VOLUME 10 ISSUE 1 JANUARY 2006

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

CLASSIC FRAMES
Jet Engines Need Not Apply!
AIRCRAFT WORKSHOP
Editing the Aircraft CFG Part II
MUD MOVING IN THE VIPER
More Muscle Tips
GOOGLE EARTH…
FS Applications

VFR NEW ZEALAND

Fly Around the New Hollywood

cpm101.indd 1 1/23/2006, 8:53:02 AM

 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
forever! MegaScenery and MegaCITY
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• Hyper-realistic satellite scenery at 5 meters
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• Hi-resolution DEM (mesh). While
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need hi-res mesh - our recent releases
incorporate hi-res mesh at 30 meters.
• 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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• Developed specifically for Microsoft Flight
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Simulator that you wouldn’t think was
possible for such a low price!

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.

cpm101.indd 2 1/23/2006, 8:53:41 AM

 MEGASCENERY MAIL ORDER FO
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cpm101.indd 3 1/23/2006, 8:54:58 AM

 C
From the EDITOR
Happy New Year! Ok, ok, you knew I was going to start with that line didn’t you? It’s almost
a given come January each new year. While you were all out living it up and partying the old
year away, we were still here preparing the February 2006 and other upcoming issues for you
*grumbles*, but there is no rest for the weary, or is that wicked? *grins*
We did of course get a chance to take at least one or two days off recently, which was
certainly refreshing, and the rollover to 2006 always brings new beginnings and new
inspiration. Perhaps the saying “spring is in the air” should be moved backward a few

rolls around.

It is interesting to note the increased correspondence we have been receiving fro

regarding several of our feature articles we ran last year, and it is good to converse with
many of you in regards to the content of these articles. Many questions were raised as a
result of the articles, and I had the opportunity to personally reply to a much lar
of readers, which is something I always aim to do as time permits, so keep the e
and don’t forget to get your thoughts on paper (or on an email) and send them
our INBOX column. The best entry each month wins a Computer Pilot subscript
These emails can be about anything flight simulation or aviation related.
Publisher: Robert Ferraro
This month our feature article takes your flying around New Zealand, the new Hollywood, Editor: Dean Bielanowski
and most of the scenery is simply stunning, in the sim world, and of cours
too. And what better way to enjoy it than in a classic aircraft. Francois h Layout & Design: Tony Liatos
you in his article this month. Peter Stark has more aircraft tweaking tips and tutorials, Doug Contributors In This Issue: Dean Bielanowski, Dr David
Horton has the last part of his instrument training series and Mike Glynn is moving more Wilson-Okamura, Francois Dumas, Dr John Lattanzio,
mud in the Viper! Plus we have many reviews of the latest flight sim gear and add-ons and a Peter Stark, Roger Curtiss, Al Pelletier, Doug Horton,
great pullout poster for you to enjoy. Tom Kurtz, Glenn Alderton, Bill Stack, Mike Glynn, David
Ison, Chuck Bodeen, Ben Ippolito.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy the journey through this month’s issue of Computer Pilot
Magazine. Subscription Managers: Australia: Adrian Lazzarotto
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.
Dean Bielanowski Advertising Inquiries: PC Aviator Inc.
Editor Phone: 843-232-1160. Email: advertising@computerpilot.com
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General E-Mail: info@computerpilot.com
US Distribution: Ingram Periodicals, International
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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
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accept any liability for any accident or incident arising from any
information conveyed or implied in this publication.
For subscribers
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* Recommended Retail Price only
Computer Pilot Volume 10 Issue 1, January 2006 (ISSN 1324-7336) is published monthly
V10I1

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.

