-glass EFIS
flight deck, with or without a VC. All models
include wing views from four different seat
positions. The update also addresses some
service related items in the first release, as
well as adding new features like the First
Officer making appropriate call-outs during
the takeoff roll based on the users own
speedbug settings. The PDF manuals have
also been enhanced with the inclusion of
Super 27 performance tables, many color
pictures, and clickable indexes.”

cpm1004.indd 6 2/21/2006, 11:34:32 PM

 NEWS & NEW FLIGHT SIM RELEASES 7

Flight Simulator X FAQ

AS MICROSOFT continue to release new
screenshots of their upcoming simulator
version to the public, anticipation continues
to grow. Microsoft are releasing very little
information on the contents of the new
version (this is normal for them) but they
have hinted at a few inclusions in their FAQ
table on the FSInsider website. Here are
some of the more important entries…

Q: When will “Microsoft Flight Simulator

X” be available?
A: We are working hard to deliver “Flight
Simulator X” in the holiday 2006 timeframe.

Q: What’s new in “Microsoft Flight

Simulator X”?
A: Many of the new features in “Flight
Simulator X” are based on requests from
our loyal community who have provided
creative input into our decision process.
Therefore, we are excited to bring our
fans the most revolutionary addition to the
“Flight Simulator” franchise yet. We take
full advantage of Windows Vista and the
latest Windows gaming hardware to create
a beautifully rich and immersive 3D world
for aviation fans, young and old, to explore
and experience. The new enhancements
extend beyond the look and feel of the
planet—the advances in graphics will benefit
the aircraft as well, and fans will be amazed
at the new level of detail in the models and
the realistic effects like sun glint off the
glass and chrome, reflective paint, and even
shaded rivets on the fuselage. For the more
gameplay-minded, we are adding a new
mission-based element to give fans a more
objective driven experience with a sense of
progression and skill development. We are
also improving the multiplayer technology
to allow the community to connect in new
ways. This is just the beginning and, in the
coming months, we look forward to sharing
more information about “Flight Simulator X”
as we lead up to launch at the end of the year.
Q: What type of computer hardware will I
need to run “Flight Simulator X”?
A: While we are still determining exact
hardware requirements, we do know that it
will run on a wide range of configurations
because we want to make “Flight Simulator
X” accessible to a wide range of fans.
Q: Will “Flight Simulator X” ship on DVD
only?
A: Yes, for the first time “Flight Simulator”
will ship on DVD only in order to provide
the highest level of detail and realism for the
product and we do not plan to offer a CD-
based version.
Q: Will aircraft from FS2004 be
compatible with “Flight Simulator X”?
A: Backward compatibly with existing
3rd party content is and has always been
a priority for us, and we attempt to test as
many add-ons as possible in order to provide
the greatest level of compatibility.
Q: How many airports are included in
“Flight Simulator X?”
A: We have included more than 24,000
airports in “Flight Simulator X” and the
coverage extends to every continent. We
also focused a select number of high-
detail airports and added a new level of
“interactivity” that the add-on community
will certainly expand upon.
Keep an eye out on the FSInsider website at
www.fsinsider.com for all the latest news
and screenshots being made available to the
public.

cpm1004.indd 7 2/21/2006, 11:34:34 PM

 8 NEWS & NEW FLIGHT SIM RELEASES
Internet Explorer 7 in Beta Testing
It’s been a long time coming but Microsoft has
recently announced, and made available, the
beta copy of the next Internet Explorer web
browsing application. Internet Explorer is the
most widely used browser in the world thanks,
in part, to it being bundled with Microsoft’s
Windows® platform software. Internet
Explorer has been widely criticized previously
for its lack of security features and has turned
some users away to look for other web
browsing software, such as Netscape Browser
or Mozilla’s Firefox, so hopefully the new
version 7 program offers better security options
to protect users. Some of the more notable
features on the new version include:
• New Interface - Say goodbye to bulky
toolbars. Internet Explorer 7 has a new
interface that shows more of each webpage
you visit. The streamlined toolbar makes
it easier to add websites to your Favorites,
search the web, clear your history, and access
SkyUnlimited Release Italian Fighter
“When someone says Italian, we think sleek
cars, beautiful women, and great food, but
for centuries Italians have prided themselves
for their love of beauty, performance, and
efficiency. Even peering back to the 1940’s,
while under Fascist rule we can still clearly
see the elegance of their ingenuity in their
stunning aircraft.”
SkyUnlimited’s newly released model of
the Reggiane Re2005 Sagittario brings an
Italian fighter to Flight Simulator 2004, and
is packed with features including;
• Highly-detailed exterior model with
several unique paint schemes.
• Beautifully rendered virtual cockpit.
cpm1004.indd 8
the other tasks and tools you use most.
• Tabbed Browsing - Whether you’re
searching the web, comparing prices, or just
staying on top of your favorite topic, Internet
Explorer 7 lets you view many different
websites at one time — all within one
organized window.
• Search - Internet Explorer 7 brings your
favorite web search providers to you. With
the built-in search box, you can search the
web at any time without having to open a
search provider page. You can display search
results in a separate tab, and then open the
results in other tabs to quickly compare sites
and find the information you want. You can
even customize your search by setting your
favorite search provider as the default
• Security - Internet Explorer 7 helps keep
your information safe by alerting you to
potential phishing sites — sites that look
legitimate but actually are designed to
capture your personal information. It’s also
• Truly accurate and unique Italian gauges.
• Highly-detailed 2D panel with new pop-up
windows and features.
• Open the cowling and marvel at the
Daimler-Benz engine that powered this
great aircraft.
• Fully animated vintage pilot with moving
legs, arms, and head.
• Feel the rumble of the engine with this
completely accurate sound set created
from live recordings of a Daimler-Benz.
• Machine gun effects triggered by After-
Burner Command.
• Custom high altitude vapor-trail effects
and wing-tip vortex effects.
• Several LODS with fewer polygons for
easier to see which sites provide secure data
exchange, so you can shop and bank online
with confidence.
If this sounds interesting and you would
like to give it a try, point your web
browser to http://www.microsoft.com/
windows/ie/ie7/default.mspx to download
the latest version 7 beta.
slower computers and multiplayer gaming.
• “By the Book” flight dynamics created by
Jerry Beckwith that make this aircraft both a
challenge and joy to fly.
• Several Pages of historical information included.
• All appropriate FS2004 features and standard
SkyUnlimited features, plus more.
The package retails for US$19.99 and is
available for download or on CD from
the SkyUnlimited website at http://
www.skyunlimited.net/
It may also be available from other retailers
and download stores in the near future as
well. Check with your favorite retailer for
availability.
2/21/2006, 11:34:38 PM
 NEWS & NEW FLIGHT SIM RELEASES 9

cpm1004.indd 9 2/21/2006, 11:34:45 PM

 Flying the Memories:
EP-3E Aries II, “April Fool’s Day”
BY TOM KURTZ
I
t was April 1, 2001, “April Fool’s Day”, but for
Lt. Shane Osborne, Senior chief Petty Officer
Nicholas Mellos and the other 22 members of
Squadron One (VQ-1) the “World Watchers” it was
a serious business day. Earlier in the day they had
departed the USAF Base at Kadena, Okinawa on an
aerial surveillance mission. They were flying a U.S.
Navy EP-3E Aries II Electronic Surveillance Plane
on a routine mission over international waters of
the South China Sea off the coast of China. These
missions are considered “routine” but they are vital
to the security of U.S. armed forces and allies in that
corner of the world.
10
cpm1004.indd 10
Twice that day they had been checked out by the Chinese Air Force
flying F-8 fighter jets. The Chinese pilots were doing their “routine”.
On the third pass one F-8 pilot misjudged his clearance under the EP-3
and the vertical stabilizer of his plane struck the outboard left propeller.
The EP-3 was in level flight on Autopilot at the time. The F-8 was cut
into two pieces which raked back across the fuselage and knocked
the nose cone off the EP-3. The F-8 fell into the sea. Unfortunately,
the Chinese pilot was killed. The nose cone flew back and struck the
number 4 propeller on the right wing. The EP-3E began to buffet wildly.
The impact also knocked the HF radio bracket and antenna loose,
which flew back and wrapped around the tail. The collision punctured
the pressure vessel and the EP-3 depressurized! To make things even
worse the EP-3 rolled nearly inverted and went into a dive. The collision
CPM. V10I4
2/21/2006, 11:34:50 PM
 REVIEW
REVIEW

damaged the pitot tubes so there were no airspeed or altitude readouts on

the instruments. The plane was out of control to say the least. Lt. Osborne
struggled to regain control and somehow managed to pull the plane out of
the dive and leveled her out at about 8,000ft. The act of regaining control of
his plane is a real testimony of the skill of naval aviators.

Lt. Osborne decided not to ditch in the sea because he knew the risk for
loss of life was too great. He headed for the nearest place he could make an
emergency landing, China’s Hainan Island. He made many “mayday” calls,
but did not get a response from the Chinese. He had no other choice but to
land. So without permission he somehow managed to make a safe landing
at the Haikou Meilan airport on the northern coast of the island. None of the
crew was injured. However, there was a frantic last minute scramble as the
crew destroyed as much of the classified material and sensitive electronic
surveillance equipment as they could before the Chinese military got aboard
the plane. The crew was detained and treated very well by the Chinese.
THE 2D PANEL
The story of the collision and emergency landing was in the news
headlines for the next eleven days. After careful diplomacy and
negotiations by the U.S. president the crew was brought home by
Continental Airlines. The Chinese would not permit a military plane to
pick up the crew.

Lt. Shane Osborne was only 26 years old at the time. He was awarded
the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroism. Senior Chief Nicholas
Mellos was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for exemplary
conduct during the emergency landing and his actions during the eleven
days afterward while detained. The other members of the crew were
awarded the Air Medal for heroism.

The EP-3E was left at Haikou for three months until arrangements
could be made to dismantle the plane and bring it back to the United
States. U.S. officials hired a Russian Antonov-124 cargo plane to
transport the fuselage and other pieces to Hawaii. Later the plane
was sent to Lockheed Martin in Marietta, Georgia and rebuilt. The
plane was returned to the Navy in the summer of 2002 and is still
flying today.

Today you can fly a simulation of this historic plane. It is available

as freeware from Simviation.com. It may also be available from other
sources such as Avsim. I downloaded the EP-3E model for FS2004
by Daisuke Yamamoto. FDE creation and texture painting was by THE EP-3E ARIES
Hiroaki Kubota. The team of Luis da Costa Pereira and Fabio Bonoldi
created the 2D panel. The simulation is very detailed and a pleasure
to fly.

The EP-3E Aries II is based on the Lockheed P-3 Orion airframe.

The Orion was based on the Lockheed L-188 Electra passenger
airliner. The U.S. Navy only has 11 EP-3E in its inventory. “ARIES”
is an acronym coined by the Navy. It reads like this: A=Airborne,
R=Reconnaissance, I=Integrated, E=Electronic, S=System. The
plane is flown on missions to collect Electronic Intelligence
(ELINT). The plane is a turboprop with four, four-bladed constant
speed propellers driven by four 2800KW (3750SHP) Allison 501-
D13 engines. Here are some of the performance figures:

Max Speed: 411 kts

Max Cruise Speed: 328 kts
Max Takeoff Weight: 166,000 lbs
Max Landing Weight: 103,878 lbs
Ferry Range: 2,070 nm
Max Mission Radius: 1,345 nm
Service Ceiling: 27,000 ft

THE CENTER CONSOLE

cpm1004.indd 11 2/21/2006, 11:34:58 PM

 THE MAIN CONTROL PANEL OF THE EP-3 THE OVERHEAD PANEL

A NICELY RENDERED VC ON THIS MODEL! THE RADAR IN FORWARD SCAN MODE

THE FLIGHT ENGINEER IS GONE TOO! MUST BE GOOD

WHERE DID MY CO-PILOT GET TOO? COFFEE AT THE OFFICER’S CLUB TODAY…

cpm1004.indd 12 2/21/2006, 11:35:11 PM

 REVIEW

STARTING HER UP AT KADENA AB APPROACHING HAINAN DAO ISLAND

SETTING UP FOR THE APPROACH…

OFF WE GO FOR A “ROUTINE” FLIGHT… TIME THE DESCENT PROPERLY!

FLYING OVER TAIWAN HERE WE GO… HOLD ON

cpm1004.indd 13 2/21/2006, 11:35:28 PM

 I decided to fly the EP-3E on essentially the same route that Lt.
Osborne flew on April 1, 2001. I say “essential” because I do not know
the exact flight plan he used because it is probably classified.

I started from a parking ramp at the USAF Base at Kadena, Okinawa.

Incidentally, as a personal note, I once landed and departed from
Kadena on my way back to the States in September 1968 after my tour
of duty in Vietnam. When I got into the cockpit I was pleased to find an
excellent 2D panel and a really good Virtual Cockpit with many working
switches and buttons. Once I looked at the Main Panel and the
Radio Panel I knew I had my work cut out for me; there was going to be
a lot to learn before I ever got off the ground. You will find ICONS on
the pilot’s panel for GPS, Map, Main Panel, ATC, Checklist, and Radar
Panel.

I filed an IFR Flight Plan from Kadena (RODN) to Meilan Airport

(ZJHK), Haikou, Hainan Dao Island, China. The trip to Haikou is
1,121.9 nm; ETE is 3.24 hours, and you can expect to use 2,536.1
FLARE! gallons of fuel. Fuel consumption will of course depend on your
altitude and throttle setting. I recommend flying at FL270 and Cruise
at 300KTS. You may note that the distance to Haikou is just about the
limit of the plane’s mission radius, so watch the fuel consumption.

ATC directed me to the active runway and I received permission to

take off on the runway heading and climb to 9,000ft. I set the Autopilot
for the heading and altitude and the IAS on the Auto-throttle to 250
kts. Set 10 degrees flaps and released the brakes. I was immediately in
trouble. The Auto-throttle did not work! The engines would rev up then
slow down rapidly making it hard to control the plane. I was more than
half way down the runway before I could find the right buttons to push
(hey, the cockpit was new to me) to take manual control of the throttle.
I had to abort the takeoff and start over using the manual throttle. The
Auto-throttle failure might just be a “glitch” in my FS2004. You may
not have it with your program.

Once I got airborne and switched to GPS Nav mode I relaxed

and tried out the different views. I brought up the radar panel and
was pleased to find I could switch from 360 degrees scan mode to
a forward scan mode that sweeps 90 degrees, and the range can
be adjusted. Using the Concorde Nose Cone lowering command
“\” lowers the radar dome. However, when you observe the radar
dome in spot view there is only a slight lowering and raising
distance visible. I had downloaded the actual weather and it was
TAXIING TO PARKING
beautiful all the way to Haikou.

When I got to the tip of Taiwan I could see the Sungshan

airport off to the left. After crossing Taipei I entered the Taiwan
Strait (that brought back memories because I was in those waters
during the Korean War). It wasn’t long before I could see the
Pescadores. After passing the Pescadore Islands you are in the
South China Sea. I switched the radar to maximum range and
360 scan. I didn’t want to be surprised by the Chinese Air Force.
The only thing I saw as I neared the coast of China was a B747.
I didn’t bother to contact the ATC at Haikou (they probably
wouldn’t have answered anyway). I made a straight-in approach
and landed on Rwy 27, taxied to parking and opened the main
exit (Shift+E) and put down the exit ladder. You can lower the
ladder using the Wing Fold command (Ctrl+U). You may want to
fly this same route and enjoy the scenery. Try flying the EP-3E.
You will enjoy it!

Many thanks to Gold Site Maritime Web Awards, Captain Guy

Greider of Continental Airlines, and CNN.com/World for the historical
facts and references.

SAFELY STOPPED AT THE TERMINAL WITH

EXIT LADDER EXTENDED
CPM. V10I4

cpm1004.indd 14 2/21/2006, 11:35:37 PM

 How Much is Too Much?
BY PETER STARK
I
t isn’t very often that your Editor gives you an
open hand when it comes to writing your piece.
So it was with some delight I received the go
ahead to write about ‘my favorite virtual airline’. The
only problem is that I don’t like virtual airlines! It’s
nothing personal you understand - it’s just that the
rigidity doesn’t appeal to me. So let me introduce you
to a different concept....
There comes a time for all flight simulation enthusiasts when you
look for something more. Maybe you have become proficient in a
variety of aircraft and environments. You can handle a short airstrip
- usually. Shooting an ILS is no major problem. You can probably
handle yourself OK whether day or night and probably be reasonably
comfortable with some IFR flying. So what now?
cpm1004.indd 15
At this point many simmers are drawn to virtual airlines where
you are usually allocated a route, and a specific aircraft. You can
then progress to larger, more complex birds as you gain experience.
But what if, like me, that isn’t your cup of tea? Maybe you only
want to fly a heavy occasionally and still be able to mix it with
some oil and gasoline fumes in a canvas covered aircraft over snow
covered Alaska, or sometimes come thudding into an aircraft carrier
deck at 140 knots. Wouldn’t it be great if someone else gave you
an assignment that can vary hugely from month to month? And
while we’re on it, wouldn’t it be great if you could sometimes share
your favorite or most challenging flight simulation scenarios or
screenshots with others around the world? And hey, what about if
there were some great aircraft liveries and scenery packages to go
along with this? Well my friends, you can do all of these and more
- Welcome to Flight Club International!
15
2/21/2006, 11:35:41 PM
 Back in the summer of 2002, a flight simmer in Oregon by the name
of Ron Blehm was restless. He loved his hobby but he wanted a bit more
from it. One day while he was mowing his brother-in-law’s lawn (he’s
that sort of guy), he thought of ways that he could share some of his
favorite flights and places with other simmers. He contacted a number
of people that had been writing about their virtual aviation experiences
and posting them on the file libraries. He soon attracted a group of like-
minded flyers that discussed what they enjoyed the most about flight
simulation.

Then, as Blehm describes, “Late one night the idea struck that we were
all from different backgrounds and different places in the world, why not
take turns emailing flight suggestions for the others to try? That way we
could share a little bit about ourselves and about our simming. Like a flavor
of the month, we’d do just one flight each month.”

Shortly afterwards, Ron emailed out the very first ‘Flight of the Month’,
a couple of turbo-prop commuter legs in Oregon. Within a couple of weeks
all the simmers had flown the legs in their own selection of aircraft and A RADMILOVICH REPAINT
written their account. Some were strict Pireps with technical details, some
reviewed how their chosen aircraft or panels performed, others were
humorous - but they were all totally different perspectives on the flights
and everyone learnt something new.

The monthly flights continued and it took a very short time for the
group to want to share their fun with even more simmers, so they
launched the TooMuchFS website -http://www.toomuchfs.com -
initially offering the month’s flight, as well as posting their own reports.
Why “Too Much FS”? Some members considered flight simming
might provide pleasures comparable to some of life’s other recreational
pastimes. So the group motto became “Too Much Flight Simulation -
At Least Once a Month But More If We Can Get It!”. I guess it reflects
the fact that there is more to life for many of us than flight simming!

Flight of the Month

The website and associated membership has continued to steadily
evolve and now boasts hundreds of members worldwide - from
Australia to Wales and everywhere in between. The group’s archives
contain a large number of monthly flight themes that cover the
whole gambit of aircraft types, corners of the world, and styles
of virtual flying. The screenshots accompanying this story are
testament to that.
ANOTHER PIECE OF RADMILOVICH ART
Let’s have a look at a few I obtained from the archives:

In “Welcome Aboard the Dis-oriented Express”, Hans Linde from

Germany allows us to recreate a well-known light aircraft incident
where John F. Kennedy Jr. evidently became disoriented during
a night flight to Martha’s Vineyard. Hans has compiled the actual
weather condition experienced on that night and you can try your hand
at coping with the conditions. You depart Essex County, New Jersey
at dusk in hazy conditions and attempt to complete your flight in VFR.
I am sure everyone who attempts this will appreciate the difficulty
in maintaining VFR in such circumstances. Flown at night with the
room lights turned down low I completed the flight after 3 attempts
at finding the airport and landing - I was actually perspiring from the
concentration and felt genuine relief as I shut down the engine!

If a light aircraft isn’t your preference you could try “El Euro
LoCo” (LOw COst) by Salina Chan (yes, they even have female
members at Too Much FS!). Salina prepared a rigorous schedule
where you dust off your FMC and emulate a series of real world flights
featuring several low cost European airlines.

16
ARCTIC FLYING TOO

cpm1004.indd 16 2/21/2006, 11:35:47 PM

 BILL SMITH JOINS A VIRTUAL WORLD HEAVY FLIERS ALSO WELCOME

EXTREME AIRLINE FLYING

LEARN SOME NEW SKILLS

FLIGHT CLUB FLAGSHIP MILITARY FLYING

cpm1004.indd 17 2/21/2006, 11:35:56 PM

 MOVE OVER TOM CRUISE SEARCH AND RESCUE

ONLINE MAYHEM SOME FOTM’S CAN BE OUT OF THIS WORLD

ROTORHEADS CATERED FOR THE FOUNDING MEMBERS

cpm1004.indd 18 2/21/2006, 11:36:09 PM

 Or perhaps after a particularly cold and windy winter you might
prefer “A Pacific Odyssey” where Alastair Monk from the U.K. takes
you on a tour of Oceania in a variety of aircraft types so you can
warm your heels in Tahiti. When Alastair Monk isn’t flying virtual
aircraft he can often be found at the Flight One Forum where he is a
member of their Certified Professionals team. Alastair has also been
involved in beta testing of a wide range of general aviation products
with several major producers.
If you would like to try your hand at ‘white knuckle’ flying, have a
look at “All Hands on Deck” or “Gonna Take Me Higher....”. Perhaps
VFR cruising appeals this month? How about exploring Scotland
in “A Wee Bit of Scotland”? Or if you want to compare your flight
planning ability to that of a real world airline pilot, have a look at
“Rik’s FOTM” by Rik Vyverman, where you must arrive at your
destination with just 4300 to 4800 lbs of fuel remaining in the tanks.
Some members have taken us on tours of their countries of
residence. For example, Alejandro Irausquin, an aeronautical engineer
from Venezuela, has taken members on several tours of Venezuela
and Central America. Brad Quiring is a Canadian Pastor that lives
in Arequipa, Peru - and he too has taken us on a tour of the high
altitude airports of Cuzco and Juliaca. As you can see the list is
comprehensive and is sure to offer something for everyone.
To put a Flight of the Month scenario together, members often plan
months ahead, testing the suitability of the current default Microsoft
Flight Simulator of the day with many also testing on earlier versions
to ensure as many aviators as possible can fly the theme. They will try
to ensure that the flights are challenging for most but not so difficult
or removed from reality that it turns virtual aviators away. They will
fly it in a variety of aircraft types, panels, liveries and scenery add-ons
and make recommendations. As a minimum, each scenario will be
achievable with either a default simulator or with minimal freeware
add-ons. Hence many FOTM’s become reviews of aircraft, livery, panel
and scenery combinations. Often, you find yourself returning again and
again to experience that part of the world. And let’s face it, we are all a
bit guilty of spending perhaps too much time at our local airfields rather
than exploring new continents! The options available are almost endless
and the different personalities of the contributing members ensures a
unique approach to what otherwise might be conventional scenarios.
Pilot Reports
For many of the members, the Pirep (or Pilot Report) is at least as
important as flying the routes. Ron Blehm says that what drove him
to get this site together was the ability for flight simulation enthusiasts
from all over the world to ‘share’. Whether that be by contributing
screenshots, flight scenarios, contributing lengthy Pireps or by simply
saying “I flew it, had a great time and learnt so much!”.
Not convinced that reading Pireps can be entertaining? Try these
extracts from Bill Smith’s report when flying a Learjet near the
Swiss Alps:
“Her rain soaked skin glistened in the soft pre-dawn light. I ran
my hand over each of her control surfaces then gently reached up to
remove her pitot cover. (With experience, this can be achieved in a
single swift movement using only one hand).”
Still not convinced?
“Just a little bit of thrust at first, just to make sure that her engine’s
lubricants were stabilized and then she began to move forward quite
cpm1004.indd 19
forcefully. She accelerated effortlessly as I applied more power. Rotate!
Gear Up! Together we rode the turbulent winds higher and higher as
we followed our instincts, rolling first this way and then the other way.
(Actually, our instincts had nothing to do with it. I was following very
precise instructions on the Zurich Departure frequency.)”
I’ll leave Bill’s Pirep there I think....
There’s More
While you recover from that, let’s take a quick tour through the rest
of the website to see what else it might offer for you.
The Hangar
While the Flight of the Month and the Pireps are the core activities
of the group, the website allows its members to also showcase some of
their skills. For example, in the Hangar section you will find more than
60 Club repaints of popular default and add-on aircraft by the prolific
repainter, Tony Radmilovich. This includes a stunning set of B737-
500 repaints that are works of art in their own right. The repaint list is
always in progress and, at the time of writing, he was adding sets of AI
repaints to allow Club AI aircraft to fill your skies. In the meantime,
member Dick Graham of Ohio is releasing sets of Traffic files to match.
Scenery
While most flight scenarios use default scenery or provide you
with a list of recommended add-ons, some of the members take it
a bit further and create customized scenery, effects and AFCAD
files. Regular Computer Pilot readers may recall the scenery writing
series in 2005 where we created Tony’s Ranch/KTRR in Oregon.
The scenery created whilst writing that tutorial is now available
on the website and forms a base for members to take part in some
informal online events. The website Scenery section also contains
some FS2002 and FS2004 fictitous TooMuchFS club airports in New
Zealand, the Greek islands, Hawaii and a base near Portland, Oregon.
Still not enough? How about popping by the shop and picking up
some exclusive TooMuchFS clothing, coffee mugs or perhaps an
aviation art wall clock!
The Bottom Line
While it is fun exploring new regions and new ways of using our
simulators, it is clear that Ron Blehm and the founding members see
the most important part of the group is the ability for cross sections
of the world’s flight sim communities to share and become bonded by
a common interest regardless of country, race or religion. Although
this may sound a little altruistic, it is indeed one totally unexpected
aspect of swapping flight simming stories and pireps with this group!
Correspondence has started between members about issues totally
unrelated to flight simming. For example, a member may relate to a
piece of international news in his report. The writer’s feelings about
the issue may become apparent and some other members may want to
discuss more about that issue and that person’s perspective. While that
sounds like it might a be a ‘powder keg’, it has opened long running
discussions that have resulted in people from totally opposite parts
of both the physical and metaphysical world coming to understand
each other’s viewpoints, even if not necessarily agreeing with them.
Perhaps we should be lobbying the world’s politicians to all become
flight simmers?
Many thanks to the members of TooMuchFS for their contributions
to this story. Pay them a visit at http://www.toomuchfs.com and drop
Ron Blehm a line! Enjoy the selection of random images I have
included here too. These are just some scenes you can expect to
encounter in your travels with this interesting flight sim club.
19
2/21/2006, 11:36:15 PM
 “Modding” the Cougar
BY MATTHEW EDWARDS
M
any people enjoy making their high
performance machines even better. Reno
Air Racers take already high performance
World War II fighters and tweak them to become
even faster. This same spirit is alive and well in the
Thrustmaster Cougar community. Their modifications
range from quick do-it-yourself projects like a
weekend engine tuning to expensive replacement
parts that are nitrous oxide for your Cougar.
When the Cougar was released in 2002 many hailed it as the top
controller available to simmers. Like other hardware, it had some
initial problems and now that some units are getting older there are
other issues that are surfacing with age. Many of these do-it-yourself
modifications (or mods) deal with these issues. Some not only mend
problems but greatly improve the internal parts to make a “Super
Cougar”.
20
cpm1004.indd 20
The central place to go for Cougar information is Cougar World -
http://cougar.frugalsworld.com/
Here you will find information on how to do any of the do-it-yourself
improvements and details on other modifications. One of the first
problems that Cougar owners discovered that is addressed at Cougar
World is the misaligned speedbrake and dogfight switches. This
made some switches hard to move and could possibly even break the
plastic housings. Cougar World covers three ways to fix this problem,
from simply rotating the switch externally, to cutting and gluing the
switch housing internally. There are also replacement metal housings
available from Cougar modder Ian Johnston. Other do-it-yourself
projects there include: improving the dual stage trigger, rotating hat
switches to make them closer to the F-16’s orientation, adjusting the
throttle detents, smoothing out the throttle movement, repairing the
stick handle’s threads to eliminate stick wobble, and replacing the
rubber boot to make the stick smoother. Potentiometer maintenance,
repair, and replacement are also covered since they are a key to
keeping any older joystick performing well.
CPM. V10I4
2/21/2006, 11:36:18 PM
 Most of these can be done quickly and at little or no cost to a NXT
Cougar owner, but for those looking for even better performance they The NXT is Ian Johnston’s latest product for the Cougar
can upgrade their Cougars with some of the custom mods produced community. He started with the Uber Mod and four improvements
by community members. Each mod gets rid of the Achilles’ heel later his product has blossomed into the NXT. All Johnston’s
of most joysticks, the potentiometer (or “pot” for short). A popular modifications address one problem that some Cougar owners have
potentiometer replacement is Ernest “Cubpilot” Smith’s Hall sensor criticized. This issue is the Cougar’s stick developing small amounts
products. of play in the center area due to wear. Over time the stick will move
several millimeters before the gimbals move. The overall effect is a
+HS mechanical dead zone where the user may have to slightly move the
Hall sensors work in a similar way to potentiometers except for one stick before movement is made in the simulator. The Cougar is not the
key factor, they are a non-contact technology. Potentiometers have only stick to have this problem; Saitek’s X-36 also had these issues.
physical electrical contacts that measure the position of components. Some owners find that this problem isn’t noticeable in flight while
However, these contacts can wear out or become dirty. This causes the others are greatly annoyed by it. Mr. Johnston’s mod gives those in the
pot to be imprecise, have spiking position values, and eventually stop latter group an option to fix their play issues and improve the gimbals
working altogether. Replacing the pots with Hall sensors makes the of the Cougar while they are at it.
joystick much more accurate and reliable. Mr. Smith’s +HS products
are a great upgrade and an easy project to install. He offers several
options to the Cougar owner, the +HS1™ throttle potentiometer
replacement, the +HS2™ stick upgrade for improved gimbals systems
like the NXT, the +HS2 Mk II™ for original gimbals Cougar sticks,
and +HS3 Mk II™ for both the throttle and stick. The Mk II kits have
improved sensor mounts that should make the Hall sensors virtually
indestructible. In over three years of use, “Cubpilot” reports that there
have been no known failures of his units. Potentiometers rarely come
close to that kind of reliability. I have owned the +HS1™ for about
a year now and I am very pleased with it. My throttle axis is much
smoother and all spiking is gone.

THE NXT

The NXT is a drop-in modification so it can be done at home with

standard tools. Some of the improvements of the NXT over previous
versions of Johnston’s mods include a reduced price due to CNC
production, adjustable axis centers, and higher grade parts. The NXT
also decreases stick forces for those that don’t like the heavy stick
feel of the stock Cougar. Transitioning movement to the other axis
when the one is already deflected is much smoother as well. If you are
looking for smooth and precise stick movements then the NXT is the
way to go. The NXT is coupled with Smith’s Hall +HS2™ mod, so
the electronics will be just as smooth as the mechanics.

INSTALLED HALL SENSOR AT THE RIGHT,

STANDARD POT AT THE BOTTOM

Smith will soon sell another improvement for Cougar owners’

throttles. Many users have noticed that the Cougar throttle can
slightly stick at times and the amount of force needed to overcome
this can make fine throttle adjustments difficult. Mr. Smith’s fix for
this is special tape that goes around the throttle shaft. I was one of the
beta testers of this tape, and I must say, it is a definite improvement.

Also, for the Thrustmaster rudder pedals owners out there, he also
sells +HS kits to upgrade the Elite and RCS rudder pedals. Look for a
RCS toe brake add-on kit later this year, maybe even by the time you
are reading this. To get more information and order any of the +HS
kits, check out http://cubpilotshangar.net
AN INSTALLED NXT WITH HALL SENSORS
To get information on either his NXT or speedbrake switch
housings, email Johnston at ubermod@optusnet.com.au

21

cpm1004.indd 21 2/21/2006, 11:36:22 PM

 Feel the Force
The Cougar is copied from the F-16’s stick and throttle. Due to this,
many Cougar owners are F-16 fans and fly the multiple versions of
Falcon 4.0. For some of these users, the Cougar was lacking in one
aspect when compared to the real F-16 stick. This issue is that the F-
16’s stick is a force sensitive stick. Pressure being put on the stick is
measured for control input. The stick moves only about a ¼ inch in
each direction to give the pilot feedback that force has been applied.
This is very different from how other joysticks, including the Cougar,
operate.
To remedy this short coming, several groups began to look into
modifying the Cougar to be pressure sensitive. One of the first was
a group at Viperpit.org that looked into using the actual sensors
the real stick uses and custom machined mountings that also
match the F-16’s stick base. This resulted in a very authentic, very
custom, and very expensive mod. The first person that promised
to bring the F-16 feel to the masses was Arend van Oosten. His
Force Controlled Cougar (FCC) modification is unfortunately not
available currently since he can longer find a supplier for a required
part. However, there are two other options out there for those that
want the F-16 experience.
FSSB
The FFSB is made by RealSimulator - http://realsimulator.com
- a Spain-based company that has an excellent simulation and
production background. Their mod drops into the standard Cougar
base and replaces the pot and gimbals system completely so play and
potentiometer maintenance are no longer issues. Two versions are sold
by RealSimulator, the FSSB R1 and the FSSB R2. The R1 version is
d fi d i l d d ll f €320 Th R2 h i i
THE FSSB INSTALLED AND READY TO GO FLYING
22
cpm1004.indd 22
grade components. The upgraded parts of the R2 command a higher
price at €450. The FSSBs have dip switches that allow the user to
select how much force is required in each axis; 6 lbs., 8 lbs., 17lbs., or
25 lbs. The higher forces are closer to the actual F-16 stick forces, but
be sure to have your Cougar tightly secured to your desk or cockpit.
Joystick output from the FSSB is produced by measuring the
minute amount the metal is flexed when pressure is applied to the
stick. The FSSB adds a metal plate to the top of the Cougar to provide
more support to the Cougar base for the added force. Check out
RealSimulator’s website to find more information on and to order
their great products.
THE INTERNAL SHOT OF AN FSSB,
NO POTS OR GIMBALS TO WORRY ABOUT!
tick
ibbstick is a new modification only recently avaailable
r owners. While it is new to the public, Dave “Ribbs”
“
n has had working prototypes of his design for
fo over two
w. Patterson’s design completely replaces the
th Cougar base
bolt-on assembly, making it more favorabl ble to cockpit
who want a realistic stick placement. However,
Ho for you
flyers, the Ribbstick can be made withh a shorter stick shaft
s into a creative HOTAS base that Patt
atterson designed for
mputer chair.
bbstick is a very robust, patent peending mod. The stick has
limited movement that the real F-16 has. When the Ribbstick
applied to it the stick shaft flex
exes and puts pressure on air
es. Slight changes in pressure re in these tubes are measured
ucers that send joystick axis is values to the computer. The
k allows a realistic stick plalacement and has forces very
o military F-16 training simulators
si that I have flown. Overall,
strong and has excellen ent performance. For details on the
k, contact Patterson via email at dpatterson6@woh.rr.com
CPM. V10I4
2/21/2006, 11:36:32 PM
 THE RIBBSTICK INSTALLED IN MY COCKPIT

Some users find the force modifications conducive only to modern

jet sims and prefer a normal displacement stick better for prop sims.
I must admit, I am not a big prop flyer, but I do think that my force
stick is still quite usable in IL-2 or Combat Flight Sim 3. In fact, I
like the Ribbstick and FCC in these sims since the amount of force
required for control deflection feels more realistic. Of course, I’m
sacrificing the realistic movement so it is still a trade off that does not
make all users happy.

Why Mod?
All of these modifications are done by well-respected and trusted
hobbyists. Prices are not listed for most of their products because the
prices often fluctuate with each small production run. From personal
experience, I can say that all of them are very helpful and reliable. If
you are interested in a certain mod, do not hesitate to email them.

Instead of settling for stock Cougars or moving on to other sticks,

many Cougar owners have turned to modifications to fix and greatly
improve their HOTAS because they think that the Cougar is the best.
No other HOTAS has a community that has developed so many high
quality upgrades. However, these mods are not necessarily for every
Cougar owner. Some will decide that a stick they spent US$200-$300
should not develop any problems and move on to another HOTAS.
Others will use their Cougar for years before they develop problems
and then only may try some of the do-it-yourself fixes. Until the FCC
came along, I was one of these users that were quite happy with the
stock Cougar. After my positive experience with the FCC, I moved on
to the +HS1™ and the Ribbstick. I am now a satisfied mod user. Like
Warbird owners improving a 60 year old fighter to become a Reno
Racer, these modifications aren’t for every Cougar owner, but the
people out there that take the mod plunge will usually find themselves
very happy with their “Super Cougars”.

23

cpm1004.indd 23 2/21/2006, 11:36:33 PM

 Alaska Cinematic Volume 1 Review
BY GENE DAVIS
H
aving already reviewed Alaska Cinematic
Vol 1 for an online website, I jumped at the
chance to do it again for Computer Pilot
Magazine; this would give me another opportunity
to revisit this wonderful add-on and introduce it all
over again. In my humble opinion I think that Alaska
Cinematic Volume 1 (AK 1) is one of the best scenery
titles of last year as it introduced some new innovative
features and redefined what we know as photo-real
scenery. This scenery package brings Alaska to life
with vibrant colors and depth at a level I hadn’t seen
before this title was released back in the summer of
2005.
24
cpm1004.indd 24
Originally released from Georender.org as a download, AK 1 was
a monster of a package and had to be downloaded into two different
files, thus making it difficult for dial-up users to get their hands on this
wonderful title. It was only a matter of time before someone picked
up the distribution rights to sell it on CD. Well, the folks at Things-To-
Come have picked up those rights and have once again brought AK 1
back into the limelight and given a whole new audience a chance to
see the true beauty of Alaska through their home computer.
Installation
Installing AK 1 is relatively easy, simply insert the disk and let the
installer take over. My recommendation to you though is that you
install it to a different hard drive other then that of the drive your
MSFS resides on; this helps minimize the workload on your flight sim
drive and aids in better load times.
CPM. V10I4
2/21/2006, 11:36:37 PM
 REVIEW
REVIEW

The documentation that is included on the CD is very helpful

as it gives you information for optimizing your system for the
best performance when running this scenery. I do recommend that
you try running the scenery right away before making any said
changes just to see what kind of impact the scenery has on your
system.

If you are a user of Ultimate Terrain: Canada and Alaska you

will need to retrieve the compatibility patch from Georender.org
to make the two products work together.

Alaska Cinematic Itself

The scenery in AK 1 is simply amazing. Its high resolution and
depth bring Alaska to life with unique colors and an immense
landscape. Parked on the ramp at PANC will only give you a
glimpse of what there is to see, as you will need to explore the
mountain ranges, hills and valleys to get the most of AK 1.

Confined to a relatively small area of Alaska, though it covers CLIMBING OUT OF BOLD
about 4,250 square miles, you will be able to fly from the
city of Anchorage to places like the Chugach State Park and
National Forest, Knik Glacier, Lake George Glacier, Surprise
Glacier, Spencer Glacier, Portage Pass, Port Wells, American
Pass, Summit Lake, Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm and into the
community of Whittier Alaska.
One of my favorite areas to explore is Bold Alaska, it is
some of the most picturesque scenery I have seen to date, I was
literally in awe when I first booted up the sim and went to Bold,
there I was sitting in Chugach State Park in my DHC 2 Beaver
on the lake and I found the visuals were simply stunning! Then
I read the NOTAM on the sectional that the landing of aircraft
was prohibited in Chugach State Park, good thing this is a sim!

This add-on is will appeal to the VFR pilot in all of us as

there are about 26 airports/airfields in this region, most of
which are out of the way airfields with little or no navigational
aids. As you explore this part of Alaska you will find that it
puts you into some pretty secluded locations, thus making
landing and taking off a little more challenging for even the
most experienced armchair pilot. Whether it is tourist flights,
cargo hops, or your own very own slice of heaven with a
cabin by the lake, you will find that there is a lot to see and
do within the confines of this scenery package. Even after
having this title since mid 2005 when it was released by THE LAST FRONTIER
Georender as a download, I still find myself finding new
locations to explore and in awe at the detail this scenery has
to offer.

This title only comes in one season, but the one season
will load regardless of what time of the year you are trying to
start Flight Simulator in. I understand why only one season
was included as the size of this add-on would have been
immense if it had included all four seasons (likely requiring
four times the number of textures).

There is no visible night lighting like the excellent night

lighting found in the MegaScenery range, so flying at night
isn’t recommended. There is an alternative though, for
those of us with Ultimate Terrain: Canada and Alaska the
enhanced night lighting features will show up on roadways
and major cities and towns, so if you absolutely need to fly at
night, you can. At first I was a little disappointed in the lack of
night lighting, but I quickly realized that I wouldn’t want to fly

WHITE KNUCKLE FLYING!

cpm1004.indd 25 2/21/2006, 11:36:45 PM

 KNIK GLACIER PANC

LAKE GEORGE FROM THE PASSENGER SEAT BRINGS ALASKA TO LIFE

LAKE GEORGE ALASKA MY SLICE OF HEAVEN

LAKE GEORGE GLACIER OVER THE CITY OF ANCHORAGE

cpm1004.indd 26 2/21/2006, 11:37:16 PM

 REVIEW

at night with this scenery title as you would miss out on so

much. Again, if you want some great night flying scenery,
try a MegaScenery product, or add-ons like Ultimate Night
Environment Professional.

If you already have access to a sectional chart then you will

find that you will make good use of it, if you don’t there is
one included with the documentation that can be printed into
four sections making one big chart to help aid you with flying.
Having already had the real world sectional I still chose to print
out the one that was included with AK 1, simply because it
BOLD ALASKA
outlines the coverage area really well.

Performance
One would think that performance would be an issue with
scenery this detailed, but it really isn’t. Depending on the
plane I fly, I maintain acceptable frame rates as long as I
choose slower aircraft like a Cessna 172, Beaver, or Cessna
206. Flying a jet is really not advisable as you will miss most
of what this title has to offer and you may experience blurry
textures after some time in the air.