cpm101.indd 4 1/23/2006, 8:55:27 AM

C
CONTENTS

6 NEWS AND NEW RELEASES

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

REVIEWS
22 TweakFS’s TweakFS Utility Collection
30 Things-To-Come’s Lunar Pilot
48 RC Simulation’s VoxATC Deluxe
62 eDimensional’s AudioFX Force Feedback Gaming Headset 58 MUD MOVING IN THE VIPER: 102
Part II of Mike Glynn’s tutorial on Mud-Moving in the Viper will surely please the
10 CLASSIC FRAMES jet combat fans in this month’s issue. Learn how to hit targets with pin-point
Francois Dumas takes a leap back in history and finds an awesome classic accuracy using Maverick and HARM missiles, and a few rocket pods as well.
collection of aircraft designed by a dedicated sim family headed by the Lyons
clan and assisted by many other classic aircraft fans. 66 GOOGLE EARTH REVEALED!
It’s a “search engine” that uses satellite photos. Using Google Earth you
16 FREE FLYING IN NEW ZEALAND might be able to spot your own home as seen from space, and in pretty high
resolution, but Chuck Bodeen shows how this amazing tool can also be used
effectively for flight simulation purposes.

72 FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR – STEEP TURNS

Who needs to pay for a thrill ride at an amusement park when you can
perform steep turns in an aircraft? These often stomach-churning maneuvers
can be performed efficiently and safely with some basic knowledge and
training. Ben Ippolito instructs on this almost “taboo” topic.
y
78 GROUND SCHOOL - DEPRESSIONS
y

They are calling it the new “Hollywood”, but New Zealand offers more than
just rolling and rugged landscapes for movie sets, it is also an ideal place to
fly for the VFR pilot if you are looking for challenge and sightseeing options
all rolled into one. David Wilson-Okamura explores these southern hemisphere
islands in Flight Simulator.

26 AIRCRAFT WORKSHOP PART 2

Peter Stark continues his look at modifying and tweaking aircraft configuration
files for better and more realistic aircraft handling and operation.

34 “WHO’S IN CONTROL” SERIES CONTINUES No, not your mental variety. These are weather depressions, and they can be
We continue our series on the matrix of Air Traffic Control. This month we look deadly to the pilot, passengers, or any aircraft that comes in contact with
at the juggling act that is Approach Control. The challenge of ordering aircraft them. Learn why they are so menacing, and why good pilots avoid them like
into neat lines for handover to Tower for landing. the plague!

46 THE “STILL LIFES” OF FLIGHT SIMMING PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS:

Columnist Bill Stack explored the creative, artistic, and critiqued world of
flight sim screenshots. Find out what separates good shots from bad, and 38 HORTON’S HINTS
furthermore, what separates good shots from inspiring ones! More FS2004 tips and tricks

52 TRAINING FOR AN INSTRUMENT RATING – PART V 42 PULL OUT POSTER

We have reached the final installment of our series on training for a virtual “Learjet 40 XR”
instrument rating. This month, Doug Horton explains about the requirements
of passing an instrument checkride, dealing with ATC and partial panel flying. 51 INBOX
You can follow along with his real world checkride in your simulator. Your letters to us.

cpm101.indd 5 1/23/2006, 8:55:47 AM

 6 NEWS & NEW FLIGHT SIM RELEASES

Flight 1 Unveil the Ultimate Super 80

SOFTWARE PUBLISHER, Flight 1, have
unveiled their latest aircraft add-on for the
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 platform.
Created in partnership with CoolSky, “Ultimate
Airliners - The Super 80” brings back the
classic modes of flying in the era where glass
was just starting to appear. This rendition is
based on the original Super 80, circa 1979.
So with the combination of classic analog and
early electronic navigation, you have a product
that requires a lot of attention, but also rewards
proper cockpit management. And if this does
seem complicated, the new Integrated Cockpit
Training System will help guide you through
many of the steps required in order to have a
successful and accurate flight.
There are many details that make this a
highly advanced release for Microsoft Flight
Simulator 2004:
• Highly-detailed 2D panel, Virtual
Cockpit and external aircraft model.
• 2D panel created with 3DS MAX.
• Detailed Virtual Cockpit.
• External aircraft model created by Terry
Gaff using GMAX.
• Highly-detailed simulation of the
instrumentation systems.
• New Integrated Cockpit Training
System (ICTS) walks you through each
procedure step.
Of particular note is the sound package
included which features;
• Talking First Officer.
• All checklists read for you.
• MD80 flight deck ambience sounds.
• JT8D-209 engine sounds.
• External wind noise, gear noise, gear rumble.
• Central Aural Warning System recordings
from real aircraft.
The package retails for US$34.95 and is
available via download/purchase option or
as a boxed release (check with your favorite
retailer). Flight 1’s website can be found at
www.flight1.com

Just Planes adds South African A340 DVD

PRODUCERS and publishers of flight the aircraft for an empty ferry flight to for US$30. The titles are encoded region
deck and airport DVDs, Just Planes, have Johannesburg with a detour into British free and should work on 95% of DVD
recently released a new title to the series. airspace.” players worldwide with few problems. The
South African Airways A340-600 takes Just planes and World Air Routes range of
viewers aboard the four-engined Airbus The title, which is just one of many DVDs are available through good flight
340 jetliner on a historical journey. hundreds produced by the company, retails sim retailers worldwide.
SAA, the largest airline in Africa, operates
services to 26 countries on 6 continents
and serves more than 20 domestic routes.
The airline operates 18 A340s including
9 A340-600 series aircraft. A total of
around 60 planes carry close to 7 million
passengers a year.
“The first part of the program takes
viewers to SAA’s maintenance facility at
Johannesburg International Airport for a
close-up look at the A340-600. Following
the presentation we take off for Frankfurt
in the cabin of the dash 600. A nice feature
is the tail mounted camera which can be
accessed via the monitors at each seat.
The next part of this 3 hour program
takes us to Airbus in Toulouse for the
delivery flight of the last A340-600 on
order. We follow the pilots as they prepare

cpm101.indd 6 1/23/2006, 8:55:53 AM

 NEWS & NEW FLIGHT SIM RELEASES 7

X-Plane Evolves to v8.20

NOW the only serious retail competitor to
the Microsoft range of flight simulators,
Austin Meyer’s X-Plane simulator, published
through Graphsim, has further evolved with
the release of version 8.20, which is a free
upgrade for all owners of a version 8 retail
copy. This update is also a major re-work
of the code, as Austin states, “This is the
biggest internal re-write we have ever done
on X-Plane, and it is done to streamline
and tighten the code, making it run faster
and more consistently... we have really
overhauled the way the sim works from the
inside-out.”
Naturally there are far too many
enhancements and new features to list here,
as there always is with new X-Plane updates,
but here are some of the major improvements
with the 8.20 upgrade:
• Completely overhauled variable-storage
and file-io systems designed to be more
robust, fast, error-proof, and RAM-
efficient.
• You can now grab and move all the cockpit
controls when the cockpit is in 3D mode!
• You can now change the Autopilot and
Artificial Stability system constants while
you fly.
• In the various WINGS screen in Plane-
Maker, you can hit a little checkbox to
tune the planform of each wing.
• New buttons in Plane-Maker: Magneto
switches. Turn the left and right mags on
and off with switches, like in the Piper
Malibu.
• Seaplane water dynamics improved to
understand the “slicing” effects of v-hulls
thru the water.
These are just a taste of the new
enhancements, bug fixes and added features
offered in the 8.20 update, so if you are an
X-Plane owner, or you just want to download
the X-Plane 8.20 demo (full sim features
except controllers will be disabled after a few
minutes), head on over to the official X-Plane
home at www.x-plane.com

Carenado offer Cessna Stationair

Carenado continues to fill the gap in quality
light aircraft add-on offerings for flight sim
fans with their latest release, the Cessna
U206G Stationair 6II. The U206G looks
just as good as previous Carenado packages,
particularly in the textures department where
Carenado is a market leader in creating
realistic, weathered aircraft textures. But the
quality does not stop there. Flight modeling
and cockpit design is classic Carenado style
and functionality. Some major features
include:
• 8 variations with 4 different models
(Pantwheels, No Pantwheels, 1 pilot, 2
pilots).
• Interactive virtual cockpit.
• Full moving parts: Ailerons, elevators,
rudders, flaps and trim tab.
• Rolling Wheels – Opening doors
– Opening pilot’s window.
• FS2004 lights: Navigation lights, beacons,
landing lights.
• Full dynamic effects (shines over the body
and panel, night lights).
• Dynamic shine and reflections.
• 3D modeled full pilot’s animation and
cockpit area.
• Custom panel and gauges (includes
the new Fuel Computer Gauge and
NAVOMATIC 300A Autopilot) – Built-in
Zoom Gauges and digital readout features
– Realistic light effects on gauges –
Custom wing’s shadow at VC – window’s
reflections – Nightlight effects on panel
– Yoke etc.
• Realistic performance based on Cessna’s
documents and experimented Cessna
206’s pilot observations and Carenado’s
own experience on real flight and MFS.
Similar behavior compared with the actual
airplane. Real weight and balance.
Priced at just US$19.95, the Stationair would
make a great addition to any light aviation
enthusiast’s virtual hangar. It is available to
purchase from the official Carenado website
at www.carenado.com