I do get some stuttering in and around PANC, but I think

that is due to the AI program that I have installed. The only
solution there is to turn it off or turn it way down.

For those of you with terrain mesh add-ons, leave your

slider set to whatever you have it set on, as I tried turning
BUSH FLYING AT ITS FINEST!
mine down and I wasn’t happy with the overall appearance
of the elevation. I set my slider to 70, and I tried setting it
down to 20 like the MegaScenery titles recommend, but
AK1 does not come with integrated terrain mesh so this
tweak is not advisable with AK 1.

In the End…
Alaska Cinematic is one of the best scenery titles for
the Alaskan region. Frankly, if you are like me, you won’t
want to fly over anything else. With so many titles out on
the market it is hard to choose which might be the best,
but I have say that if you don’t have this title, go out and
get it now. I do realize there are other titles out on the
market now that actually do compare to the level of detail
found in AK 1, but until it was released in May of 2005 I
was never much of a photo-scenery fan, simply because
the promised detail was never that great or the scenery
suffered from the well-known blurry texture syndrome
OVER-FLYING SUMMIT LAKE
that early photo-real titles were plagued with, admittedly,
mostly as a result of underpowered PCs they were run on.

I read on the Georender site in their forums that

Volume 2 will be out very soon and I can hardly wait to
further expand my Alaska flying experience. I suppose
by the time we see the entire state covered, Microsoft’s
FSX will be a regular fixture on our hard drives and I hope
that I will be able to experience Alaska on that platform
as well.

AK 1 is a reasonably priced scenery title and can be

yours for US$34.95, and now that it is available on CD, it’s
a good time to get it as you won’t have to worry about slow
internet connections or lengthy downloads. Check your
favorite flight sim retailer for availability.

27
WHITTIER ALASKA

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 Flight Simulation and Your Health
BY SEAN JAMES

V
irtual Reality is in no way a new development.
VR was “conceived” in the 1930s, although in Virtual Reality Systems
a form considered “pre-historic” by current
standards. Fledgling British and American Air Forces
adopted flight simulators as part of pilot training.
Flight training institutions recognized the need for
cost-effective and safe training methods. Much has
been said about computer addiction, the effects of
violence in games and obesity attributed to a lack of
outdoor activities. Pathogenic organisms, problems
with vision and even DVT have been reported
in medical journals. Is there a real threat in our
enjoyment of flight simulation?
Anecdote
The scope and purpose of this article is to explore potential health
risks associated with the use of off-the-shelf flight simulators such as
Microsoft’s Flight and Combat Flight Simulators, Falcon 4 and X-Plane.

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 VR systems are divided into three major categories, namely; desktop,
semi-immersive and fully immersive. I am of the opinion that the
previously mentioned simulations are semi-immersive. I make this
claim based on the level of “realism” and high quality of scenery
rendering. The use of large monitors and the accuracy of the simulation
when compared to real aircraft certainly strengthen this argument.
Consider the intensity of the game when an out-gunned virtual aviator
is engaged in aerial combat or attempting to land an A320 without 2 of
its 4 engines at Charles de Gaulle airport during a blizzard.
Hygiene
Hygiene issues associated with the use of desktop computers are
perhaps insignificant to respected flight simmers. There are, however,
a few things to consider. Research shows that pathogenic organisms
thrive in environments similar to that found on PC controllers like the
keyboard, mouse, headgear and joystick. Pathogens can lead to the
spread of infection and diseases. As most respected flight simmers
own there own equipment, hygiene is probably the least area of
risk. Nonetheless, regular cleaning and disinfecting of controllers is
recommended. But don’t go splashing liquids around your expensive
flight controllers! Alcohol wipes or disinfectant lightly applied to a
paper towel will do the job.
Physical risks
Injuries as a result of incorrect posture when spending lengthy
periods of time in front of a PC are common. The most common
symptoms are stiff or painful shoulders and neck. Instances of lower
back pain have also been reported. While these are not regarded
as serious or debilitating there is one that is. DVT or Deep Vein
Thrombosis has emerged as a potential killer. A 32-year old came
very close to death after a large blood clot from a leg travelled to
one of his lungs. It later emerged that he spent 18 hours in front of
his PC without a single break. The condition has been referred to
as e-Thrombosis in subsequent medical papers. Flight simmers are
at particular risk of contracting any of these conditions. We spend
lengthy periods of time in front of the PC. Ensure that you are
comfortably seated. Use a chair that offers adequate back support.
Adjust the height of your seat so that your feet are flat on the ground.
Controllers should be positioned in a way that they can be reached
with the elbows bent at a comfortable 90˚ and forearm parallel to
the desktop. Medical practitioners advise taking a 15 min break each
hour. This should include stretching and walking.
Repetitive Strain Injury
RSI or Repetitive Strain Injury is well documented in medical
journals. RSI occurs when prolonged rapid carpel and metacarpal
movements (wrist and hand) are carried out. Another medical
term used is CTD or Cumulative Trauma Disorder. These are
most lightly to occur in the wrist after prolonged use of a mouse,
keyboard and joystick trigger. RSI is extremely painful and may
leave the sufferer quite debilitated. RSI is best explained as
follows; Tendons move in a sleeve which is lined with a lubricant
produced by the body. When prolonged movements such as a
mouse click are made the body is unable to produce sufficient
lubricant. The resultant friction leads to painful inflammation. The
same problem occurs between joints in the bones of the hand and
writs. RSI has very similar symptoms to tendonitis but also occurs
in very young people. Not much can be done to combat RSI but
an ergonomically correct keyboard and mouse such as Logitech’s
Mx510 (aimed at graphics and animation artists), are advised.
When choosing a joystick or yoke try to find something that feels
comfortable. Many a choice is made purely on looks. A good
looking controller is not necessarily ergonomically correct.
cpm1004.indd 29
General Health
General health problems associated with the lack of exercise such
as obesity are well documented. Research undertaken has been mostly
focused on the amount of television watched opposed to undertaking
outdoor activities. Similar to spending time at the PC, the phenomenon
is most prevalent in people between the ages of 5 and 19. Obesity and
a lack of physical exercise have serious consequences. Relaxation
must be augmented with physical exercise coupled with healthy
eating. Activities such as jogging, taking vigorous walks or shooting
a few hoops will exercise one’s cardiovascular system. Swimming is
another great exercise that is easy on the joints.
Issues with Eyesight
Normal Relationship
Non-stereoscopic
Display
Accommodation Demand
Stereoscopic Display
Convergence Demand
Visual stimulation is the single most important aspect of PC-based
flight simulation. 90% of the information is received through the eyes.
Developers realize this and place immense importance on persuasive
visuals. The environment created by monoscopic (single screen)
desktop VR systems is similar to that of the office PC. Much research
material on this subject is available and thus well understood. The
major side-effect of prolonged use is asthenopia, commonly known
as eyestrain. Asthenopia occurs when the Inner Papillary Distance
(IPD) is minimized. (Refer to the associated diagrams) Experts advise
viewing the screen no closer than 4 metres. This is not practical when
using a PC but other measures can be adopted to avoid eyestrain.
Installing a 17’ or larger LCD screen is advised. Larger screens allow
one to sit further away. LCD screens emit considerably less radiation
then CRT units and must be a further consideration. Modern LCD
screens now offer comparable refresh rates reducing risks associated
with screen flicker such as epilepsy, although this is not very common.
Stereoscopic displays such as head mounted gear (HMD) offer
greater risk for Asthenopia. In this instance the IPD between the
eye and the screen is critical. Studies indicate the distance should be
62mm for HMD’s. A final consideration regarding HMDs is the price.
An inexpensive unit offers the biggest threat to ones eyes. They use
sub-quality LCDs with low resolution, poor contrast and minimal
illumination with no adjustments to ensure the IPD is correct. When
considering a HMD it is advisable to opt for the more expensive
model available to avoid possible reputable damage to your eyes.
The use of multiple CRT/LCD units is primarily for splitting cockpit
panels from the exterior display and not a 3-Dimensional effect. Flight
simmers are not at great risk when using such a setup as the displays
are viewed individually.
29
2/21/2006, 11:37:50 PM
 Inter Screen Distance
(ISD)

Screens

Inter Ocular Distance HMD

(IOD)

Lenses

Inter Pupillary Distance

(IPD)

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ISD, IOD AND IPD IN A HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY.

THE SHADED GREEN BOX REPRESENTS THE HMD CASING.

Simulator Sickness
Simulator sickness is not new to researchers. It was first recorded
in 1957 by Havron and Butler in a US Navy helicopter simulator. The
report indicated general discomfort, nausea, drowsiness, headaches
and vomiting. The symptoms became noticeable after just 20 minutes
in the simulator.
Researchers, Regan and Price, reported in their 1993 paper that
similar symptoms were evident in users who purchased off-the-shelf
VR systems. The report goes on to show that after just 20 minutes of
immersion the same symptoms mentioned in the 1957 report were
evident. Tests were done on fully, semi and non-immersion systems
and yielded the same results for each.
Further studies have indicated that simulator sickness is both
polygenic (has many sources) and polysymptomatic (has many
symptoms). This makes predicting individual susceptibility a near
impossibility. Research also indicated that only 30% of users will show
symptoms in even the worst simulator conditions. After considering all
the facts we can conclude that you are relatively safe from contracting
simulator sickness, provided you are not one of the 30%.
Having made this statement I hasten to add that a little prevention
wouldn’t be a bad thing. Avoid rapid head movement during intense
times of game play. Shut the PC down before you get up from your
chair when finished for the day. When taking a break, pause the
simulator and wait a few moments before getting up to allow your
senses to catch up with the rest of you.
Computer Addiction
PC Addiction has not been adequately researched although much
literature has been produced by various credible NGOs and other
interest groups. U.S.-based researcher, Haworth, argues that people
do become obsessed with their hobbies. One can argue that it is
possible to become addicted to one or another computer game,
simulation, or computer entertainment in general. PC gamers develop
a particular culture and this is true for flight simulation in its various
guises. This I believe to be a compounding factor as one becomes
further drawn into a world disassociated from general society.
The effects of Computer Addiction are serious. Sufferers become
withdrawn and self-absorbed. Relationships are strained and
family life suffers. It is easy to recognise the symptoms: Increased
absenteeism from work/school is noticed. Eating and sleeping routines
are disrupted. A neglect of personal hygiene is common. Sufferers
become irritable if they spend long periods of time away from the
computer. Euphoria or sense of wellbeing is experienced when at the
PC. I personally know of one flight sim enthusiast who is diagnosed
with PC addiction and have witnessed the devastating repercussions.
A balanced style is strongly advocated. Self-discipline is of great
importance to ensure you self-regulate the time you spend at the PC.
Should you suspect you suffer from CA seek help from a medical
practitioner who is well versed in such cases. Seeing a therapist may
be your only way out.
In conclusion
During my research for this article I was not able to find conclusive
evidence proving or disproving flight simulation poses a health risk.
Computer Addiction does emerge as the greatest risk together with
the associated health concerns it brings. We all need some form of
recreation and for many of us flight sim offers just that, so go ahead
and enjoy flight simulation but remember to live a balanced lifestyle.
References:
1. Costello, P.J. (1997). Health and Safety Issues associated with
Virtual Reality – A Review of Current Literature.
2. News24, 2003 -2006
3. RoSPA, computer Safety by Joanne Almond
4. South African Virtual Pilot, www.virtualpilot.co.za, 2005

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 Ultimate Terrain USA REVIEW
BY CHUCK BODEEN
U
ltimate Terrain USA, created by Scenery
Solutions and distributed by Flight 1 -
www.flight1.com - is an add-on for MSFS
2004 which “adds every available road, railroad,
river, and stream from commercial GPS navigation
data.” The product also features magnificent night
lighting and corrected coastlines, islands, and lakes.
If MSFS bridges, buildings, or landmarks are in the
wrong place - say some buildings are floating in the
water off of a corrected coastline – Ultimate Terrain
will, at the user’s option, remove them.
“UTUSA” covers all of the United States including
Hawaii, but excluding Alaska. Parts of southern Canada
are also there if they are in the standard “LOD 5” cells
along the northern border of the USA. Another product,
Ultimate Terrain Canada/Alaska, using the same
technology is also available.
cpm1004.indd 31
How it Works
The product comes in a nice box on two CDs that include a 46-page
instruction manual which is very well written and thorough. Installation
starts automatically as soon as the CD is inserted into your computer.
For me the path to the program that does the work is “C:\Program
Files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 9\Flight One Software\Ultimate
Terrain\USA\SETUP.EXE”. I put an icon pointing to SETUP.EXE on
my desktop so that I could activate the program easily.
Take a trip with me around the Setup Utility. In case you have more
than one installation of FS2004, at the top you can change the path to
the one you want to modify. Now, down the left side, the first section
will allow you to control the application of improved roads. MSFS
scenery in cities may have images of roads that conflict with the more
accurate roads of Ultimate Terrain, so you have the option to upgrade
only roads outside of residential areas. Similar options apply to roads
across bridges and through tunnels. Major roads can be flattened to
make them appear more real as they pass across and through hilly
country. Next, similar options are available to control night lighting.
31
2/21/2006, 11:37:53 PM
 When you are finished with your selections, click on “Exit”. You
will then see a message that says the choices you have made will be
effective the next time you start FS2004. If you want to change your
selections, exit MSFS and run the Setup Utility again.

Examples
By comparing FS2004 scenery before and after applying the
Ultimate Terrain improvements to places with which you are familiar,
you can make more informed judgments of the quality of both. In the
discussion below the following abbreviations will be used:

MS - MSFS 2004 scenery out of the box.

UT - Ultimate Terrain improvements applied to MS.
GE - GoogleEarth (used with permission of earth.google.com).

THE ULTIMATE TERRAIN SETUP UTILITY

At the top right of the Setup screen you can turn on the enhanced
railroads or turn off the MSFS rails. Below that you can control
MSFS bridges, landmarks, and buildings. The next section is devoted
to specification of water and even allows for desert streams to be
rendered as dry washes – a very nice option in my part of the country
here in Las Vegas, Nevada. Finally, you can add more cities and towns
as well as detailed land classes which bring forth actual cemeteries
and golf courses.

Across the bottom of the screen are two shortcuts which allow you
to turn all Ultimate Terrain features on or off. A third button on the
bottom switches to a new screen so that you can run the “Texture
Configurator”. Most of the choices here affect night time views. There
are five choices of types of street lights, three kinds of road pavement,
and five densities of cars on the roads – although the cars do not move.
Click “OK” on this screen to return to the Setup Utility.
SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES

Having lived in the Southwestern United States, I’ll show you

some places with which I am familiar and how they are rendered
under different options. The numbers on the map refer to the locations
of the examples below.

Figure 1: As I drive from my home in Las Vegas, Nevada to Los

Angeles I cross the great Mojave Desert. Near Yermo, just east of
Barstow is the Marine Corps Logistics Base which is clearly visible
from the road. In the picture from MS (left) Interstate 15 touches the
left wing of the plane and the Union Pacific railroad is at the right tip
of both the wing and the stabilizer. The rail yards of the 2,000 acre
Marine Corps depot for holding and re-consignment of weapons and
supplies is missing. UT (right) shows all rail spurs as well as a better
main line. The small city of Yermo is also visible. Yermo is a Native
American word meaning “Desert Flower” and the site is the busiest
TEXTURE CONFIGURATION SCREEN rail operations center in the U.S. Military.

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 REVIEW

FIGURE 1. MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE AT YERMO, CALIFORNIA

FIGURE 2. TOP DOWN VIEW OF CAJON PASS

FIGURE 3. MARINA DEL REY JUST NORTH OF KLAX (LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA)

Figure 2: On Interstate 15 the 4259 foot Cajon Pass stands between
the Mojave Desert and the Los Angles Basin. The canyon walls are so
steep that both the highway and the railroads are winding and divided
in places. I have marked the railroads with yellow crosses since they are
difficult to see in these top-down views. MS (left) shows a single road
for I-15 while, as advertised, UT (right) shows both sides of divided
freeways as separate roads.
Three railroads climb through the pass. As black lines on the inset
map, the Southern Pacific tracks are on top; Atchison, Topeka, and
Santa Fe are on the bottom, and the Union Pacific is in the center. U.P.
shares track with A.T. and S.F. as they leave the pass and head east, while
the S.P. goes north across the desert. While UT splits highways that are
close together, apparently this does not hold true for some railroad lines.
Figure 3: Driving on into the Los Angeles area, which is known for
its nice beaches, we find the boat harbor at Marina del Rey. While UT
(center) might have a more accurate coastline shape, the sand is missing
entirely. GE (right) shows us that the beach is longer than that produced
by MS (left).

33

cpm1004.indd 33 2/21/2006, 11:38:00 PM

 FIGURE 4. THE TEHACHAPI LOOP OF THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD

FIGURE 5. TOP DOWN VIEWS OF THE WINDING ROAD ACROSS HOOVER DAM

FIGURE 5A. THE LOW WATER BEHIND THE DAM

Figure 4: Leaving the desert city of Mojave, the Southern Pacific
Railroad struggles over the Tehachapi Mountains. Near the summit
of the pass, elevation needs to be gained in a very short distance. The
famous “Tehachapi Loop” where trains execute a 360 degree turn
and pass over themselves is the answer. MS (right) shows no loop
while UT picks up not only the loop but also the towns of Marcel
(foreground) and Tehachapi (in the distance). The photo of the Loop
was graciously supplied by Paul Cantrell.
Figure 5: Now let’s start going east from Las Vegas toward the
Grand Canyon. The Colorado River is blocked by Hoover (aka
Boulder) Dam which was built in the 1930s to provide electrical
power and flood control. The elevation at nearby Boulder City,
Nevada, is 2200 feet. Highway 93 winds down into Black Canyon
and runs across the top of the dam at an elevation of 1380 feet and
then climbs back up on the Arizona side. The UT road detail (right) is
more accurate than the map tracing I made (left) and surely better than
MS (center). The object which represents the dam comes from MSFS
2004 and the real road runs right across the top of the dam (dotted
lines). In the MS view the dam seems to be too far north with respect
to the roads and in the UT picture it seems too far south.
Figure 5a: The rain fall and snow melt in the Rocky Mountains
which feed the Colorado River have been severely short in recent