cpm101.indd 7 1/23/2006, 8:55:55 AM

 8 NEWS & NEW FLIGHT SIM RELEASES
FS2Crew Targets Flight 1’s ATR
BRYAN YORK, the developer of the
FS2Crew series of add-ons for Microsoft
Flight Simulator 2004 which attempt
to simulate the airline crew and cabin
environment of particular aircraft, has
announced the release of his latest title -
FS2Crew: Flight1 ATR Edition.
Like the previously released 737 editions, the
Flight 1 ATR edition is designed for a specific
aircraft model, and this is the ATR 72-500
package offered by Flight 1.
“The ATR edition builds upon the advances
made in the 737 versions of FS2Crew to give
users the most realistic and innovative flight
simulation experience possible. Designed in
close consultation with a current ATR FO,
the ATR version of FS2Crew models the
SOP’s of a European airline that operates
ATRs. Even the idiosyncrasies that are
Radar Contact v4 Released
IF YOU AREN’T HAPPY with Microsoft’s
default Air Taffic Control module, and to
be honest, it does leave a few things to be
desired in certain areas, then John Dekker’s
Radar Contact may be worth a look. The
newest version 4 has recently been released
and offers a much more advanced air traffic
control experience for intermediate to
advanced virtual pilots.
Whether you like flying the heavies, such as the
747 or the Airbus 340, turboprops, or general
aircraft, RC is ready for you. RC provides
the appropriate controllers who give you the
current weather, clearances, taxi instructions,
takeoff clearances, ascent and descent
clearances, vectors to the active runway,
clearances to land, ground clearances, and
traffic calls for any aircraft in your flight path.
RC allows you to fly departure procedures,
will accurately handle emergencies, give you
the option to file and fly specific approaches,
allow you to practice those approaches, and
allow you to fly to your alternate airport when
the weather is below minimums. RC also
supports an in-flight change of destination to
any airport in the world.
Since RC is not an adventure, Flight
Simulator’s AI traffic is active, and RC’s
controllers will give you traffic calls when
an AI plane comes too close. RC will also
cpm101.indd 8
unique to their company procedures are Previous FS2Crew editions have proved very
modeled. All of this adds up to an awesome popular, so if you are an owner of the Flight
airline experience on your home computer 1 ATR package, the FS2Crew enhancement is
that is totally unmatched anywhere.” an essential addition. It retails for US$24.95
and is available in both boxed or download
Major features and enhancements in the ATR format. Check your favorite sim retailer for
version include: availability. FS2Crew’s official website is at
www.fs2crew.com
• Seamless integration with the Flight1 ATR.
• Flight, Cabin, Ramp, Operations and
Maintenance crew are modeled.
• Procedures based on real-world SOPs used
by a European ATR operator.
• Mega detail. Everything was custom
coded from scratch to be ATR specific.
• Professional voice acting. Both pilot’s
voices are real-world captains.
• Regional voice set for the ground crew
positions currently includes 21 countries.
• A new, user friendly interface system.
• A comprehensive manual.
move AI before they become a conflict, slow
or speed up AI planes while you are on final,
freeze ground traffic so they don’t cause
runway incursions. In short, RC is as close an
approximation of what real pilots experience
as is currently possible. RC is a program that
runs with Microsoft Flight Simulator 98,
2000, 2002, and 2004. Fire up FS, load a flight
plan with RC and off you go.
Radar Contact v4 retails for US$44, or US$34
if you are an owner of a previous RC version.
Check out www.jdtllc.com or your favorite
flight sim retailer for availability options.
1/23/2006, 8:55:58 AM
 NEWS & NEW FLIGHT SIM RELEASES 9