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 REVIEW
FIGURE 6. CAMP NAVAJO AT BELLEMONT, ARIZONA
FIGURE 7. CALIPATRIA, CALIFORNIA - TOP DOWN AT DAWN
years, causing the water level behind the dam to drop. Just six years
ago the level was near the red line in the picture. At first I thought
MSFS had the lake elevation too low so I landed the plane on the lake
and found it to be 1141 feet above sea level. Then I called my friend
at the Las Vegas Valley Water District and found that it is actually
1137 – much lower than in “normal” years.
Figure 6: Highway 93 intersects Interstate 40 at Kingman,
Arizona. The town of Bellemont is on I-40 just 12 miles west of
Flagstaff. The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe runs parallel to the
highway. MS shows both the road and the railroad, but UT comes
up with much more detail, including the town of Bellemont. The
somewhat elaborate 38 miles of tracks to the south of town run
through 28,347 acre “Camp Navajo” which was established in
World War II as an Army logistics base. Navajo Indians were hired
to operate it – hence its name. There are 170 buildings and 776
igloo-like structures for storage of munitions. In the movie “Easy
Rider”, Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper stopped in Bellemont but
were turned away as “hippies” so they had to continue on what was
then “Route 66” (now I-40) to a place where they could sleep in the
woods and smoke some grass.
cpm1004.indd 35
Figure 7: In large cities you probably will not notice a lot of
difference when you activate lights with Ultimate Terrain. The
difference really shows up at smaller towns like Calipatria in
California’s Imperial Valley where MS (on the left) does not even
recognize the existence of the populated area. UT (on the right) uses
special night terrain textures as well as cars and street lights in the
enhanced roads. I have painted the runways at KCLR yellow so you
can see them better.
Conclusion
• Installation and use is simple.
• The product comes with a very readable 46-page instruction manual.
• There are hundreds of combinations of enhancements that can be
selected.
• Roads and railroads are nearly perfect.
• Ocean shores, lakes, and islands are vastly improved.
• Land use and textures reveal countryside and small towns.
• The price is right. You can purchase Ultimate Terrain USA for
US$34.95 from major flight sim retailers on CD.
• Ultimate Terrain: Canada/Alaska is available for US$29.95 for
further coverage.
35
2/21/2006, 11:38:08 PM
 Flying in the Ground Effect
BY CHUCK BODEEN
What is it?
“It is rather like a wall.”
“It is rather like a spear.”
“It is rather like a snake.”
“It is rather like a tree.”
“It is rather like a fan.”
“It is rather like a rope.”
WHAT CAN IT BE?
36
cpm1004.indd 36
You guessed it. It’s the elephant being described by ancient blind
Buddhist men in the poem by John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1897).
If you have ever tried to land a real airplane you may have noticed
that the closer you get to the ground the more the plane wants to stay
up. This is especially true of low wing planes. When you read the
literature about how planes fly, and particularly how they fly near
the ground, you begin to think the various authors are talking about
independent, dissimilar, incomparable physical phenomena.
“It’s Bernoulli’s equation.”
“It’s Newton’s Third Law.”
“It’s downwash.”
“It’s upwash.”
“It’s trailing vortices.”
“It’s induced drag.”
WHAT
T MAKES IT FLY?
CPM. V10I4
2/21/2006, 11:38:11 PM
 In fact, all of these concepts are working at once. None causes any
of the others any more than an elephant’s tail causes its trunk. The
very best discussion I have found of the whole picture is in Chapter 3
of J. S. Denker’s “See How it Flys” - http://www.av8n.com/how/
The article covers virtually all of the seemingly singular
explanations given by others and shows how they are all involved
simultaneously in the act of flying. Let me say at the start that Denker
does not agree with everything I have written in this article. Like so
many other authors, I have tried to make the explanations as simple as
I can and still not be too far off from the entire truth.
Consider a symmetrical airfoil with a long span in a very large
wind tunnel so that we won’t need to discuss what happens at the
wing tips until later. Even at zero angle of attack the airfoil is an
object in the way of the air flow, so the flow must speed up to get
around it. Bernoulli’s equation says that the constant total (or
ambient) pressure is equal to the sum of the “static pressure” plus
the “dynamic pressure”. The static pressure pushes on surfaces and
the dynamic pressure is one half the air density times the square
of the speed. That means that as the air speeds up to go around
the airfoil, the dynamic pressure increases and the static pressure
pushing on the surface of the wing decreases. Since this wing
section is symmetrical there is no net lifting force developed, but
there will be “section drag” due to the fact that the air is pushing
on the leading edge and that there is friction as it passes by. By
the way, airspeed instruments determine the velocity by using the
difference between the total pressure which comes in through the
hole in the front of a pitot tube and the static pressure which comes
through a hole in the side.
At an angle of attack, the flow is no longer symmetrical, but
it can be thought of as the sum of two flow fields; one at the free
stream speed and another which is circling around the airfoil. The
circulation flow around the airfoil is called the “bound vortex”-
more about that later.
FLOW AROUND A VERY LONG WING
cpm1004.indd 37
There are pressure forces that are perpendicular to the surfaces of
the wing and are lower on the top than on the bottom because the air
speed on top is higher than that on the bottom. Behold! Lift and drag
are developed. By convention, angle of attack is measured between
the free stream velocity and the wing chord. Section lift is defined as
that part of the net force on the wing that is perpendicular to the free
stream with section drag being the component parallel to the general
flow direction. In the figure, L and D are vectors and L + D is called
the vector sum of the two.
D
L
suction pressure L+D
BERNOULLI’S PRESSURES RESULT IN NEWTON’S FORCES
Now Isaac Newton comes to bat. For every “action” there must
be a “reaction”. If I push you, you are pushing back on me with the
same force. So if the air is pushing up on the wing (lift), then the wing
pushes down and changes the velocity vector of the air. This produces
“downwash” – the air leaving the trailing edge of the wing moves
down relative to the free stream air.
The values of these vectors are calculated using the “section” lift
and drag coefficients found in such references as “Theory of Wing
Sections” by Abbott and von Doenhoff. They are also those found in
Airfoil-Maker.
LIFT AND DRAG COEFFICIENTS FROM AIRFOIL-MAKER
37
2/21/2006, 11:38:13 PM
 The Vortices
Now what about that bound vortex? Ludwig Prandlt (1875-1953)
developed his famous “lifting line” theory as part of the mathematical
basis for the fundamental principles of subsonic aerodynamics in the
1920s. Prandtl’s student was Theodore von Kármán whose student
was Duncan Rannie whose student was Chuck Bodeen. Kármán was
responsible for the aerodynamic body designs of the Kármán-Ghia
and early Porsche automobiles. THE METHOD OF MIRROR IMAGES

As the wing gets closer to the ground, flow between the wing and
the ground gets more and more restricted resulting in higher pressure
on the bottom and, therefore, more total lift. Also, the downwash
angle is reduced. The section lift is increased from what would be
measured in the free stream. This effect is governed by the ratio of
chord to height above the runway.

THE VORTEX SYSTEM ANOTHER APPLICATION OF THE MIRROR IMAGE METHOD

John Denker graciously supplied the drawing of the vortex system
and explains that, ideally, both physically and mathematically, a
vortex can have no end. Think of the vortex structure of an airplane
as if it were a smoke ring. The system consists of three parts: the
bound vortex on the wing, the trailing vortices off of each wing,
and the starting vortex back on the ground. Prandtl’s lifting line and
the bound vortex are actually the same thing. Of course, there are
vortices shed from other parts of the plane. Also, friction in the air
will damp out the energy in the starting vortex and in the part of the
trailing vortices that is far behind the aircraft, but don’t follow an
airliner too closely!
Drag on a wing comes from two sources: the “section drag”
which was described above and the “induced drag” which is
associated with the circulation, the production of lift, and the
trailing vortices. Consider two wings of similar design and less than
infinite span producing the same lift at the same speed. In theory,
and with experimental verification, it turns out that the induced drag
times the square of the span is the same for both. This explains why
sail planes with their very long wings have relatively less induced
drag than do common airplanes. This also explains why induced
drag is reduced near the ground.
In fact, these two phenomena are both at work when a plane flies
near the ground. The “span dominated effect” reduces induced drag
and is governed by the ratio of the height above ground divided by
the wing span (h/b). The “chord dominated effect” increases lift as
the ground is approached and depends upon the ratio of height to the
chord (h/c).
How X-Plane Treats the Ground Effect
X-Plane is not entirely a digital wind tunnel which would solve the
equations for the air flow in a neighborhood around the plane. If it
were it would run a lot slower and cost a lot more. The ground effect
is treated by calculating the lift and drag in free air at altitude and then
applying empirical multipliers to determine how they change close to
the ground. It is no easy matter to relate the lift and drag calculated
from the airfoil data seen in Airfoil-Maker. X-Plane takes into account
the wind aspect ratio, taper ratio, fuselage interference, and a number
of other factors in determining the free-air lift and drag.

The math involved in solving aerodynamics problems is

complicated, but it always involves “boundary values”. That is,
you must have some places in the flow field where you know the
answer. There is a trick that is used in the case of the ground effect.
Mathematically, it is easier to solve for the flow around mirror-
imaged wings than it is to just say the ground is there and that no air
flows through the ground. The solution is that the trailing vortices
are “squashed” and pushed further apart producing a larger effective
wing span and thus reducing the induced drag. One way to think of
the vortices is that the pressure under the wing is higher than that on PART OF “CYCLE DUMP.TXT” SHOWING CHANGES X-PLANE MAKES TO
top so the air must flow from the bottom to the top. AIRFOIL CHARACTERISTICS BEFORE FLYING EVEN IN FREE AIR

38 CPM. V10I4

cpm1004.indd 38 2/21/2006, 11:38:15 PM

 If you examine the files “X-plane.out” prior to version 8.20 or
“Cycle Dump.txt” in later versions you will see that modifications
are made that affect the way the airfoil section coefficients are used.
Details of the wing structure such as aspect ratio, taper ratio, dihedral,
incidence and sweep are accounted for. Oswald’s efficiency in the
Cycle Dump is a measure of the difference between the drag of the
wing at hand and that of a wing of elliptical plan form – like the
World War II Spitfire. The efficiency factor is 1.00 for elliptical wings
and less than 1.00 for all other wings. Smaller efficiency produces
more drag.
The ground effect multipliers depend upon the height of the wing
above ground at the point where the lift is centered. This is controlled
by the aspect and taper ratios, the dihedral, and even the deployment
of flaps and leading edge devices.
X-PLANE MULTIPLIERS FOR LIFT AND DRAG IN THE GROUND EFFECT
Wing in Ground Effect Vehicles
There is a large class of “flying boats” that depend upon the extra
lift they get by staying close to the water. As a matter of fact, these
ships which have wings with large chord and short span cannot
fly above, say, half a wing chord above the surface. You can do an
Internet search on the subject or go to http://www.flightship.info/ to
see one that I modeled in X-Plane a few years ago.
“FLIGHTSHIP” - A WIGE VEHICLE
cpm1004.indd 39
Helicopters
A quick study of the data available from X-Plane while flying
helicopters close to the ground reveals that the lift and drag ground
effect multipliers for the rotors are both based upon height divided
by span. The problem is treated as if the diameter of the rotating
prop were the same as the chord of a wing. On this basis, the same
multipliers are used as those for wings. Look at Paul Cantrell’s
drawings of a helicopter hovering. For more details on helicopters
go to his site at http://www.cybercom.net/~copters/ and click on
“Aerodynamics” and “Ground Effect”.
We Do Not Know It All
So far the discussion has been about a simple case, but there are
other things beyond the scope of this article which affect aircraft
performance in the ground effect such as propulsion system type and
location, tail configuration, wind, and turbulence.
As much as we would like to think we understand the ground effect,
recent literature does not point in that direction. A study of using
only throttles to control the F-15 and the MD-11 was described in a
NASA paper in 1993. “The Ground effect is a black art. We just don’t
have good ground effects models. As more was learned about the
ground effect, we worked to minimize the most severe discovery, an
alarmingly high sink rate just before touchdown.” Gordon Fullerton, a
college classmate of mine, was the F-15 pilot.
A NASA paper written in 2000 says “Wake vortex behavior in
the ground effect has been investigated both observationally and
numerically, but most of the research to date has only qualitatively
described the complexities of this phenomenon.”
Austin Meyer, author of X-Plane, told me how his simulator
calculates the ground effect, but he added, “I can not confirm or deny
the degree to which [the theory] is true. I only know from charts how
much the drag [and lift] change. What, exactly, is changing about
the airflow to cause those changes, I cannot positively say.” At least
the “data out” feature of X-Plane allows us to know exactly how the
ground effect is being treated.
39
2/21/2006, 11:38:17 PM
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Volu me 1-7 BACK ISSUE ar
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cpm1004.indd 41
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Flying in New Zealand. Aircraft Workshop Part 2. “Who’s In Control”
Series Continues. The “Still Lifes” of Flight Simming. Training for an
Instrument Rating – Part V. Mud Moving in the Viper: 102. Google
Earth Revealed! Flight Instructor – Steep Turns. Ground School -
Depressions. PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS & MORE!!!
Volume 10 Issue 2
Reviews: PC Aviator’s MegaScenery Mid Atlantic • Mike Ray’s Flying
the Boeing 700 Series Flight Simulators • Aerosoft’s Beech 1900C
& B1900D • PILOT’s SR-71 Blackbird. On a Wing and some Air.
Cockpit Building Series. “Who’s In Control” Series Continues. Flying
Memories: The VS-44 China Clipper. Freeware Frenzy – Expanded!
Mud Moving in the Viper: 103. “Playing Games” or Career
Preparation? AlphaTrainer Overview. Round Robin Adventures – Aero
Mexico, on the Boeing 737-700. Flying the Heavies - Angles. PLUS
OUR REGULAR COLUMNS & MORE!!!
Volume 10 Issue 3
Reviews: PC Aviator’s MegaScenery Southern California Version
2 •John Dekker’s Radar Contact V4 •Abacus’ EZ-Scenery
•NaturalPoint’s TrackIR4 Professional. Vista Australis: Overview and
Interview. Flying the Memories: The Flight to Freedom. Building a
“Boom Box” for Flight Simulation. VFR Around Washington, D.C. Bill
Stack’s Column. Over Flanders Fields. Air-to-Air Weaponry. A Wishlist
for FSX. Flying the Heavies: Engine-Out Flying. The Ins and Outs of
Sim Flying...PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS & MORE!!!
2/21/2006, 11:39:12 PM
 42 CPM. V10I4

cpm1004.indd 42 2/21/2006, 11:39:15 PM

 “BRIZZIE DIZZIE” BOEING 737-700
Photograph by Dean Bielanowski

43

cpm1004.indd 43 2/21/2006, 10:45:00 PM

 4
The X-treme King Air B200
BY DR. JOHN LATTANZIO
REVIEW
T
he first question one is likely to ask when
faced with a payware King Air aircraft for
FS2004 is “Why would I buy a King Air when
there is one included for free?” It’s a fair question.
In reply, I would advise that the X-treme King Air
by Aeroworx is as different to the default King Air as
the PMDG 737 is to the default 737. The comparison
is very appropriate in fact. This aircraft has the care,
detail and fidelity that we have usually associated
with the large airliner add-ons. Now, that sort of care
and obsession has been applied to GA aircraft in
what is perhaps the most detailed and accurate GA
add-on yet for MSFS.
44
cpm1004.indd 44
So, what do we get? First of all, do not confuse this with the
Aeroworx version 1 King Air. This is a major rewrite. Aeroworx
have modeled five real-world Beechcraft B200 King Airs (the default
King Air is a 350 model, which is just ever-so-slightly bigger). Three
of these have VIP seating configurations and the other two are set
up as medical transports. In fact, three of the aircraft (2 medical,
one VIP) are based on the aircraft used by MedCenter Air, and one
of their pilots, Chris Frishmuth, was the “consulting pilot” to the
project. The other two VIP aircraft are in UN livery and a typical
‘exec’ or charter livery. There is a repaint kit, and some nice repaints
are already available, such as Jeffrey Yen’s fantastic Australian
Royal Flying Doctor Service. While you are at it, check out his King
Air resources pages and his Round the World flight in the King Air!
See http://www.itsnotpersonal.com/fly/
CPM. V10I4
2/21/2006, 10:45:16 PM
 REVIEW
Flight Models and Features
The aircraft are accurate models of their real-world counterparts
and come with either a full EFIS cockpit or an analog cockpit as
appropriate to the real version of that aircraft. Part of the fun of the
King Air is that the instruments are all accurate simulations of their
real-world counterparts. So the manual contains a detailed section on
how to operate both versions of the instruments. There is a separate
2D cockpit for each, as well as the virtual cockpit. In fact, each
aircraft comes with three configurations: the 2D cockpit only, the
2D plus the virtual cockpit, or the full 2D with virtual cockpit and
virtual cabin. You may choose a particular version based on your
sim performance – the model with both virtual cockpit and cabin is
reserved for the speedier machines.
XXX’S BEAUTIFUL FLYING DOCTOR REPAINT

Much thought has gone into the aircraft so that even in the 2D
cockpit there is more than expected. Like many other add-on aircraft
there is a VFR and an IFR panel (one for each of the EFIS and
analog versions). The IFR panel moves the top of the panel upwards
and adds another row of instruments below. But a really nice touch
is that there is also a right hand seat 2D panel! So you have a click
spot on the screen that moves you to the co-pilot view and gives
you access to those instruments. This view also exists in both IFR
and VFR modes. So, there are lots of 2D views available to make
access to the instruments as simple as possible. For each of the 2D
views there are many other sub-panels and pop-ups. For example,
there is a pop-up panel for the radio stack and the KLN90B model
GPS. Many of the instruments can be clicked on to appear in higher
resolution if needed. There are a total of no fewer than 22 pop-ups
and sub-panels!
But they are not all needed at once, because they cover both the
EFIS and analog versions. I found that the use of these panels was THE OUTSIDE VIEWS ARE AS BEAUTIFUL AS THE INSIDE VIEWS
so intuitive that I was jumping around with ease right from the start.
There is a set of icons for the sub-panels in the top right corner of the
standard 2D panel and this made the whole thing very easy to use.
It’s typical of the thought that has gone into this plane, and you can
even remove this string of icons if you prefer.

All of the instruments are detailed copies of the real versions, and
there are no generic instruments here. This all adds to the feeling
of authenticity. Each instrument is familiar but you have to learn
its little quirks and differences. The pilot’s operating handbook
contains excellent information on all the instruments.

So, after this brief orientation, the thing that is most likely to
hit you (right in the eye) is just how beautiful this aircraft is. The
developers at Aeroworx have done a fantastic job. It’s not often
that I spend a lot of time in spot plane mode watching myself
fly... but I did with the King Air. I hope that the pictures here do it
THE EXTERIOR MODEL IS SUPERB
justice.

The inside is recreated equally well. The 2D panels are fantastic

and the virtual panel is breathtaking. The virtual cabin is more
like the average virtual cabin. It’s fine, don’t get me wrong, but it’s
nothing out of the ordinary. The 2D and VC however are indeed
well beyond the ordinary. They are worthy of note.

Ready to Fly?
OK. Next step is probably to fly the thing, huh? There is a detailed
pilot’s operating handbook that will introduce you to the problem
of hot starts. Basically, you must not allow fuel to enter the Pratt
and Whitneys (model PT6A-42) engines until the battery has spun
them up to 12% N1. If fuel is added too soon, the burning takes place
with too little flow and the ITT will reach too high and damage these