cpm101.indd 9 1/23/2006, 8:56:10 AM

 Classic Frames
BY FRANÇOIS A. ‘NAVMAN’ DUMAS
T
his is a story about classic planes (for
Microsoft’s Flight Simulator series) in the
sense of old but gold, i.e. made a long time
ago, and well remembered, but not only in that sense.
It is also about two people. Two people who design,
build and have sold these planes for many years.
Their ‘operation’, and above all, their dedication to
the customers is a ‘classic’ in itself!
Who am I talking about?
Lynn and Bill Lyons of course… the owners of
Custom Classics.
The Lyons’
If you’ve never heard of them, then that is okay. It means I have
the opportunity to make you aware of these very special people in
the flight sim world. And if you do indeed know them, as I expect,
you still might discover some things you didn’t know, or classics you
never knew they had crafted.
First of all, let me print a few lines I received from Bill when
asked about himself (yes, sometimes a writer’s job can be made a
little easier too):
10
cpm101.indd 10
Lynn and Bill Lyons live in Moline, Illinois and have six adult
children and seven grandchildren. They create and sell Microsoft
Flight Simulator add-ons under the name of Custom Classics (for the
FS2004 platform). Besides her Custom Classics duties, Lynn is also
involved in caring for the elderly and handicapped which keeps her
very busy. Bill, retired after 27 years in the US Dept of Defense, now
devotes his working hours to Custom Classics, which is obviously
much more fun!
That, my dear friends, doesn’t reveal the whole truth, of course,
since Bill is a very modest person, and one of the true gentlemen
in this ‘industry’. What attracts me personally is the way they have
always ‘done business’, even more than the choice of products and
the way these are made.
‘Custom Classics’ is an artisan sort of company, making aircraft and
scenery models since FS2000 (and probably longer, but my memory is
quickly fading these days). They do not publish a new flashy box every
month, they do not charge US$39 to $50 (yikes) for one of their planes,
and they are not trying to become one of the major flight sim publishers.
Nope. Lynn and Bill make aircraft they like and stick to the style of
building business they choose. And that is what I admire most in them.
There is one other very significant fact that needs to be mentioned
here. Although the Custom Classics aircraft are always very
CPM. V10I1
1/23/2006, 8:56:27 AM
 REVIEW
reasonably priced (at US $12.50 each), Lynn and Bill made it now
customary to release their payware aircraft as freeware at the end of
the ‘flight simulator’s life’. That is, they have sold their products for
12 to 18 months, or a little longer, and then by the time everybody is
kind of starting to think about a new version of Flight Simulator, they
release the titles for free and upload them to the most popular flight
sim websites with freeware libraries.
And so this is where you can obtain most of the products I will
mention in this article, instead of on his old website, which has now
been changed into the Golden Age website. But that’s another story.
The Custom Classics series
So what kind of planes can you expect to find when doing a search
on Bill Lyons? One of the first packages that comes to mind, published
not long after FS2004 appeared, was the Piper Cub. Yes, there is a Cub
in the default Microsoft product, but the Lyons one is quite different. To
begin with, it adds a few liveries to this wonderful little American plane
unlike the default MS offering that comes in one color only, yellow.
Although it is my favorite color for a Cub, it is nice to have a whole
bunch of others. Since this is one of the planes best known to mankind,
and of course a true ‘classic’, there were many types and liveries and it
was used extensively throughout the world. Umm… “was”? It still IS
used extensively throughout the world, pardon me!
And the Custom Classic Piper has more. There are, in fact, a few
different versions. One on wheels, yes, but also a float version. And my
favorite is the model on skis (as you may know, I fly tail-draggers on
skis myself sometimes, and this version has seen a lot of use over the
past 2 years).
Alright. Nothing special so far, right? Anybody can use FSDS2 and
build any aircraft for FS2004, no big deal, right? But, this is where
things start getting ‘different’. Lynn and Bill have never published
‘just’ one aircraft in a single package, and this is no different with the
Cub. Not only do you get a wonderful aircraft in many liveries and
various versions, but also included in the package is a Jeep. Yup! Hop
in and drive around the FS landscape. You can turn on the lights, put
the top up, add the passengers and trundle off-road to see the sights.
One thing to bear in mind is to turn on ‘autorudder’ when driving