PASSENGER’S VIEW FROM INSIDE THE MEDICAL KING AIR

cpm1004.indd 45 2/21/2006, 10:45:24 PM

 THE PILOT’S VIEW OF THE ANALOG 2D COCKPIT. THE IMPORTANT CONTROLS CAN BE ACCESSED IN 2D MODE

THE EFIS COCKPIT FROM THE LEFT SEAT. RIGHT HAND VIEW IN 2D MODE

MANY INSTRUMENTS CAN POP UP FOR BETTER VIEWING THE BEAUTIFUL VC

cpm1004.indd 46 2/21/2006, 10:45:41 PM

 VC SHOWING FUEL PANEL (LEFT) AND OVERHEAD

REALISM AND DETAIL CAN BE ADJUSTED

EVERY VISUAL IS SPETACULAR

THE REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE PAGE

LIGHTING IN THE VC IS BEAUTIFUL THE MAINTENANCE CENTRE 47

cpm1004.indd 47 2/21/2006, 10:45:57 PM


THE EXTERIORS ARE SOME OF THE BEST AROUND
lovely engines. This is called a hot start. If that happens you will be in
bad shape because a damaged engine is likely to run hot in the future
as well! The only option is to visit the Maintenance Module (more
on this below) and ask the guys there to fix the engine, please. It’s
embarrassing, so try to learn how to avoid hot starts at all cost.
A couple of common problems can cause you some distress, and
I cooked many engines before I learned these simple facts. First, do
not use a CH yoke to start the engines. Use the mouse. Secondly,
the Maintenance Module will not work in full screen mode, so go
to window mode before trying to repair your engines. The problem
with the CH yoke is a curious one. You may think, as I did, that
using a lever for the fuel condition and then using E1 and E2 should
allow you to start the engines using the lever. Nope. The obvious
thing to try is to start with the fuel levers in cut-off and then get N1
to 12% in your number one engine. When that happens, hit E1 and
move the lever to the low idle position. All is fine. Now, you may
expect that E2 would then make the lever control engine 2. But is
there fuel flowing now because E2 is at “Low Idle” (where E1 was)?
If so, you get a hot start and damage engine 2. If you try to rapidly
move the lever back to fuel cutoff it does not help as you have still
introduced fuel into engine 2. I even tried not hitting E2 until I had
the second engine at 12% N1. But for some reason this failed too.
Well, I intend to get to the bottom of this, using FSUIPC to find out
what MSFS does and when it does it. But the simple solution is to
leave the CH levers applying to both engines and use the mouse to
adjust the levers separately on the pop-up throttle quadrant. This
works just fine.
The fool-proof way to start the plane without hot starts is to load
the default Cessna and shut it down, ensuring that the fuel is cutoff
with Ctrl + Shift + F1. Then load the King Air and call up the throttle
quadrant. Use the mouse to move the levers on the throttle quadrant
and you will be fine. In fact, I used FSUIPC (registered version) to
set a reasonably wide zero region in my CH yoke and then I never
needed to load the Cessna. As long as I remembered to set the fuel
cutoff before loading the King Air, it behaved fine.
Service Please…
The Maintenance Panel enables you to alter realism levels (and
turn off hot starts if you are that way inclined) and also to turn on
or off faults. But the main use is to maintain your aircraft. It keeps
track of all the flying, the conditions of the engines, the tire wear,
oil use in the engines etc. You can top up the engine oil and replace
48
cpm1004.indd 48
tires and even replace engines and propellers. These are expensive
but fortunately we don’t have to really pay. So, the Maintenance
Module keeps tack of the conditions you fly under, and any poor
treatment of the engines is noted and affects their behavior later!
Knowing this makes you a lot more careful when flying. Now you
really do have to keep your ITT low or you will cause yourself
problems later. I think this is a lovely addition and really adds to the
realism and immersion experience when flying the plane. You feel
that there are serious consequences for the way you treat the engines,
so you are more careful and watchful. Oh, you can also damage
your flaps and gear if you use them at the wrong speeds, too. Yes,
this module forces you to behave yourself. But, remember, you must
go to windowed mode to run the Maintenance Module. Otherwise
it does not work. It’s a quirk of MSFS and video cards, apparently.
Oh, one more thing. At present the module does not distinguish
between the different models, so the wear adds up as if it were all
one aircraft. The ability to track wear for each separate model is
planned for V3.
Added Extras
So, what else can I add? The manual is excellent (provided on
their website - so go to aeroworx.com to check it out in advance if
you like). It has a good description of the aircraft and all its systems
and instruments. Checklists are included, of course. The introduction
flights and the manual cover not just what to do and when, but there
is an explanation of the why as well. I loved this aspect. You will find
a section on normal procedures as well as emergency procedures and
performance charts. The Quick Start guide is the way to get going.
The tutorial flight is very good, but it does include a rather tricky
approach and you don’t really want to do that until you are already
used to the aircraft.
In short, I felt that I was really there in the cockpit. I got
totally absorbed in the procedures and the details. And there are
consequences for your actions so pay attention to how you do things!
Watch those lovely engines… for that matter listen to the beautiful
sounds included with the aircraft. After flying this plane for a few
hours I wondered why it was so addictive and convincing. I think
it’s no single thing but the combination of many. It exudes quality. It
seduces you and lures you into the virtual world. Hear the fuel flowing
just before you ignite those engines. Enjoy the stunning views in the
2D and virtual cockpit. And then step outside and watch this beautiful
plane following your instructions.
Yes, I loved it. It’s fantastic, You need this one. Trust me. And
at US$30 it is one of the more reasonably priced add-ons currently
available. The boxed version is published by Flight 1.
With the money you save compared to some of the other inferior
products out there, you can make a donation to the Australian Royal
Flying Doctor Service. These guys and gals provide medical service
outside the cities in remote parts of Australia, covering huge distances
every day, and mostly in King Air B200 aircraft. They have nearly 50
of them and make an average of 150 flights per day. Check out their
very informative website at http://www.flyingdoctor.net/default.htm
and feel free to help these folk out. I did.
But, back to the King Air. Aeroworx have done a fantastic job. This
has become my favorite GA aircraft, and I will be ensuring I have one
in my FSPassengers fleet! And, with a lovely right hand panel, it is
ideally suited for Airliner Pilot too. But whatever your thing, VFR or
IFR, totally spontaneous flight or scheduled airlines, you will find that
the King Air will win you over. It’s a gem. 4
CPM. V10I4
2/21/2006, 10:46:01 PM
 Subject:
Hi Guys,
Thanks.
Michael Hope
South Africa
[Michael, Yep good idea. Actually, you probably have already seen the
March 2006 issue by now which did in fact have an article on building
a “boom box” for flight simulation, and highlighting the latest trends
and technology in the computer market. I’m sure that article would
have provided the information you need. We will endeavor to make
this a bi-annual column to keep up with the fast-changing field of
computer technology, and along with our monthly news (which often
announces new sim-related hardware products) and our bi-monthly
Hardware Corner columns, you should be kept well up to date with all
the latest gear and technology. I’d also recommend some of the great PC
hardware-related websites available online, including Tom’s Hardware at
www.tomshardware.com and AnandTech at www.anandtech.com – both
excellent hardware resources. I often also get emails from readers asking
about specific video cards to buy, or which one is the fastest etc. To be
honest, I haven’t used or tested every card on the market… heck, I’d love to
be able to buy and test them all! But my main source of reference material
Subject: Delivery Delays to Europe?
Hi Team,
I experience delivery delays to Germany, often receiving the magazine in the
3rd or 4th week of the month. Is there a known problem here? I would love
to receive them earlier if possible?
Otherwise, the magazine itself is good and I enjoy reading it. Could you
include a lesson on the ILS for me?
H. Brandl
Germany
[Greetings. Delivery delays to Europe and some other international
destinations are known to us. They are not so much delays but the result of
us not being able to employ first class, fast shipping service. Because we are
a niche magazine and international delivery charges for smaller numbers of
magazines are quite high it means that we have to employ a delivery service
that is affordable without us having to raise the price of our magazine,
which is rarely popular with readers! Keep in mind that magazines still
arrive at regular monthly intervals to all international deadlines despite
the cover date printed on the magazine and the content is still as current
as it can possibly be given regular lag times in magazine production and
distribution. That said, a recent new option to purchase Computer Pilot
Write To Computer Pilot INBOX
If you have something you want to share with fellow flight simulator enthusiasts, then Computer Pilot INBOX is the place to be heard. Each issue, we’ll choose the best
letter as the letter of the month and reward that reader with a prize!
The easiest and quickest way to submit your letters is by e-mail to: inbox@computerpilot.com
cpm1004.indd 49
”
l Hope UTER PILOT
i c h e a
“M COMP NSION!
N T H
I N S 12 MOPTION/EXTE
W RI
SUBSC
for this are the AGP and PCIe charts available at Tom’s Hardware website
mentioned above. They get their hands on all the latest (and some older)
cards and test them against each other using a number of different games
and simulators and collate the results. They then create visual charts which
you can use to see how each card or chipset type performs against each
other under numerous test conditions. Using this you can quickly see how
fast (or not so fast) each card type is. It’s a very handy resource and an
essential read if you are looking to buy a new video card to improve your
system performance. – Ed]
issues in digital format (PDF) from some online retailers (currently available
from the PC Aviator download store at www.pcaviator.com/dlstore/ or
from Simmarket at www.simmarket.com) are proving a popular option for
some international readers, and allows quicker access to the magazine if
you are experiencing delays in receiving your print edition. We will continue
to try and improve delivery times to international locations, but please
understand that some parts of the delivery process (usually customs holdings
in particular countries) are beyond our control and often introduce delays of
their own in the distribution chain.
Regarding your request for a lesson on the Instrument Landing System
(ILS), this has been covered in back issues. I’d suggest checking out the
following back issues which have content related to ILS approaches which
you can read about and order from http://www.computerpilot.com/
content.php?pid=2
Volume 2 Issue 2, Volume 5 Issue 1, Volume 7 Issue 6, Volume 8 Issue 8 (ILS
for beginners).
Note that the earlier issues will have lessons relating to use with earlier
simulator versions. The Volume 8 Issue 8 lesson is a good introduction to the
ILS and includes an easy-to-follow training flight to hone your skills of basic
ILS beam interception and tracking. Hope that helps! – Ed]
2/21/2006, 10:46:16 PM
 ROUNDROBIN ADVENTURE
BY AL PELLETIER
If you have undertaken previous Round
Robins, skip the next paragraph, jump
right in, and have fun. For those who are
new to this, Round Robins are published
with the intent of having flight simmers fly,
look at the scenery, refresh our geography,
practice our cross country navigation,
perform approaches at different airports
all over the world, and have some FUN.
In the message, you will be receiving
info like: airport departure and runway
number, VORs and NDBs enroute, two
or three middle airport destinations, for
VFR or INST approach, and back to your
point of departure (Round Robin). You
will also be given ILS and LOM freq.,
minimums, procedures etc. and a little
background on the geography of the area.
After you fly a few of these, you will have a
much better command and understanding
of the different types of published
procedures. You will learn to handle a lot
of information in a very short time, while
still maintaining control of your aircraft.
50
cpm1004.indd 50
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
R
ound Robin adventure: This
month we are flying for Southwest
Airlines. I wrote this article with
the help of Jonathan Thurston, Dallas Hub
Manager of Southwest Virtual Airline.
This VA is one of the best organized VAs
I have ever seen. The pilot resources are
second to none, and I found all the needed
material in there, like approach plates and
SIDs/STARs. You must pay them a visit at
http://www.virtualswa.com/home.php
You will find it well worth the time.
Jonathan raised a point about some very
interesting rules governing the Airlines in
the USA. He writes “The route that I am
going to suggest ties into the real world
Southwest Airlines and their recent battle
with American Airlines in regards to the
Wright Amendment. The Wright Amendment
limits any major carrier from flying from
Dallas Love Field to any state outside
of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the
recent addition, Missouri. Missouri was
added a few months ago. Southwest is now
serving four daily non-stops from Dallas
Love to St. Louis and four from Dallas Love
to Kansas City”
Jonathan suggested we fly from Dallas to St.
Louis, then on to Kansas City and back to
Dallas. That’s what we’ll do!
Great add-ons for this flight:
Most freeware files can be found at
www.flightsim.com or www.avsim.com
Aircraft and panel (Payware):
I used the awesome PMDG Boeing 737-
700. The 737-700 are used by Southwest.
You can check PMDG products at:
htttp://www.precisionmanuals.com
0C2A3
Scenery (Payware):
I enhanced the US terrain with FSGENESIS
textures, which can be found at
http://portal.fsgenesis.net/
CPM. V10I4
2/21/2006, 10:46:18 PM
 ROUND ROBIN ADVENTURE
The US land class texture files made this
route very realistic. Great work Justin!
I also used the Megacity USA 2005 Dallas/
Forth Worth add-on, which is just awesome.
With this, the Dallas scenery is so realistic
and the night flying was great. It can be
purchased at www.megascenery.com
Scenery (freeware):
Some files available for Kansas City, Dallas
Love field at Avsim.com and Flightsim.com
More Aircraft and panels:
There are also numerous freeware Boeing
737 in Southwest Airline livery available at
www.avsim.com and www.flightsim.com
Pilot Resources:
You can find more maps and navaids at the
Southwest Virtual airline web site http:
//www.virtualswa.com/home.php and at the
Computer Pilot Magazine website using your
code number on the front of the magazine.
cpm1004.indd 51
(A lot of notes regarding ATC will pertain
only to FS2002\FS2004 users)
May I suggest that you READ the route a
couple of times before starting out so that
you’ll have the flight plan fairly clear in your
mind. Especially in a fast medium or large
jet aircraft, there isn’t much time to spare and
definitely no room for errors.
The scenario and tasking for
this exercise:
We are flying for Southwest Airline on
the Boeing 737-700. This Airline was
one of the first “no-frills” airlines and
operates only Boeing 737s. Today’s flight
is a regular schedule run from Dallas
Love Field to St. Louis/Lambert, Kansas
City and back to Dallas. I wrote this
route with the intent on completing one
leg in good visibility, one in rain/wind/
low visibility, and one night flight, also
in bad weather.
Round Robin Adventure:
Dallas Love Field (KDAL)
>>>> St. Louis/Lambert (KSTL)
>>>> Kansas City (KMCI) >>>
Dallas Love Field (KDAL)
Total distance: 1155nm.
NOTE: For the purpose of these xercises we will
assume that we are receiving Radar vectors to
different VORs or ILS interception points. In the
“real” world of today, aircraft usually receive
vectors to the interception points to ensure proper
separation. I’m also assuming that you will have a
good look at the approach plates for each segment.
One more note. If you are using ATC for takeoff,
taxi and landings, you might be given a different
RWY or taxiway depending on the weather. You
might even input the whole trip in a FS flight plan
and fly it that way.
BEGIN
51
2/21/2006, 10:46:21 PM
 First leg:
Dallas Love field (KDAL)
>>> St. Louis/Lambert (KSTL)
Approx 507nm.
• Clock to 1200, season spring. Weather at
your discretion.
• For the Boeing 737-700 users, set payload
at 28,000lbs and fuel at 25,000lbs. This
should allow us to be at landing weight at
KSTL.
• Select Dallas Love Field under Airports/
US/Texas, Gate Medium.
• Dial in the RANGER (FUZ) VOR
frequency 115.7 on NAV1 and set course
022 for a TEXOMA EIGHT departure.
• Taxi to and take off (T/O) RWY 31, climb
via heading 310 to 5000 followed by a
right turn to heading 010 until established
on the 022 radial of the RANGER VOR.
52
cpm1004.indd 52
Once established on the 022 radial,
continue climb to 37,000.
• Once established on the 022 radial, we are
now on Airways J105 which will take us to
St. Louis.
• Dial in and track the MC ALESTER
(MLC) VOR frequency 112.00 to on top.
• Over the MLC VOR turn right HDG 039.
Dial in and tack the RAZORBACK (RZC)
VOR frequency 116.40 to on top.
• On top the RZC VOR turn left HDG 025.
Dial in and track the SPRINGFIELD
(SGF) VOR frequency 116.90 to on top.
• On top the SGF VOR turn HDG 039 and
begin descent to 10,000. We will fly down
the 039 radial of the SGF VOR (You can
set this up on your NAV1 OBI if you wish)
and this will take us to the INT TRAKE
for a TRAKE EIGHT arrival at St.
Louis (see charts which are available for
download).
• Enroute, dial in the FORISTELL (FTZ)
VOR frequency 110.8 on NAV2.
• 110nm out of (passed) the SGF VOR, we
are now over TRAKE. Turn right HDG 087,
descend to 5000 and track the FTZ VOR to on
top. It’s a good idea to reduce speed and start
thinking about getting this aircraft ready for
approach and landing. Also dial in the LOC
I-JAK frequency 110.3 and set course 063 on
your NAV1 OBI in preparation for an ILS to
RWY 06 at KSTL (Actual RWY course 063,
elevation 604, RWY length 7500).
• Over the FTZ VOR turn right HDG 095,
descend to 3400 and intercept the LOC.
• Continue with the approach.
• 5nm back, you are cleared for a full stop to
RWY 06 at St. Louis/Lambert. Check gear
down.
Land at St. Louis and take first right to
Terminal area.
CPM. V10I4
2/21/2006, 10:46:24 PM
 ROUND ROBIN ADVENTURE

Second leg:
St. Louis (KSTL)
>>> Kansas City (KMCI)
Approx 247nm.
• Clock to 1500L. Weather 2500 Overcast
Tops 12,000 8/8 Cumulus, moderate rain,
wind 300/15G18.
• Dial in the ST. LOUIS (STL) VOR
frequency 117.4 and set course 297 on
your NAV1 OBI for an OZARK THREE
departure.
• Taxi to and T/O RWY 27, right climbing
turn to 24,000, track the ST. LOUIS VOR
to on top and establish on the 297 radial of
the STL VOR (might be a bit tight but it
works).
• Once established on the STL 297 radial,
dial in and track the MACON (MCM)
VOR frequency 112.9 to on top.
• On top the MCM VOR turn left HDG 265,
begin descent to 8000. Dial in and track
the BRAYMER (BQS) VOR frequency
111.2 to on top.
• Enroute, dial in the LOC I-PVL frequency
110.75 and set course 008 on your NAV1
OBI in preparation for an ILS to RWY
1R at Kansas (actual RWY course 008,
elevation 1026, RWY length 9500).
• Over the BQS VOR turn left HDG 196,
continue descent to 5000. Dial in and track
the NAPOLEON (ANX) VOR frequency
114.00 to on top.
• Over the ANX VOR turn right HDG 252
to the SPICY INT and intercept the LOC
(about a 31nm run).
• Continue with the approach.
• 5nm back, you are cleared for a full stop
to RWY 1R at Kansas City airport. Check
gear down and locked.
Land at Kansas and take first left
available taxi to the terminal area.

53

cpm1004.indd 53 2/21/2006, 10:46:27 PM

 Third leg:
Kansas City (KMCI) >>>
Dallas Love field (KDAL)
Approx 440nm.
• Clock to 2030L. Weather remains the
same… pretty nasty! This will be a great
IFR night flight.
• Dial in the KANSAS CITY (MCI) VOR
frequency 113.25 on your NAV2 for a
RACER THREE departure.
• Taxi to and T/O RWY 1L, climb RWY
HDG to 3000 followed by a left turn to
HDG 160 and track the MCI VOR to on
top and continue climb to 36,000.
• On top MCI, turn HDG 165. Dial in the
BUTLER (BUM) VOR frequency 115.9 to
on top.
• On top the BUM VOR turn right HDG
54
cpm1004.indd 54
202. Dial in and track the OSWEGO
(OSW) VOR frequency 117.60 to on top
(no reception for 10nm).
• On top OSW dial in and track the TULSA
(TUL) VOR frequency 114.40 to on top.
• On top the TUL VOR turn left HDG 181.
Dial in and track the OKMULGEE (OKM)
VOR frequency 114.90 to on top.
• On top the OKM VOR turn right HDG
191, dial in and track the COWBOY
(CVE) VOR frequency 116.20 and begin
descent to 10,000.
• Enroute, dial in the LOC I-OVW
frequency 111.5 and set course 310 on
your NAV1 OBI in preparation for an ILS
to RWY 31R at Love Field (actual RWY
course 310, elevation 487, RWY length
7752).
• 39nm before the COWBOY VOR continue
descent to 5000.
• On top the COWBOY VOR, turn left HDG
160 and descend to 2500. Maintain this
heading for 10.4nm.
• 10.4 nm past the COWBOY VOR turn left
HDG 045 to intercept the LOC (about 5nm
to intercept). This was an awesome view
with the MegaCity scenery. I don’t get
paid for saying this, but I just want to let
you know.
• Continue with the approach.
• 5nm back, you are cleared for a full stop
to RWY 31R at Dallas Love Field. Check
gear down and locked.
LAND at Dallas and take first available
left exit to terminal
Welcome home
END
CPM. V10I4
2/21/2006, 10:46:30 PM
 ROUND ROBIN ADVENTURE
I must add some more information
about Southwest Virtual Airline
www.virtualswa.com
The infrastructure of this Virtual Airline
is just amazing. Everything from the
Pilot’s Lounge to the Route/Destination
resources (which includes maps, navaids,
flight planning, airport information, route
maps and more) can be found easily on
their website. Yet, as it is usually the case,
this VA isn’t shrouded in secrecy and
most downloads are available to regular
“Joes” like yours truly. I was able to get
all the needed information about my route,
right there on the website, which is an
unsurpassed kind gesture on their part. The
CEO, Shawn Anderson, took the time to
write me and explain a few issues I was
having. Ditto for Dallas Hub manager,
Jonathan Thurston, who also took the time
cpm1004.indd 55
to help me with the route and make this
interesting for our readers.
Thanks guys! Job well done and I might
become one of yours, once time permits.
I would like to add a little advice to our
readers by suggesting not to commit
yourself to a VA unless you can dedicate the
time. VA’s are very rewarding but you must
be able to live up to the commitment and
expectations. Should you decide to do so,
you will find it very interesting and a great
way to learn about what it is like to be part
of an Airline.
Al’s thank you box:
Without the people below and our
payware/freeware designers, I couldn’t
write these articles. So my sincere thanks
to all those and to flightsim.com and
avsim.com
1. Quotes and photos from Airways magazine
are courtesy of and with permission of the
Editor. Many thanks!
2. To Chris Squire for test flying the route.
Chris is a retired military pilot with over
12,000 hours of flying time.
3. I use FSNavigator for all my flight planning,
a courtesy of the FS Navigator team.
4. To Justin Tyme (FSGENESIS) and to Ruud
Faber (www.fscene.com) for the great
terrain textures that make my writing so
much more enjoyable.
5. To the Robert Randazzo and the PMDG
team for complimentary copy of the 737-
700. Just awesome!
6. To AVSIM and FLIGHTSIM.com for being
there!
7. To Southwest Virtual Airline for their help
and making the Pilot Resources available.
Cheers and keep on reading Computer Pilot
Al 4
55
2/21/2006, 10:46:33 PM
 4
Air-to-Air Combat in the Viper: Part II
BY MIKE GLYNN

Y
ou have a grip on your radar modes, as
explained in last month’s issue... You know
the parameters of your missiles and you can
fire the cannon with deadly effect… You have bought
the big watch; you talk with your hands and walk
with a swagger. It’s time to start the kill-fest!
“The Lone Wolf is Dead-Meat”
There is no truer statement in air warfare.

A lot of people think that being a fighter pilot is like being a lone
wolf, one of the “Few” of Battle of Britain fame. Modern fighter
pilots, however, need to operate in a team as never before. The threats
facing them in a contemporary battlefield are great. Sophisticated
ground radar defence networks tied to high-tech surface-to-air
missiles are just some of the pieces of the deadly chess board that is
the modern aerial battlefield.

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cpm1004.indd 56 2/21/2006, 10:46:36 PM

 In Falcon 4: Allied Force (F4AF) you will also be up against
Russian fighters that are optimized for the close-quarter dogfight.
Modern fighter tactics are driven towards achieving the 2 v 1
scenario. It is the rare fighter pilot that can escape when the odds are
against him, particularly when his opponents know what they are
doing. So, when flying air-combat missions in F4AF you should take
time to familiarize yourself with the wingman commands and use
them to maximum advantage.
When you go into battle in Falcon 4 you will go in as a member of
either a two or four ship formation. If you fly number one in the four
ship, then number two is the wing of your element and pilot three is in
command of pilot four as the second element.
You will hear a lot of chatter on the radio during a campaign
mission. Most of it is not concerned directly with you, but you must
keep an ear out for calls from the AWACS and your wingmen about
potential threats. Know you formation call sign and react to it when
mother AWACS calls.
AWACS
You best friend in the battle is the AWACS. This aerial radar has a
“Gods view” of the battlefield and has a trained radar intercept officer
ready and willing to help. You will need to know what they are talking
about though. Here is a quick primer on some of the jargon.
Bring up the AWACS communications menu with the “Q” button.
There are two pages so hit the key again for the second page.
“Request picture” - Give this call and the AWACS will either reply
with “Picture clear” if there are no threats or they will vector you to
the nearest threat.
“Declare” - Lock up a target and using this command will get the
AWACS to identify if it is a friend or foe.
“Request Help” - Use this to get the AWACS to send in the cavalry
when you are in trouble (I use this one a LOT).
“Check in” - Used for Close air support missions.
“Check out” - See above.
“Request relief” - Used when you are on station for say a BARCAP
mission. It basically tells the AWACS you want to go home.
On the second page are the Vector commands. Some of the more
useful ones are:
cpm1004.indd 57
“Nearest threat” - AWACS should give you a bearing and range to
the closest enemy aircraft.
“Target” - Used for finding your air-to-ground target.
“Package” - Used for finding your way back to your strike package.
“Tanker” - Where is the nearest Texaco?
“Home Plate” - I am going home to momma!
The care and feeding of Wingmen
F4AF breaks down communications between the formation into
Flight “R”, Element “E” and Wingman “W” menus. These menus are
extremely useful for managing the fight and you should have their use
down pat. Some of the menus are also two pages long.
Formation Radio Commands
These commands should be used often during a dogfight;
“Attack my Target” - Position your cursors over a target and hit this
key. Alternatively, you can lock up a target and do the same. The
number of aircraft who will attack this target depends which menu
(Flight, Element or Wingman) you have selected.
“Buddy Spike” - Used to tell a friendly that he has locked you up
instead of a bad guy.
“Raygun” - This mean that you have locked up an unknown target
and want to know if it is a friendly.
“Weapons Free” - Enable your flight members to shoot. AI wingmen
are always on weapons hold until you use this command.
“Weapons Hold” - Opposite of above.
“Run single-side offset” - This tells your wingman to attempt to run
an intercept on a target and attempt to get on to his six o’clock.
“Pince” - Gets your wingman to bracket either an air target or a
ground target.
“Posthole” - Same as above except it is purely run against air targets
and in the vertical plane instead of the horizontal.
“Chainsaw” - This attack is specifically for the use of an AIM-120
AMRAAM. The wingman will fly towards your designated target,
release an AMRAAM when in range and then return to the flight.
Wingman Radio Commands
We are not finished yet! There is a mission management page for
wingmen commands. Most are self explanatory.
So, say that perhaps you sent an element out on a wild goose chase
chasing after bogeys…
“Resume mission” - will get them back to the fold to concentrate on
the primary task at hand.
“Radar to standby” - tells them to switch their radars off to lessen the
chance of detection.
57
2/21/2006, 10:46:39 PM
 “Say position” and “Say Damage” - asks an AI wingman for his
position in relation to you and his battle damage, respectively.
“Say Fuel” - self-explanatory.
“Say Status” - will let you know if your wingmen are engaged
defensively or offensively.
Formations
Formations have been tactically important in air fighting since World
War II where the Luftwaffe “Finger four” formation proved itself a very
flexible and efficient way to keep an aerial fighting force in the vicinity
of each other without causing the members of the formation to lose
situational awareness by the simple act of station keeping. The RAF
learnt this to its cost early on in the Battle of Britain where many pilots
were shot down because they were fixated on the leader of their own
squadron formation instead of checking their six.
The advent of radars being carried by fighters meant that
formations had to change to take this into account. Modern fighter
formations generally have one of the lead fighters “sorting” the
incoming contacts by using the radar to ascertain whether or not the
contacts are blue or bogeys, and also attempting to identify what
formation they are in and the numbers in each element.
Once this is established, fighter Standard Operating Procedures let
a pilot know who his target is simply from his own position in the
formation. e.g.. the fighter furthest on the left of a formation may
routinely lock up the fighter on the right side of the incoming bogey
formation, and so on. These SOPs also help cut down the amount of
radio chatter required to set up an attack.
Modern formations and SOPs also mean that not all the fighters in
a formation need to have their radars on. This helps to cut down the
possibility of detection. Indeed, the latest generation fighters have
secure data-links between each member of the formation and the
AWACS, if one is available. Thus, each pilot can have a similar view
to what the AWACS operator has without having to switch on his radar.
This is not modeled in F4AF but you can see the tactical advantages.
The F4AF formation management menu has some very useful
features. Diagrams of these formations can be found in the manual.
“Kickout” - doesn’t change the current formation but widens the gap
between formation members.
“Close up” - is the opposite of the above.
58
cpm1004.indd 58
“Go Spread” - changes the formation to a line abreast about 12,000
feet wide for a four ship formation. It is useful for penetrating high
threat arrears as it forces the ground defences to pick a single target.
Should that aircraft be hit, the missiles won’t take out other aircraft
in the formation as collateral damage.
“Go Arrowhead” - The arrowhead is a good formation to use when
flying with AI wingmen as it moves them behind you where they
can keep your six clear.
“Go Box” - The box formation is good for low level ground attack.
Once again the rear element protects the front pair. This is an easy
formation to maintain.
“Go res cell” - Enemy formations will try and “sort” your formation
when they pick you up on radar. You can make their life difficult
by adopting this formation which will hide the number of aircraft
in your formation until the bogeys are quite close. Again this is
tactically advantageous for obvious reasons.
“Go wedge” - If you are anticipating high G maneuvering prior to
an engagement then the wedge formation is a good one to use to
keep elements “de-conflicted”. Don’t use it however if you are
anticipating using radar missiles because the rear element cannot
fire through the front pair. Lock up one of your wingmen with an
AMRAAM and you risk forever gaining the moniker… “Sniper”.
That is provided your wingman survives of course.
“Go trail” - Trail formation is used exclusively for air-to-ground
operation as the rear aircraft is unsupported and hence extremely
vulnerable.
“Go Ladder” - Once again this formation should only be used for
ground attack for similar reasons.
“Go stack” - The stack formation is another one to use if you wish
to avoid being “sorted” by the enemy. The disadvantages of this
formation are its difficulty for maneuvering purposes and the
inability for individual fighters to provide mutual support.
Wingman Identification Menu
This is a small self-explanatory menu;
“Turn smoke on” - gets your wingman to switch on his smoke
trails so you can identify him in a fight.
“Turn ECM on/off” - activates the jammer on your wingman.
(Maybe yours isn’t working?)
CPM. V10I4
2/21/2006, 10:46:42 PM
 Tanker Radio Commands
Another useful battlefield communications menu is the tanker
menu. It is brought up by the “Y” or “TAB 2” key. You find the tanker
by requesting its position from the AWACS.

“Request fuel” - tells the tanker that an aircraft wishes to refuel. It

then sets up a steady speed and flies a racetrack pattern. Position
your aircraft into the pre-contact position then hit the “ready to
take fuel” button. Get your aircraft in nice and close, try to ignore
the aluminium overcast above you and let the boom operator hook
up your jet and commence fuel transfer. When you have drunk
your fill of JP4, hit the “Done refueling” command - once again,
self-explanatory.

JUST
PLANES

Using the communications menu adds tremendously to the

immersion factor of F4AF. Knowing what is available also makes
achieving the goals of a mission much easier. Every pilot should use
the resources that wingmen, an AWACS and tanking aircraft provide.
Once you have completed the mission and return home, there are
more calls to make to get your formation back safely on the ground.

Tower Radio Commands

Pressing “T” brings up the Tower communications menu. The AI
ATC is very life-like, even up to the point of rebuking you when you
make an error, such as taking off without a clearance.
“Request landing” - requests landing for you only. Your AI wingmen
will separately request their own permission to land. Land without
using this command and your mission rating will be affected.
“Declare an Emergency” - is the same as requesting a landing except
you are moved to the head of the queue. Don’t use this frivolously
unless you want your mission rating to be downgraded.

If you stuff up the approach due to shrapnel wounds or your kids

bugging you to use the computer, hit the “Abort” command to allow
you to go-around and try again.

As you can see, the realism factor can be as real as you wish to
make it in Falcon 4: Allied Force. It is a classic program with an
unmatched pedigree that goes back to the very dawn of combat
flight sims. Lead Pursuit has done an excellent job in F4AF. Whether
you are a newcomer to the Falcon 4 family or a dedicated long term
fan such as myself, this newest version will supply many hours of
aerial combat bliss.

When you return from a mission, hitting “inbound” starts the ATC Practice using those radio commands and utilizing the resource of
recovery procedure. You will get vectors to land, but bear in mind you your fighter and support teams and you will invariably achieve greater
may not be first in the queue for the long strip of bitumen. success in your combat endeavors. 4

59

cpm1004.indd 59 2/21/2006, 10:46:46 PM

 4
So How Do You Fly This Thing?
g?
Exploring the Flight Envelope
BY PETER DODDS
W
hen I bought FS4, my total aviation
knowledge comprised the Wright
Brothers, the things with wings you went
in on package holidays (which all looked the same),
Spitfires, Hurricanes (which looked the same),
Lancaster and Wellington Bombers (which didn’t - I
can count!), Biggles, Douglas Bader, and Guy Gibson
(and Kenneth More, but he was an actor who seemed
to always be a pilot in the many British black and
white movies about the Second World War).
Armed with this encyclopedic knowledge, I think I had about 5
hours total time in the Cessna 182 on FS4, and a similar number of
crashes when I decided to have a go in the Learjet. Whoa! This thing
wasn’t an aircraft, it was a spacecraft with an evil sense of humor. It
was at 45,000 feet before I could blink, I couldn’t fly it level without
60
cpm1004.indd 60
a constant battle and I couldn’t land it to save my life! Like allnovices
I blamed the aircraft not the pilot, and apart from an epic flight from
Chicago to Boston, in which I had about 5 attempts to land from a 20
mile radius home-made missed approach procedure, I gave up and
went back to the gentle Cessna.
Over the years I have learned a bit more, and with a formal pilot’s
training course, almost 3000 combined real world and flight sim
hours, and a few books, I can now fly most aircraft that I find in FS
or on the Internet, and have worked out a routine for discovering
their flight characteristics in the absence of proper documentation.
You can try my way or, alternatively, buy a copy of the genuine Pilot
Operating Handbook available for many aircraft on the Internet.
I would never claim that my method is the professional way to
tackle the subject though. Real World Test Pilots start off with a lot
more basic data built up from wind tunnel, simulator and other testing
information so that, like the 2005 maiden flight of the Airbus 380,
CPM. V10I4
2/21/2006, 10:46:50 PM
 there are unlikely to be too many surprises when a new type takes
to the skies for the first time. One of the problems in FS is that some
aircraft modellers use real-world data to create their models, and in
FS this almost always creates unrealistic flying characteristics. Good
computer aircraft designers test and tweak the flight parameters until
the beast “feels” right – often enlisting the help of real-world pilots
experienced on the type.
Among the types I have tried, one aircraft I grew rather attached
to and now fly regularly is the one I used for my North Pole article,
the Premier Aircraft Design DeHavilland DHC6 Twin Otter -
http://www.premaircraft.com
flap deployment. The “Twotter” is very sensitive in pitch and needs
very little back pressure in the flare. You miss that sensitivity of touch
which makes you as one with the aircraft if you use the autopilot.
First Test Flight
So, cleared for takeoff, I opened the throttles, coarsened the pitch
of the propellers a little as I was doing so, so as not to overspeed the
turbines, and we were off. G-GXXB was eager to fly and 95 knots
came up within seconds and with a gentle squeeze of the yoke, she
was up and away.

However, I still knew little about how it actually flew because

I simply engaged the autopilot for 95% of the journey. The skills
required of me were limited to getting it airborne and back on the
ground again. The Twin Otter came with basic reference data, some
of which is shown in the table below (MAUW = Maximum All Up
Weight = 12,000 lbs; KIAS is Indicated Airspeed in Knots);

V1 - Takeoff Decision Speed, dry runway; flaps up at MAUW 88 KIAS

VR - Rotation Speed, dry runway, flaps up at MAUW 90 KIAS
V2 - Takeoff Safety Speed, dryy runway, flaps up 95 KIAS
VMO - Maximum Operating Speed 160 KIAS
VX - Two-engine Best Angle-of-Climb 95 KIAS
VY - Two-engine Best Rate of Climb 105 KIAS
Best Glide Speed, both engines inoperative 120 KIAS
VREF - Landing Approach Speed, flaps down; gear down at MAUW 95 KIAS XRAY BRAVO IS ROLLING

The Twin Otter was certainly lively on the ground. It was impossible
to taxi at a safe speed without constantly opening and closing the I took the first of a number of screenshots to capture the essential
throttles, until I discovered an auto-taxi control which could be set data of fuel flow, turbine torque, climb rate, airspeed and pitch
to maintain a sensible taxiing speed. I discovered with some alarm attitude. In real life, there would be an Engineer writing down these
on the tiny main apron at Gloucestershire that she wouldn’t hold on numbers, or more likely these days, an array of data loggers. I lowered
the brakes at maximum power, so I had to be careful not to exceed the nose, reduced prop rpm to 83% and aimed for 125 knots.
the recommended engine run up power setting – except that it wasn’t
documented. There was a line in the after-start checklist to cycle
the governors at 1600 rpm. But the propeller rpm instruments were
calibrated 0-100%.

The takeoff speed was documented in the checklist: - 95 knots, and

once clear of obstacles, continue the climb at 125 knots. The checklist
also mentioned 90% N1 turbine speed and propellers at 1600 rpm, but
as mentioned above, the rpm gauges were in percent and there were no
N1 gauges. This is the sort of inconsistent information commonly found
in FS aircraft. So what power setting should I use, what propeller rpm,
what pitch angle? I would have to find the answers by flying the aircraft.

The first test flight would also explore the configuration in the
climb, the cruise and descent. Internet sources indicated that the
normal cruise speed at MAUW was 130 knots indicated at 11,000
feet. A commercial pilot I know said that 145 knots was more
common. The final phase of the flight would explore the approach
configuration. The second test flight would explore some of the
extremes of the flight envelope – slow flight, stalls, engine failure etc.
CLIMBOUT AT 125 KNOTS

I flew these test flights by hand and you might well ask “Why not
use the autopilot to maintain the flight profile you are testing?” Hand
flying is better for learning how the aircraft flies because you learn
the subtleties of how much yoke movement produces what effect,
and how many clicks of the trim button will compensate for a certain
The checklist mentioned reducing prop rpm to 70% for the climb and
cruise, but even at fully coarse the gauge still indicated 83%. Climb rate
reduced to around the checklist recommended value of 1600 fpm.

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cpm1004.indd 61 2/21/2006, 10:46:53 PM

 One immutable equation in flying any aircraft is “Power + Attitude
= Performance”. To achieve your desired goal (i.e. performance),
be it airspeed or climb rate, you need to adjust both power and
attitude. I continued the climb to 7000 feet, changing pitch attitude
and power to achieve different airspeeds and noting the climb rate,
turbine temperature etc., and recording the numbers by means of
screenshots. The climb to 7000 feet only took about 4 minutes, and
it took most of that time to trim the aircraft to a precise airspeed and
wait for each change to stabilize. Because of this, I confess that I
used the slew function in FS to rapidly rewind back down to 2000
feet then resumed flying for the next test. In this way I built up a
picture of climb performance. I should explain that I stayed in the
range 2000 to 7000 feet because I didn’t want to complicate my tests
with the effects of flying in thinner air at altitude – different true
airspeed/indicated airspeed differentials, different power/ airspeed
relationships with the widely differing air densities etc. I did some
tests in a higher altitude band, but kept them separate from the low
altitude tests.
The next test was straight and level. I wanted to know the power
setting for 130 knots and for 145 knots, the other engine parameters
and, vitally, the pitch attitude. In the absence of turbine rpm gauges
the obvious indicator of power was the torque setting, but I found that
fuel flow could be adjusted more precisely.

FUEL FLOW 65GPH AT 145 KNOTS

Levelling out at 3000 feet, the initial exercise was to achieve

exactly 145 knots without climb or descent.

STRAIGHT & LEVEL 145 KNOTS

I was changing the power by tiny increments watching the ASI

for my target airspeed, then “tickling” the trim button on the yoke to
adjust the pitch and prevent any climb or descent, until eventually I
had a stable and repeatable configuration. This took five minutes or
ENGINE DATA AT 145 KNOTS
more, because, as I’m sure every hands-on FS pilot has found, you
think you have got it right, spend a minute sightseeing out of the
window, look back and you’ve climbed 100 feet. When I got my 145
There was a digital flow gauge in this aircraft, so I could adjust it in knots and level, and screenshot duly logged, I noted that the horizon
increments of 1 US gallon per hour. was half way up the small raised section of the glareshield which

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cpm1004.indd 62 2/21/2006, 10:46:57 PM

 FUEL FLOW 66GPH AT 145 KNOTS
enclosed the annunciator panel. This was important for VFR flight,
because setting 145 knots in future would be simple. Set 62 USGPH,
add elevator control input to put the horizon in exactly the right place,
and trim - the old “Power – Attitude – Trim” mantra in fact. It took a
similar amount of time to find the settings for 130 knots.
STRAIGHT & LEVEL 130 KNOTS
In this case I noted that the horizon was just above the bottom of
the annunciator panel, a degree or so more nose-high than at 145
knots. I came to the conclusion then, that 145 knots was the more
probable normal cruise speed. I used the Altimeter “10s” window to
adjust altitude to within ± 20 feet and stable for three minutes before I
was happy to move on to the next test.
Now for descents, of which there are several kinds; cruise descent,
normal descent, powered approach to land, to name just three. I was
aiming for a rate of descent (performance) of 800 feet per minute. I did
a brief check on the cruise and normal descent – the difference could be
argued, but cruise descent is probably no greater than 500fpm descent
rate, maintaining cruising speed, whilst in the Twotter, normal descent
rate was considered by those who know to be 800fpm.
cpm1004.indd 63
CRUISE DESCENT 500FPM
Reducing fuel flow to 56 USGPH established a 500 fpm descent at
145 knots. A little less power, lowering the nose to keep the airspeed
at 145 knots, and the rate of descent increased to 800fpm (Power +
Attitude = Performance again).
DESCENT 800FPM
To descend at 130 knots, power had to be further reduced to 35
USGPH, and the aircraft pitched down a little more to maintain
800fpm descent. This was an important exercise to master for hand-
flown ILS approaches where maintaining the glideslope requires
constant small changes of pitch and power.
For the approach I had to find out what happened when I added flaps
into the equation, for flaps generate both extra lift, allowing safe flight
at lower airspeeds, and extra drag. Here again I cheated – or perhaps
the term “shortened the test schedule” would be better - by setting up a
10 mile approach from 3000 feet, saving the flight and resetting to that
position after each test. I flew the whole approach at least ten times,
starting with no flaps, and then adding in flaps in stages.
63
2/21/2006, 10:47:04 PM
 Once I had established a stable flight path I aborted the flight and
reset it. I then flew each approach on the ILS for comparison. Then
finally, a few more hand-flown and ILS approaches where I lowered
flaps incrementally as normal, and continued to a landing.
I had to take account of flap limiting speeds of course, which are
quite generous in the Twotter. The first two stages, 10o and 15 o could
be deployed up to 125 knots and had a very useful effect in slowing
the aircraft down for the approach. The final 3 stages, 20 o, 30 o and 37o
added so much drag that power had to be increased to stay in the air
– a fairly normal situation, of course.

The effect of 37 o of flap was quite marked, requiring almost cruise

power (62 USGPH) to maintain the book figure of 98 knots final
approach speed, with a correspondingly steep nose-down pitch which
was a big help in keeping the runway in view.

The Second Test

I had achieved “the numbers” now for basic flight and could
reliably set up the aircraft quickly without alarming the passengers.
Now I needed to explore the edges of my new knowledge, starting
with slow flight. I slowly reduced power, raised the nose to maintain
altitude at the expense of airspeed. It needed considerable back
pressure on the yoke to maintain level flight at 91 knots, with the pitch
approaching 15 o nose-high.

ILS FLAPS 15

ILS FLAPS 20

SLOW FLIGHT

Climbing to 5000 feet I made a few very gentle turns in this

configuration, not wanting to induce a spin (not that many FS aircraft
will actually spin) then cut the power completely for a clean stall.
There was no break; she just gently rolled a wing down at around 76
ILS FLAPS 30 knots, although the published clean stall speed is 79 knots.

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cpm1004.indd 64 2/21/2006, 10:47:12 PM

 Again, recovery was immediate. How realistic all this was of course
I had no idea, because I had unfortunately never flown the real thing.
Then I spotted a familiar little airfield – Manchester Barton - 2500
feet below me, and an impish idea came into my head. I had been told
about a trick that Twotter pilots often use to get down into tight areas
(Barton’s longest runway is just 621 metres and it’s grass). They put
the props in reverse thrust, hang out all the dangly bits, and she just
dives for the runway with the VSI off the scale but at a mere 80 knots
airspeed. Props to idle, flare hard and land. What would happen if I
tried it? Of course I did – and Wow! What an arrival!