the Jeep. It makes life a bit easier. You can put the old top down by
pressing the ‘O’ key. And you can even honk the horn by pressing F5
or F8, if that takes your fancy.
As with all their products, there are a few special keys to learn that
operate the various planes, vehicles and boats… errmm… “boats”?
Yes, you read correctly, there is a sailboat included here too.
Now, to show you to what detail is put into these ancillary
offerings, have a read of a copy of the sailing instructions;
“There is a also sailboat now included which really sails with the
wind! Select auto-rudder under realism. Choose the Sailboat Cruise
flight and hit / to put the sailor on board. Use the hat switch to pan
around and look forward. I have the head latency in AC set to less
than one to avoid sea sickness! You’ll notice that views are reversed.
The reason is that the boat is really a backward flying airplane and
we’re using the flaps as sails. One notch of F7 or, as I prefer to use, the
“lower flaps” button on the joystick, unships the sails. There are about
10 notches of sail available. Go up to about 5 or 6 notches and the sails
will start to pull the boat forward. Once underway you can pull in a little
sail with F6 or the “raise flaps” button and still maintain headway.
cpm101.indd 11
By using the ships rudder and sail combinations you can sail at a
pretty shallow angle to the wind so you can steer over to the static
boat and then down to the buoy. Don’t get sucked over the edge of the
falls! Anyway, when you want to go upwind (wind should always be
set for 14knots) come about and dump some or a lot of sail or you’ll
capsize! Start the auxiliary engine with M++ and cruise back to the
dock. Because FS2002/4 water is “sticky” it takes more power to get
moving and then back off on the throttle or you can add a little sail to
hold it back. Kinda fun to play with them and balance the two factors
while sailing.”
Now does that sound like fun or what? I can tell you, ever since Bill
started adding vehicles and boats to his packages I’ve traveled many
miles outside aircraft through the FS2002 and FS2004 landscapes.
What more do we have? How about a Grumman Goose flying boat?
One of my all-time favorites is this little shoulder-wing, twin-engined
water rat. Unzip this package into your FS2004 folder and you get not
one Goose but eighteen other aircraft to go with it. A whole set of AI
planes accompany this wonderful model, adding artificial air traffic of
the era. And again, there is something special for you of course, like a
radio inside and a choice of classic music to play while you soar over
the waves enroute to your next tropical destination. Or how about the
functioning windscreen wiper, additional rain effects, icing when air
temperature drops below freezing? The list goes on. You will also see
a humming bird twitter around, your girlfriend walking on the jetty,
dolphins jumping out of the water, and more.
Other Goodies
Another one of the typical ‘Lyons inclusions’ are these nifty little
add-ons included with all of their planes:
• There is a little file included that ages the roads and tarmacs to look
more real and period authentic.
• There is a little program included that eliminates the red brakes
messages.
• There is a folder with replacement sun corona that makes the sky
brighter and more realistic.
Oh, and did I mention the changed water textures and waves that
are also included? That’s another ‘bonus’ with these packages.
All of Bill’s packages have a wonderful set of documentation to
go with them, telling you a bit of the history of the aircraft portrayed,
helping you understand what special keys are used to make all the
extra’s move, helping you to install the product, and explaining what
else is included.
Now here is something you only get when you buy the ‘payware’
versions - a ‘personalized’ package. Bill would not only send you
a key to release the product, but it would also include some special
files resulting in seeing your name on various items. Usually on a
label or sign in the cockpit, but also on other items such as the key
hanger dangling from the ignition key, or on one or more signs in the
scenery or on some of the other vehicles included. It is absolutely of
no importance in regard to the actual flying, performance or anything
else, but it is kind of cool showing it to your friends… “Look, that’s
my airplane, it has my name on the key hanger”.
After the planes become freeware, this special service is no longer
performed of course. You will see my name on some of the pictures,
indicating I used the payware versions there, and not on others (which
I downloaded from one of the libraries).
11
1/23/2006, 8:56:42 AM
 THE G21 ‘GOOSE’ DOCKED WITH SPECIAL VISITOR THE TIGER MOTH ON FLOATS TAUGHT SO MANY PILOTS TO FLY