DIVING IN TO BARTON

STALL CLEAN
Good Old George!
This extensive testing took about 4 or 5 hours in total, but was
Typical of the unrealistic flight model in FS, trying to pick up the wing very satisfying. I could now set up the aircraft by numbers and
with rudder just made the aircraft turn, and lifting the dropped wing with achieve a repeatable stable performance. These experiments can,
aileron she should have snapped into a spin, but didn’t, she just slowly of course, be carried out for any aircraft to build up a table of
picked up the drooping wing! What was realistic though, in all this performance like that below.
wallowing around, was the dramatic loss of height – almost 2000 feet in Of course, if this is too much like hard work, just let George do it
all, but with standard recovery, she was flying again immediately. for you!
I then tried a stall at 30 o of flap. The airspeed fell away to 55
knots but there was no wing drop, just a wallowing about and the The Results
aforementioned dramatic loss of height. Torque KIAS Pitch Flaps Climb/
Desc
Takeoff: 50 95 +14 0 2000
Climb: 45 125 +11 0 1600
Cruise: 40 145 +03 0 0
Cruise: 23 130 +04 0 0
Descent: 31 145 +01 0 500
Descent: 20 139 -02 0 800
Approach: 29 110 -02 15 800
Final: 20 100 -04 20 600
Final: 24 98 -06 30 600
Final: 37 98 -07 37 600

Maximum Flap Operating Speeds

10 o 135 knots
15 o 125 knots
20 o
120 knots
30 o 115 knots
STALL 30 DEG FLAP 37 o 105 knots

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 GROUNDSCHOOL... Skill Level: All Levels Instructor...Capt.Charlie Victoria

Gliding Theory

W
hat is a glider? Many pilots ‘flying the
heavies’ have some experience in gliders,
often early in their careers. A glider is
a heavier-than-air aircraft NOT fitted-out with an
engine. Before a glider is capable of free-flight at
a safe height above the ground, a glider must be
launched by being accelerated (by a tow-plane, or a
winch) along the ground to reach flying airspeed, and
pulled up to a suitable height above the ground before
the glider pilot releases the glider from its launching
cable. This removes the glider from the launching
cable and any power provided by an engine, e.g. from
a tow-plane, or an engine-driven winch and cable.
The glider pilot can then fly the glider freely (without
power/thrust) and maintain a suitable airspeed by
lowering the nose and descending the glider through
the air. TOW-PLANE AND GLIDER

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 GROUND SCHOOL
My Own Experience
Most of my flying experience over the years has been in a Boeing
or Airbus (with powerful jet engines) and also a lot of flight training
in flight simulators, especially with engine-failures, fires, or other
technical problems. My very first flight, however, was in a real glider
because, at that time, flight simulators did not exist! Since then my
aviation career has taken me from a glider through to Cessna, Piper,
Tiger Moth, Fockers, Douglas DC4, Carvair, DC9, Boeing 727, 757,
767, Airbus, and a few others – and has taken me to all corners of the
globe. But, my very first flight (in a glider around a small grass field)
was a wonderful introduction to flying! Today, however, introduction
to flying can be achieved by using personal PC flight simulators at
very little cost. The potential pilot using a computer, however, will
not experience the real gravity-forces and acceleration-forces felt in a
real aircraft.
MY OWN EXPERIENCE
Your Experience?
Possibly, when you were riding a bicycle or as a passenger in a
car, or when you were having fun at a Luna Park or Disneyland,
you might have already experienced the different gravity-forces and
acceleration-forces acting on your body when climbing, descending,
rolling and turning, accelerating and decelerating. These have similar
effects on your body as when flying in an aircraft.
EXPERIENCING DIFFERENT GRAVITY- AND ACCELERATION-FORCES
cpm1004.indd 67
In your situation (if you have flown only powered aircraft with
engines, or flight simulators, or no aircraft at all), maybe you should
visit a nearby gliding airport for a half-hour “Trial Glider-Flight” with
a gliding instructor. The cost would be very small, considering the cost
of fuel for a glider.
APPROACHING A GLIDING AIRFIELD
The club member could show you a typical glider and a typical
tow-plane used for aero-towing to pull your glider up to a suitable
height above the ground, or an engine-driven-winch with a towing
cable, if used.
To assist movement on the ground a glider might have a rubber
wheel under the cockpit, and maybe a tail skid. The glider’s main
flight controls are the elevator, ailerons, and rudder. The glider has
no engine, nor throttle. The glider may have an airbrakes lever in the
cockpit which can be used in flight to deploy airbrakes on the wings.
Deploying the airbrakes destroys smooth airflow above and below
the wings – the aim being to decrease Lift and increase Drag, and
therefore increase the glider’s descent-rate and/or reduce the glider’s
airspeed quickly.
CLUB MEMBER SHOWING YOU A GLIDER
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2/21/2006, 10:47:39 PM
 You can also practise gliding (at no cost) on most flight simulators -
simply by using any sort of aircraft and just shutting-off its engine(s).
A Boeing with total engine failure must be flown like a glider because
it is now a glider, i.e. an aircraft with no thrust! This has happened
with a Boeing 737 in Canada many years ago when it ran out of fuel.
It could happen again… ‘Be Prepared’ for the unexpected! Practise
gliding, especially on your flight simulator.

The Flying Forces

A powered aircraft in normal flight is affected by four main
forces (Weight, Lift, Drag and Thrust). The following graphic
shows the four forces on a powered aircraft when flying straight
and level (S&L).

LIFT

THRUST

DRAG

WEIGHT

THE FOUR MAIN FORCES ON THE TOW-PLANE

A suitable powered aircraft (like the one shown) may be used for
aero-towing. The engine must be powerful enough to oppose the
normal DRAG, plus the extra DRAG caused by accelerating the
glider on the ground to takeoff airspeed, and carrying the glider up
to a suitable height-above-the-ground where it can be ‘released’ from
the tow-cable for free flight (i.e. without thrust). The three following
graphics show:

1. Starting the takeoff-run with the tow-plane’s thrust

accelerating the tow-plane and the glider.
2. Accelerating towards takeoff-airspeed.
3. Takeoff and climb.

‘Weight’ is a measure of the gravity-force acting on an aircraft,

and is directed at the center of the Earth. The energy used to
climb the powered aircraft (and the glider connected to it with
a cable or rope) is provided by thrust from the propeller/engine
combination. ‘Thrust’ is the forward-force on the propeller moving
the aircraft forwards and is created as a reaction to the rotating
propeller forcing an air-mass rearwards. The glider does not have TOW-PLANE AND GLIDER - TAKEOFF-RUN; ACCELERATION;
TAKEOFF AND CLIMB.
a thrust-force of its own, but is pulled forwards by the pull-force
provided by the tow-plane via the attached tow cable. ‘Lift’ is
an aerodynamic-force caused by airflow over and under a wing When accelerating and flying with a glider attached the tow-plane
shaped surface (i.e. an aerofoil). ‘Drag’ is an aerodynamic-force will require a powerful thrust-force to balance the extra drag-force
acting parallel and opposite to the relative airflow and opposes the caused by pulling the glider. Once the glider is released from the
acceleration and airspeed of the aircraft. ‘Drag’ can be caused by towing cable the drag on the tow-plane is reduced to its normal drag,
any part of the plane, towing-cable, and attached glider. plus extra drag due to the towing-cable still attached.

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 GROUND SCHOOL

TOW-PLANE GLIDER

LIFT LIFT
INCREASED
THRUST

DRAG PULL DRAG

TOW ROPE

WEIGHT WEIGHT

AERO-TOWING A GLIDER

Immediately after the glider is released the tow-pilot normally
turns away from the glider’s projected flight path, closes the throttle,
and descends quickly for a landing – making sure that the trailing
tow-cable does not meet and get tangled-up with any obstacles - like
powerlines, trees, etc (which would be bad news for the tow-pilot).
After the glider-pilot has released the towing-cable, the glider has
only three forces acting on it (i.e. Weight, Lift and Drag – i.e. without
Thrust). The same applies to the tow-plane after the tow-pilot has
reduced the thrust to descend quickly. In a glider there is no throttle
or thrust lever to worry about, because it has no power/thrust! This
means that your studies about gliding do not require much knowledge
of engines and their power/thrust production. This does not apply to the
tow-pilot, because he/she must operate the powerful engine correctly.

RELEASED GLIDER

TOW ROPE

TOW PLANE

TOW-PLANE DESCENDING AWAY FROM THE RELEASED GLIDER

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 What about a Trial Flight?
For a trial flight: “No Experience Required!” A club member at the
airport could show you a glider and explain (in a simple manner) the
parts of the glider and how it flies. Gliding is the easiest flying you
will ever see. It will give you a good experience when the Instructor
shows you how easy it is to fly a glider yourself – trying out your own
hands on the controls when the glider is cruising, descending, and
turning. But you will need more training before you try a landing and
a takeoff behind a tow-plane! Gliding has introduced me to a life-long
aviation career and hobby. This might happen for you too.
GET STRAPPED-IN!
When flying a glider in free-flight you can achieve the desired
gliding-airspeed by selecting the glider’s pitch-attitude with up/down
pressure on the joystick – increasing the descent-rate with a lower nose-
attitude which will result in a higher airspeed; or decreasing the descent-
rate with a slightly higher nose-attitude which will result in a slower
airspeed. You can roll the glider to the right or left, and turn right or left
to achieve the desired heading by selecting the glider’s bank-attitude
with right/left movement of the joystick. The foot-operated rudder
pedals are used the keep the glider in balance, i.e. keep the balance-ball
in the center so the glider is in equilibrium (the tail follows the nose).
CONTROL
COLUMN
RUDDER
PEDALS
TO CONTROL PITCH-ATTITUDE AND BANK-ATTITUDE
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cpm1004.indd 70
Staying Up as Long as Possible and Gliding
as Far as Possible
A glider maintains flying speed by descending through the air but,
if you are lucky, you may find a climbing air-mass which could carry
the glider higher. The climbing air-mass could be a thermal (i.e. a
column of rising-air, probably because it has been heated), or an air-
mass as a wind climbs over a ridge or mountain, or it could be a wind
in a wave pattern. The longer time you can fly at a higher height above
the ground the further you can probably glide. If you can stay in flight
for a long time you might be able to achieve a cross-country flight – a
flight to a distant destination, or a wide out-and-back flight. Champion
glider pilots know how to find thermals, and stay in them.
Aerobatics
Aerobatics in a glider can be great fun – like a ballet with graceful
movements, and silence. The tow-plane must be strong to carry the
glider high enough to release it at sufficient height above the ground
to dive the glider down to reach aerobatic speed for loops, rolls, etc.
The glider-pilot can trade height for airspeed, but aerobatics may only
be flown at high levels - for safety reasons! You always need a lot
of height to recover from unusual maneuvers. You should certainly
practice your aerobatics in your simulator first.
Airbrakes
Many gliders have wings fitting with plates of ‘airbrakes’ which
are retracted within the wings for normal low-drag flight. Low-drag
is good for takeoff and climb and in normal gliding when you want
to glide at a high airspeed, and stay up at altitude as long as possible.
Sometimes, however, you may want to slow down quickly and/or
descend steeply. To quickly decrease the airspeed and/or steepen the
descent the pilot can increase the drag markedly by extending the
airbrakes by using the airbrake-lever in the cockpit.
AIRBRAKES ON A GLIDER
The extended airbrakes will disrupt the airflow over and under the
wings resulting in increased drag. The airspeed will decrease, or the
pilot could lower the nose to maintain airspeed, and therefore increase
the angle/rate-of-descent. Using airbrakes effectively can help you to
control airspeed and descent on an approach over trees for a landing
on a short field.
CPM. V10I4
2/21/2006, 10:47:54 PM
 GROUND SCHOOL

WHEN CLEAR OF THE TREES

WHEN GLIDING OVER TREES SELECT AIR-BRAKES
SLOW DESCENT (NO AIR-BRAKES) TO STEEPEN THE DESCENT

APPROACHING OVER TREES

Conclusion
Knowing a little about gliding helps all pilots. You will learn
something about teamwork (e.g. with the ground staff who
support you in the set-up and preparation for the takeoff; the flying
connection between the tow-pilot and glider-pilot; the performance
of different aircraft), and also something about the unusual airbrakes.
Modern jets do not use airbrakes (which can cause a dramatic
pitching effect), but use spoilers which can be extended smoothly
on the upper-surface of the wings, with no dramatic effect, and can
disrupt the smooth airflow over the wings, therefore decrease lift and
increase drag. A jet pilot can use the spoilers to decrease airspeed
quickly and/or increase the rate-of-descent.
In my opinion, every pilot should have at least one flight in a glider.
Best Wishes
Charlie Victoria 4

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 FLIGHTINSTRUCTOR
VIRTUAL SEAPLANE OPERATIONS
Skill Level: All Levels Instructor... David Ison
S
eaplane… Just the word makes the average
pilot’s eyes glaze over. Their mind wonders to
thoughts of tropical breezes, landing in remote
parts to do some camping or perhaps touching down
in pristine waters to cast a fishing line right from
the aircraft itself. While the unique serenity that
goes along with flying seaplanes can not be fully
experienced through flight simulation, float simming
can be a fun side track from the mundane world of
runways and taxiways. Taking it a step further, some
of the seaplane flying that can be accomplished with
flight simulators can be helpful to learn operations
used in real world seaplanes.
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cpm1004.indd 72
Water-based aircraft date back to the early days of flying. In
fact, the first seaplane took to the skies in 1910 along the shores of
Martigues, France. Henri Fabre powered his “Le Canard” hydravion
(i.e. seaplane) above the semi-protected waters of the Gulf of Fos.
Seaplanes actually have a big place in aviation history. In truth, the
first scheduled “airline” flight occurred in a Benoist seaplane in
January 1914. Tony Janus flew this small craft between St. Petersburg
and Tampa, Florida, inaugurating the short-lived service. Lest anyone
has forgotten one of the most amazing aircraft ever built, Howard
Hughes’s “Spruce Goose,” was a seaplane. Flying boats have kept
their popularity even unto today, especially in areas of the world
where they are the only form of fast transportation available.
Flight sim users will notice a few advantages of hopping aboard a
seaplane. First and foremost, there are no fixed runways with which
to deal. It does not matter which way the wind is blowing because,
CPM. V10I4
2/21/2006, 10:48:02 PM
 FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR
unless in a very tight waterway, you can easily align yourself with the
prevalent breeze, all but eliminating the need to deal with crosswinds.
Remember, 70% of our planet is water, so in an emergency finding
a landing spot is often much easier than for land-lubbers. Seaplane
flying also opens up some inimitable opportunities when it comes to
destinations. Remote locations, lakes, rivers, inlets, islands, you name
it and a seaplane can get you there.

OK, SO MAYBE IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE SLIPPERY UNDERFOOT IN THE SOFT

SAND, BUT THE POSSIBILITY OF DRIVING FROM WATER TO TERRA FIRMA
WITHOUT GETTING YOUR FEET WET IS OF HIGH VALUE, PARTICULARLY
WHEN YOU FIND NICE PICNIC PLACES LIKE THIS WITH NO ONE TO
BOTHER YOU!

So which should a new seaplane flyer try? Well, hull and float
THE TANK IS EMPTY AND NOT A PIECE OF LAND IN SIGHT. NORMALLY aircraft each have their own advantages and disadvantages. Typically,
THIS WOULD BE A BIG PROBLEM OVER WATER, BUT NOT SO BAD WITH A hull aircraft are more forgiving for nose-low landings. Floatplanes
FLOATPLANE. YOU CAN LAND IT FAIRLY SAFELY IN CALM SEAS, BUT YOU tend to flip over if the nose is not held up high enough on landing.
JUST HOPE THE COAST GUARD RECEIVED YOUR MAYDAY CALL!
But, float aircraft often sit up higher on the water surface giving
improved visibility and keep the aircraft above the water. Hull types
Within the broad category of seaplanes there are several types get rather intimate with the waves in heavier seas which can be
of craft, with the distinguishing feature being the type of “landing problematic. But considering that water conditions can not be set
gear.” Aircraft with two pontoons, or floats, are called (big surprise) (except in X Plane), dealing with truly rough water is not a concern.
“floatplanes”. An example of this would be Microsoft Flight Simulator To make a long story short, either is fine to start out with, as long as
2004’s Cessna Caravan on floats. Seaplanes without floats have a boat- you’re aware of the particularities of each model.
like hull on which they land which is an integral part of the aircraft
fuselage. One such example is a Grumman Goose. A clever attribute of
many seaplanes is that they can land on hard surfaces and on the water.
These are called “amphibians” after the good old frogs and salamanders
that do so well both in wet and dry environments. In fact, both the
Caravan and Goose are amphibians. Each has retractable landing gear
– up for water operations, down for land. A plethora of free seaplanes
are available for download from the internet.

HERE IS A FLOATPLANE WITH TWO PONTOONS. AND HOW ABOUT

STRAPPING A CANOE ON AS WELL TO GET YOU TO SHORE DRY AS HOT
WIND WHEN MOORINGS ARE SCARCE? SURE, WHY NOT!

So where can seaplanes operate? The simple answer is just about

anywhere you want to take them. With that said, there are actual
“seaplane bases” (SPB), which are organized water airports. They
AN AMPHIBIOUS AIRCRAFT WITH A BOAT-LIKE HULL, AND A PAIR OF typically have planned waterways (runways), some of which may be
WHEELS FOR ADDED FUNCTIONALITY numbered (though there’s obviously no numbers on the water itself).

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 Two locations that come to mind are Chalk’s Key West, Florida
SPB as well as the water runways in Anchorage, Alaska. When you
decide to stray from SPBs some common sense is required to stay
in water deep enough for water takeoffs and landings. There are
some locations in flight sim where the seaplane will not float. In fact,
landing in certain “waters” will cause a crash. This adds another level
of realism for those interested in the “real thing.” Do not touch down
right next to landmasses or on water that does not match the color of
its surroundings unless you know for sure it is usable.
Water rudders are retractable keels at the trailing edge of floats,
such as on the Caravan. The lever for them can be found on the engine
controls window at the far left. Simply click the handle to toggle
between up and down. For taxi purposes they should be in the water.
This will ensure much better handling, particularly in tight spots. Just
like a boat, however, some forward speed is necessary for the water
rudders to work. So if you’re not moving, don’t expect them to be able
to do anything.

MAKING A LOW-LEVEL PASS OF A LAKE TO CHECK ITS SUITABILITY

FOR A WATERY LANDING…

Operating Tips for Seaplanes

Seaplanes are certainly distinctive in many diverse ways
– appearance, utility, and operationally. It should then come as no
surprise that special procedures and techniques apply to seaplane
flying. One thing that might surprise the water flying neophyte is
the method of taxiing that’s used. It is more of an “all or nothing”
approach to the use of power. In other words, seaplanes typically
taxi with a good bit of power or at low idle, but never in between
(for extended periods). Why this odd modus operandi? It has to
do with propellers. To props, water is like sand or small gravel.
Thus if water traverses the path of the prop blades with regularity,
the blades will be filed down slowly but surely. In case you’re
wondering, propellers aren’t cheap!

Thankfully, flight simmers won’t have to pay out big bucks if

they ignore this hard-fast rule of seaplane flying. But to augment
realism, avoid RPM settings between 1,000 and that required to
keep the aircraft taxiing briskly. More on actual taxi techniques
later. The moral of the story is if you have the RPM low enough,
little water will be sucked through it, while if traveling fast enough,
any water should be sprayed back behind the prop thus avoiding
severe wear.
With the power setting issue in mind, it should not be a shock that
seaplane pilots have a few options on the type of taxi technique they
use, the simplest being the idle taxi, which is when the pilot keeps
the power at idle while maneuvering. Typically, this mode of taxi
yields a few knots of forward speed, though this is dependent upon
wind, etc. Because the flight controls have virtually no effectiveness
at this slow of a speed, some other method of control is necessary.
Enter the water rudder.
WATER RUDDERS SHOWN ATTACHED TO THE REAR OF THE FLOATS,
IN THE UP POSITION, AND THEN IN THE DOWN POSITION.
If a long taxi distance needs to be tackled, such as to taxi to the far
end of a lake to turn around for takeoff, it’s best to use a faster taxi
speed. As previously mentioned, there is no option to go just a bit
faster than an idle taxi, due to the concern about the propeller. Thus
it is best to transition to a taxi fast enough to bring the hull or floats
“on step” or “on plane.” Being “on step” is typically thought of as a
nautical term, but the part or parts of a seaplane that are in the water
are designed using the same principles as boats. The goal is to get
the hull or floats up and out of the water as much as practicable. This
drastically reduces drag, which plays a big hand in the seaplane being
able to accelerate enough to take off.

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 FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR
To begin a fast taxi, more aptly named step taxi, full elevator back
pressure is required. This helps prevent floats from digging in to
waves and helps the craft get up on plane faster. Recall the power
quandary. The best way to deal with it is to simply go full power until
up on step. As a seaplane begins to accelerate it starts to plow. At this
point you have a choice. Either keep the back pressure on the stick
or yoke or release it somewhat. If you keep holding the nose up high,
you will stay in what is called a plow taxi. For the most part, it is best
to relax the elevator a little bit allowing the seaplane to continue its
acceleration to get up on plane.

UP, UP, AND AWAY WITH A FEW NOTCHES OF FLAP AND FULL POWER.
NOW, WHERE WILL TODAY’S ADVENTURE TAKE US?

Considering water conditions are not typically an issue in flight

A FAST TAXI WITH THE AIRCRAFT ‘UP ON PLANE’
Of course, we don’t want to take off yet, so once on plane, power
should be reduced to maintain the taxi. In FS2004, being on step is
indicated by the appearance of a nice wake trail behind the aircraft.
Once on plane, you should be able to keep the longitudinal axis (nose)
of the aircraft relatively level with the surface while keeping the
wake, but without taking off. It’s a bit of a fine line, so you’ll need to
experiment to figure out the right settings for the particular aircraft
you’re using. One more thing about step taxis – since you will be
going fast enough for the aircraft rudder to have some effectiveness,
the water rudders are usually retracted for fast taxis.
sims only normal takeoff and landing techniques will be mentioned.
Takeoffs, characteristically, are executed with partial flaps – usually
one or two notches. This helps the aircraft lift out of the water and
up onto plane faster. Just like getting ready to step taxi, initiate all
takeoff runs with the elevator pulled aft and full power applied. As the
aircraft gets up on step, relax the back pressure slightly to allow the
craft to accelerate without the excess drag of digging in the rear end
of the floats or aircraft tail. Since your goal in this case is to actually
take off (and not just taxi), power is left at the maximum permissible
setting. If any directional control is needed, do so with gentle rudder
pedal inputs. If a wing begins to rise up due to the turn, or because of
wind, tenderly apply aileron to counter the rise.