THE GOOSE DEPARTING MONKEY TALE ISLAND THE COCKPIT OF THE TIGER MOTH

WONDERFUL DETAIL, DOWN TO A FRESH CIGAR! A SWEDISH VERSION, LOVELY LITTLE AIRFIELD TO GO WITH IT

WHO IS HE? LOOKS A BIT STARTLED. MY FLYING? AND YOU EVEN GET AN OLD JAG TO GO WITH IT

cpm101.indd 12 1/23/2006, 8:57:05 AM

 REVIEW

I JUST LOVE THIS MACHINE! THIS ONE SHOWS THE ‘CUSTOMIZED’ NAME SHIELD

PIPER TRI-PACER IN AMPHIBIAN VERSION. GREAT HANGAR TOO! THE LUSCOMBE IN ACTION, CAN YOU TELL I’M A SAILOR?

BACK IN THE GOOSE FOR A BIT... BILL’S VIRTUAL COCKPITS ARE FUN! IN THE LYONS’ PLANES YOU NEVER ARE ALONE

ALSO FUN ARE THE VARIOUS VEHICLES YOU GET

WITH THEIR PRODUCTS SIGHT FOR SORE EYES!

cpm101.indd 13 1/23/2006, 8:57:25 AM

 MORE EYE CANDY FOR OLD MEN LIKE ME! THE LUSCOMBE WITH THE INN, AND A NOT-SO-CLASSIC CAR

AH, AND CARGO TOO! GET THESE ORANGES TO THE PRESS EVEN THE DIPSTICK WORKS TO CHECK THE OIL!

VIRTUAL COCKPITS ARE COMPLETE WITH DANGLING KEYS AND ALL THE LYONS’ PRODUCTS ALWAYS COME WITH LOTS OF ‘GOODIES’