So once you’ve taxied to a point to begin your takeoff, position the

aircraft towards deep water, clear of objects and as into the wind as
possible. When getting ready to begin the takeoff roll it is important to
have a plan in mind as to how you’re going to climb out and transition
to the enroute part of your flight. As you can imagine, some remote
areas are surrounded by fairly significant terrain. Gone are the days
of straight-out departures. You may need to turn immediately after
takeoff and follow a stream through a valley or maybe even circle
your way up to a safe altitude directly overhead the body of water
from which you just departed.

All takeoffs are made with the water rudders in the up position.
The reason for this is because, in real seaplanes, the tail rudder and
water rudders are not typically aligned just right. In theory, the water
rudders could command the nose to turn while the pilot tries to
counter with the aerodynamic rudder. In the end, the two devices may
end up fighting each other. Even worse is if the two aren’t rigged right
and you touchdown on landing thinking the rudder pedals are neutral.
THIS RIDGE IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT OF OUR APPROACH PATH TO
A slightly canted water rudder can make things rather disturbing (and LANDING MAKES IT MORE DIFFICULT TO JUDGE THE ACTUAL HEIGHT
scary) as soon as it digs into the water. OF THE RIVER SURFACE BELOW OUR AIRCRAFT.

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 As far as landings go, the principal complexity involves depth
perception. The discernment of height above water surfaces is not
an easy task. Unfortunately for flight simmers, this depth perception
quandary is not limited to the real world. Fortunately, there are
several ways to deal with this. You can land so that your shadow is
readily visible such as from the chase plane perspective. Another
method is to watch the altimeter. If you’re landing in the ocean, if set
correctly, it should read zero when you touchdown, thus you can plan
your descent accordingly (if landing in a lake, one must consider the
local terrain elevation). Lastly, you can use the terrain ahead of you
to judge altitude. By observing how a jetty or outcropping of land
appears in relation to the land behind it, you can have a good idea of
when you’re about to touch down. If the quay looks as though it is
below or forward of the background, you still have a bit to descend,
but if they appear at the same level, you’re almost on the water.
USING THE AID OF THE AIRCRAFT SHADOW, YOU CAN BETTER JUDGE
AIRCRAFT HEIGHT ABOVE WATER AND ‘FLARE’ FOR THE TOUCHDOWN.
Landings are made with partial to full flaps (partial flaps ensure a
higher nose attitude, reducing float dig-in risks) and water rudders up.
The best way to set up to land in flight sim is to get within about 50
to 100 feet of the water and then pitch up and set power to establish
a very slight descent, i.e. 50-100 feet per minute. This will obviously
take up lots of water space, particularly since you may have to
maneuver around terrain to get to a good landing spot. If space is an
issue you can fly along a shoreline or make your approach to cross a
shoreline immediately before touchdown to help with reference, thus
reducing water run distance. However, water near the shore in flight
sim may not be “deep enough” for use. Once on the water bring the
power to idle and gingerly pull back on the elevator. This will slow
you down until you come off of step. You’re ready to taxi to your
parking spot. If you’re in an amphibian you can extend your landing
gear once at taxi speed to go ashore to unload your passengers or to
shut down.
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cpm1004.indd 76
One other handy thing that can be done both in real seaplanes and
.
those in flight sim is to sail. No, there is not a canvas sail hidden
anywhere, instead you can use the flight controls in a specific way
to use the wind to steer the plane in the desired direction. When it is
windy (program 20-25 knots into custom weather) the aircraft will
bob around to face directly into the current of air. Once facing into the
wind you will be pushed slowly backwards.
If you want to float towards the left, turn the ailerons to the left
and step on right rudder. What you’re doing is dropping the aileron
on the right side of the wing which ends up creating more drag,
pulling this wing aft. The rudder input pulls the tail out into the
direction you want to go. Both of these items work together so the
wind gently pushes the seaplane to the left. The opposite holds true
if a drift to the right is desired. Why would you want to do this?
Well, if you want to get to a tight spot, perhaps a beach in a cove,
sailing in is a much wiser bet than trying to idle taxi in with a wind
to your back, then trying to turn around.
T
o
M
(
WHO WANTS TO LAND ON RUNWAYS WHEN THERE IS BEAUTIFUL
WATERWAY SCENERY LIKE THIS JUST WAITING TO BE EXPLORED
AND UTILIZED?
Conclusion
Seaplanes can really be a refreshing change to the monotony of
land-based flying. Exploration of the Bahamas, the Azores and remote
lakes takes on new meaning when flying a floatplane. Try departing
from Long Beach, California to fly out to Catalina Island and land in
the waters just off shore of Avalon. Taxi a short distance and you’ll be
nestled in one of the prettiest spots in the world. So go ahead and get
some salt and water in your hair. Strap on your sea-wings for some
flights of discovery! 4
CPM. V10I4
2/21/2006, 10:48:35 PM
 COMING UP...
...in the May 2006 Issue

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cpm1004.indd 77 2/21/2006, 10:48:48 PM
 FLIGHTINSTRUCTOR II
EMERGENCY!
Skill Level: All Levels Instructor... H.v.d.Biggelaar, Ph.D., CFII

“A
lbany approach, 53Golf (since we were already in
contact with Albany approach, the abbreviated call
sign was sufficient) is declaring an emergency.” “53Golf is cleared to the Albany airport, any runway, say preference.”

“53Golf, Approach, say nature of emergency and your intentions.”
“Approach, 53Golf has smoke in the cockpit and needs to land
immediately.”
“53Golf, winds are 030 at 5, visibility 8, ceiling at 850, do you
require the equipment?”
The “equipment” is a euphemism for crash and fire trucks and
ambulance, but “equipment” sounds less alarming.
“Approach, negative on the equipment, we have the smoke more
or less under control but still need to land ASAP.”
“Approach, 53Golf would like ILS 1 and vectors to a few miles
outside the outer marker please.”
“53Golf, cleared as requested, turn right to 350, descend and
maintain 2500 until established on the localizer.”
“Approach to all traffic in the vicinity of Albany, the airport is now
closed, emergency in progress.”
“53Golf, Approach, switch to tower at 119.5 if able, otherwise stay
with me.”
“53Golf switching to tower and thanks.”

78 CPM. V10I4

cpm1004.indd 78 2/21/2006, 10:48:49 PM

 FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR

This really happened on a flight from KMHT (Manchester, NH) to

KHOU (Houston, TX) in IMC (instrument meteorological conditions)
in a heavily loaded Cherokee 180 with two pilots on board. The
landing was uneventful, the source of the smoke determined and
removed. It turned out that somebody had yanked out the cigarette
lighter and the element and some of the bakelite insulation had
remained in the socket and was every once in a while making a short,
causing black, awful smelling smoke to bellow out from under the
instrument panel. An FAA inspector, who happened to be in the tower
at the time, inspected the mechanic’s work and declared us airworthy
and no report necessary, thank you. We topped off the tanks, might as
well we thought, and soon were on our way again.

If you are participating in a virtual air traffic control group such

as VATSIM - www.vatsim.net - it may be interesting to try out that
scenario and see how it’s dealt with in the sim world of ATC.

This is not a type of emergency that you’ll find in a simulator,

and if you were to smell smoke on a sim trip, it would probably
come from the kitchen. However, you can make this into a sim
emergency and think of how you’d handle this. Knowing where
you are, situational awareness in other words, is essential at such a
time so you’ll know which airport is available and reachable. Since
it’s a tense situation it is easy to forget some of the fundamentals of
handling any emergency. For instance, the NRST (Nearest) button
on your GPS is really handy, especially if you have one that gives
you info on the airports listed, such as runway(s) and approaches,
preferably ILSs. Do you have the appropriate charts and approach
plates handy? Of course, in our real emergency we had an advantage
in the sense that both of us were pilots and immediately decided that
the PF (pilot flying) would do just that and the PNF (pilot not flying)
would handle the communications and setting of other frequencies as
well as trying to determine the cause of the smoke and see if anything
could be done about it. I was the PNF and found that by sticking the
eraser end of a pencil into the socket I could keep the remnants of the
lighter from shorting against the case, most of the time.
On the other hand many simulators allow you to set up failures
of instruments and systems to occur at random times during your
flight. You’ll be tested on how you handle one or more of those
by the flight examiner when you go for your ticket and, of course,
your instructor should have prepared you for them. The unrealistic
thing is that the failed instrument will be covered and it’s thus very
obvious what has gone wrong. In real life a failure is rarely so
sudden and thus far more insidious. A proper scan of the instruments
will help you determine if something is going awry. Once you have
recognized that, the problem is to find out if it’s an instrument or a
system failure. Fortunately, there is a lot of redundant information
displayed and by comparing the displays you should be able to
determine from the disagreement among the various instruments
what is really happening.
It’s obvious therefore that the pilot should know the systems in
the airplane, e.g. which instruments are vacuum driven and which
are electrically powered. Did you as a sim pilot ever study the
manual for your airplane? To make things as real as it gets that’s one
of the many things that go into flying safely and the sim pilot should
practice that. One thing that applies to all emergencies and which
is of primary importance, first and foremost, is to keep flying the
airplane!
For single-pilot flight simming, setting up the failures yourself
before you take off is a good way to practice handling emergencies,
TWO PICTURES OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL OF A MOONEY TAKEN AT
A 30 SECOND INTERVAL. CAN YOU TELL WHICH INSTRUMENT AND/OR
SYSTEM FAILED, AND CAN YOU LOGICALLY DECIDE WHAT TO DO ONCE
YOU HAVE FIGURED IT OUT?
although the element of surprise has been eliminated to a large
extent since you are now primed for an emergency. If possible, and
to make it really life-like, have the failures programmed by a fellow
pilot or flight instructor. You may argue that doing so also primes
you to expect an emergency, but that is not as unrealistic as it may
seem. In real life that’s what you should expect during any flight. It’s
a matter of mind-set. Before takeoff, airline pilots compute various
V-speeds, such as V1, V2, Vrotate, etc. One of the important ones is
V1, since it is the one that counts when an engine fails during the
takeoff roll. If that happens before V1, there is only one thing to do,
abort the takeoff and brake as hard as you can and you’ll be stopped
before you reach the numbers at the other end of the runway. Once
you are going faster than V1, the recipe is equally simple, continue
the takeoff, because if you were to try to stop you’ll run off the end
of the runway, guaranteed. Better to use that abundant power jet
and turbo prop multi-engine airplanes have, even with one engine
out, and climb to a safe altitude and sort things out. In single-engine
airplanes you don’t have that luxury, or problem if you prefer, and
in a way the situation is simpler. You will be back on the ground in
a matter of minutes or less. However, there is one very important
decision to make. Land, more or less straight ahead and off the
airport, or try to make it back to the airport and land, more or less,
normally. The obvious question is thus, “can you make it back to
the airport without doing substantial damage and/or injury?” This is
something where a simulator is really a great tool. Try takeoffs and
at various altitudes, like 400 to 800 ft AGL (above ground level), see
if you can make it back to the airport. If it doesn’t work, so what?
But, in the real world you often only have once chance at it, and
how would you handle that kind of emergency?

79

cpm1004.indd 79 2/21/2006, 10:48:55 PM


THESE IMAGES SHOW JUST SUCH A SITUATION. AT KCON (CONCORD,
NH) THE MAIN RUNWAY IS 17/35 AND RUNWAY 3/21 IS OFFICIALLY
CLOSED. IF YOU LOOK CAREFULLY, YOU CAN JUST SEE A YELLOW X AT
EACH END OF THAT RUNWAY. THE Xs ARE SHOWN ON THAT RUNWAY
AND NOTE THAT THERE ARE NO NUMBERS. IF YOU WERE TO TAKE OFF
FROM RWY 35 AND HAD AN ENGINE FAILURE BY AT LEAST 500 FEET
AGL, THAT “CLOSED” RUNWAY WOULD BE VERY ATTRACTIVE.
80
cpm1004.indd 80
Immediately establish best glide speed, turn back and land. Do
you know that speed (best glide speed) for your aircraft? It turns
out that in the small Cessnas, running the trim to full nose-up pretty
much gets you to and holds you at best glide speed. And “pretty
much” is good enough; you won’t be in the air very long anyway.
So, now, in which direction do you make your turn? If there is a
significant crosswind, turning into that will keep you closer to the
runway or taxiway. Yes, taxiway. For a small GA (general aviation)
airplane that may be a viable option. Keep in mind that there may be
another runway than the one you took off from which may be more
attractive. Even a NOTAM’d-closed runway may be a better bet than
landing in the grass.
In an emergency, anything goes. Land first and argue later. One
more thing. What bank angle do you use? Many pilots are very
reluctant to bank steeply close to the ground and usually that is a
good idea. So experiment with bank angles and note how far away
you get from the takeoff runway in each case. Keep in mind that not
only do you have to make a 180 to reverse your direction but then
s-turn to align yourself with the runway you took off from. Now you
see why landing on another runway may be a much more attractive
option. It’s important to stay out of the way of other traffic, so it’s
imperative to announce your emergency and your intentions, to
“airport-name traffic” or to the tower. Don’t worry about switching
to 121.5, you were most likely already talking to somebody anyway
and/or setting your transponder to 7700, so simply stay with them. To
prepare yourself for that serious emergency, study the airport layout
before takeoff and know what kind of terrain there is at the end of the
runway; a parking lot is a better crash site than a scrap yard. If you fly
for real with an instrument-rated pilot you may find that during the
takeoff they often have the approach plates for the departure airport
ready. Just in case, you know. As you can tell, this is a case where
situational awareness is rather important and what better tool for that
than a GPS with a good moving-map display. Of course all GPS
manufacturers will disclaim any responsibility for the accuracy of
that information. That will always be the pilot’s responsibility,
THE CIRCLE AROUND THE AIRPLANE SYMBOL HAS A RADIUS OF ¼ NM.
THE YELLOW, SHOWN WITH THE MAP DISPLAY IN TERRAIN MODE,
INDICATES THAT FOR THE ALTITUDE OF THE AIRPLANE AT THAT TIME,
THERE IS AT LEAST 100 FT GROUND CLEARANCE. THE PURPLE LINE IS
THE TRACK FOR THE ACTIVE LEG OF THE FLIGHT PLAN THAT HAD BEEN
ENTERED IN THE GPS. THE PLANE IS SHOWN ABOUT TO INTERCEPT THE
COURSE LINE AND AT AN ALTITUDE 500 FT ABOVE RUNWAY ELEVATION,
WHICH WAS IN THE CLOUDS IN THE CASE OF OUR DEPARTURE FROM
KDAW (SKYHAVEN AIRPORT, NH).
CPM. V10I4
2/21/2006, 10:49:02 PM
 FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR
but let’s not split hairs when it comes to having to get onto the ground
“right now”. I recall a flight where we had filed an instrument flight
plan and were taking off from an uncontrolled field. The ceiling was
just at minimums for the ILS approach, about 250 feet AGL, but
we had to get out of there. We discussed what to do in case we had
an emergency that required us to turn back to our departure airport.
We set the Garmin 1000’s large map display to a scale of about ½
mile; so that it showed a great amount of detail including the airport
layout and decided we’d use that to guide us back to the airport. Keep
in mind that at 500 ft AGL we’d already be in the clouds. It wasn’t
necessary and we had an uneventful trip. This is something you can
do in your sim also as many now have at least some map display.
You may have flown instrument approaches in your sim. Suppose
now, that while on the approach, the airport goes below minimums
for that approach. The obvious and legally required thing is to go
“missed” and proceed to your alternate. You had filed for an alternate
didn’t you and you know the rules? However, we’ll assume that this
is not a routine flight and for some reason, being very low on fuel
comes to mind or a sick passenger, you just have to land. Try this in
your sim; when on an ILS at DA (Decision Altitude), in other words
where you have to decide to land or go missed, decrease the decent
rate to about 200 ft/min, stay very carefully on the localizer but don’t
follow the glideslope and you’ll touch down on the runway and on the
center line. Don’t look outside at any time and let the landing surprise
you. It’s probably not a pretty landing but you’re on the ground with
minimum or no damage or injury. It helps of course if the runway is
long, but if it has an ILS, that’s probably a given. If you have a float
plane in your fleet you can practice something similar. It’s called a
glassy water landing, meaning you have no clue (literally) how high
you are above the water. You may find that surprising, if the water is
clear, you perhaps see the bottom, but not the surface. At the proper
landing (watering?) speed, set up and hold a 100 ft/min descent rate
and just wait until you gently splash down.
THE SCREENSHOT IS THAT OF A CESSNA CARAVAN AMPHIBIAN LANDING ON LAKE MICHIGAN, JUST TO THE EAST OFF (LATE) MEIGS FIELD.
cpm1004.indd 81
Here is another emergency that won’t happen in a sim, unless
you have been really rough with it. In flight you suddenly find that
the yoke can be moved freely and appears to have no effect on
the elevator. An emergency? You bet? Lost all pitch control? Not
necessarily! Try controlling the pitch with just the trim wheel. In the
case that there is simply no connection between the yoke and the
elevator, but the latter can still move freely, the trim tab can be used
to position the elevator and you’ll find you actually have pretty good
control. Don’t try making any abrupt changes though as the pitch
may get out of hand. Don’t cheat either, in other words you may still
use the yoke or joystick for the ailerons, but don’t push or pull. It
will take some practice, but you can actually land that way. A similar
emergency would be if you lost aileron control. No trim tabs here,
to help you out, at least not on most light airplanes. However, there
is still the rudder and you can steer quite well and keep the wings
level with just that. For some pilots the rudder is a forgotten control,
they always fly with their feet on the floor. If you had unchecked
the “realism” button in your sim so that the ailerons and rudder are
coupled and thus giving you perfectly coordinated turns, then “check”
it now and control bank and heading with just the rudder. That works
very well in a real airplane and is pretty convincing in a simulator.
Of course if you are a tail dragger pilot in sim or real life, you are on
intimate terms with the rudder, so then there is nothing new there.
So what other emergencies can we try in the sim? How about
a pilot-made one? Fly into a valley on a good VFR (Visual Flight
Rules) day and notice the mountains on either side rise above you, the
walls getting closer and the floor of the valley rising up to meet the
landing gear. Not good! It’s time to make a decision, or is it perhaps
already too late? If that’s the case, you are likely to add to the CFIT
(Controlled Flight Into Terrain) statistics, which accidents have a very
high fatality rate incidentally. But you recognized your predicament
and realize your only way out is to perform a rather drastic maneuver
called a “canyon turn”.
81
2/21/2006, 10:49:07 PM
 THIS IS A SHOT FROM A CESSNA 195 AT ABOUT 11,500 FT NEAR MT. MCKINLEY (DENALI) IN ALASKA.
THIS IS THE SAFE WAY TO LOOK AT A REAL BOX CANYON, BUT YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE HOW HAZARDOUS FLYING INTO ONE WOULD LIKELY BE.
KEEP IN MIND ALSO THAT THE FLOOR OF THAT CANYON, NEAR MT. MCKINLEY (DENALI) IN ALASKA, IS AT ABOUT 9000 FT.

Rather aptly named, don’t you agree? We are now getting into
mountain flying, which is a whole chapter, not to say library in
itself and there are many excellent books, texts rather, on that
subject. Also the AOPA (Airplane Owners and Pilots Association)
has as part of its ASF (Aviation Safety Foundation) some very
interesting and worthwhile articles on its website - www.aopa.org.
Some sections on that website are accessible to members only, but
even if you are just a sim pilot but take your “flying” seriously,
you’d do well considering a membership. In the meantime we have
been getting closer to the “point of no return”, a term that speaks
for itself, although among mountain flyers it has a well defined
meaning, i.e. the point from which you can no longer reverse
course, with the engine at idle, without touching the ground. The
canyon turn is not a gentle maneuver! Agressively, with rudder
and ailerons, roll into a steep bank, 45 deg at least, and pull hard
on the yoke and let the nose fall through. Don’t try maintaining
altitude or you’d go into an accelerated stall most likely. Done right
it will get you turned around in a hurry. For instance, if you do that
in a Cessna-182 at 90 kts IAS (Indicated Airspeed) you can get a
complete course reversal in about 12 secs. That explains why you
don’t have to worry much about losing some altitude. Even at 700
ft/min, you’ll only lose 140 feet and you shouldn’t be that close
to the ground to begin with. Don’t forget to roll out aggressively
too, otherwise it becomes self-defeating. Try it, and you may be
amazed how fast you can actually maneuver that usually so docile
GA airplane. If you want to try that in real life don’t get yourself
in a “I’ve got to do that right now!” situation, but at a safe altitude
and with elbow room to spare. Fly it with a co-pilot and watch it on
a moving map display so you can see how tight that turn really is,
while the other pilot does the maneuver.
As you can see there is much more to sim flying than routine stuff,
going from A to B, dealing with weather, etc. You can make even sim
flying rather exciting! 4

82 CPM. V10I4

cpm1004.indd 82 2/21/2006, 10:49:08 PM

 GROUND SCHOOL

83

cpm101.indd 83 1/23/2006, 9:06:38 AM

 84 CPM. V10I4

cpm1004.indd 84 2/21/2006, 10:49:19 PM