HMMM.... WHERE’S THE WATER? MY LEAST FAVORITE ‘CLASSIC’... BUT FUN NONETHELESS

cpm101.indd 14 1/23/2006, 8:57:54 AM

 REVIEW

Alright then, let me try and give an overview of the aircraft and Golden Hawaii - cc8ghf.zip
vehicles available for your FS2004 (FS9) installation. I will show • Sikorsky S43 flying boat
the name of the aircraft, followed by the name of the file you would • two Kellet autogyros
need to search in the flight sim libraries. Oh, and I’ll list some of • three Ford trucks
the goodies included in each package. I tried to be as thorough as • 1930 Hawaii replacement scenery
possible, but I must admit I did not have them all installed anymore.
Grumman Goose – cc9g21f.zip
The FS2004 Classic Planes • Catalina Seaplanes Grumman G21 ‘Goose’ in various liveries
• special island scenery, based on the Tales of the Gold Monkey
Piper Cub J-3C-65 - cccub4.zip – Custom Classic? • over twenty adventure flights
• wheel, float, ski, clipped wing versions
• driveable Jeep I didn’t tell you yet that Lynn and Bill always add lots of prepared
• sailboat flights to their products, usually with some nice storyline to go with
• custom scenery them. Each flight is a little ‘adventure’ in its own right and fun to read
and fly. As all of their aircraft and associated places ooze nostalgia, so
Globe/Temco Swift – ccswift4.zip do these adventures and ‘tales’.
• four aircraft versions
• Glacier Expeditions Jeep
• fictitious Alaskan business with custom scenery The New Projects
Let me tell you a little bit about their latest venture.
Ryan STA – ccryan4.zip
• wheel and float version of the aircraft It is called “Golden Wings” and has replaced all the Custom
• a 1934 driveable Ford Classic models (and website). Golden Wings requires you to install a
• a Garwood cruiser (luxury speedboat) second FS2004. You can easily install it twice on your hard disk, Bill
• several custom sceneries will explain how, but in short it boils down to renaming the fs9.exe
file to something else, and then to just pop the FS9 CD’s in and install
DeHavilland DH82a Tiger Moth – cctiger4.zip it in a different folder. Afterwards you rename the original FS9.exe
• several wheeled and float versions (10) back, and voilà, you can use either the one, or the other. They will
• various scenery packages for different areas in the world use the same FS9.cfg file and some other ‘general files and folders’.
• Barton airfield for training Golden Wings is Lynn and Bill’s project that erases our modern
• 10 club flags hidden all over the world day (FS2004) world and replaces it with a version reminiscent of
the 1930s. Gone are all the big cities, major airports, new highways
Waco Classic Biplane – ccwaco4.zip and modern planes. These have been replaced by a rather ‘empty’
• four wheeled and two float variants of the plane landscape and small airfields, just as it must have looked like in the
early days of aviation. You can find the new site - ‘Golden Wings of
Stinson SR-10 Reliant ‘Gullwing’ – cc6stinf.zip Aviation’ - here on the old URL: http://windrfters.com
• Pietenpol Air Camper open-cockpit airplane
• custom scenery Since we’re at it, I need to mention somebody else too; Tom
Constantine. Tom has a website/forum called ‘The Old Hangar’,
Luscombe Model 8a – cc12lusf.zip which has existed since 1998 and is one of the Lyon’s staunchest
• two versions of the aircraft, nine liveries supporters. Tom has changed his site to fully support Golden Wings,
• with Katahdin Inn B&B scenery hosting their forums, among other things. But there are more people
adding to the success of the ‘classics’. They can be found on one
Travel Air – cc10taf.zip of Bill’s pages, now known as the Golden Wings Gang: http://
• the ‘original’ Orcas livery included windrfters.com/gw3pagen1.htm
• various custom sceneries There you will find people such as Jim Nichols, Tom, of course,
• Orcas and Emma Field scenery addition, in cooperation with Léon Louis, Kevin Breen, Joe Lograsso, Phil Krause, Roger Law, and
Richard Goldstein many others.
Also, on The Old Hangar forums is the Custom Classic
Piper PA-23 Apache – cc7pa23f.zip Support Forum: http://mainescenery.proboards24.com/
• wheel and float versions index.cgi?board=ccs
• scenery near Lake Superior, Minnesota
• sloping dirt strip near the farm The fun thing about this particular project is that it will probably
remain in existence long after Microsoft moves on to a new version
Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer – cc13p22f.zip of Flight Simulator. The Golden Wings project really does not need
• four versions (wheel, float, amphibian) anything new. It needs OLD STUFF!
• eighteen liveries
• custom hangar with moving doors Last but not least, Lynn and Bill have published a new title,
• whales to watch the Graf Zeppelin. With this last URL - http://windrfters.com/
Grafpage.htm - I’d like to close my ‘Lyons Article’ and hope you
Quad City Challenger II – cc11qcf.zip will agree with me that most of their packages are worth having if
• various liveries you love flying!
• cool passenger!

15

cpm101.indd 15 1/23/2006, 8:58:09 AM

 Free Flying in New Zealand
BY DR. DAVID WILSON-OKAMURA
T
his is the seventh article in a series about
exploring different regions of the world under
visual flight rules (VFR). The point, as I’ve
said before, is not to chart every peak and chasm of
a new area: that would be impossible, not to mention
tedious. The goal, rather, of each article is to develop
some general guidelines for each area, such as which
scenery add-ons to install, what kind of weather to
expect, and how to conceptualize the terrain so you
don’t get lost. That is the “Free Flying” formula, and
in past articles we’ve applied it in various parts of the
world, from Hawaii to the West Coast, from Israel to
Papua New Guinea. With this installment, we return
once more to the islands of the Pacific, this time to
New Zealand.
16
cpm101.indd 16
Scenery Add-Ons
A land of striking beauty and variety, New Zealand seems to have
everything an aviator could wish for: steep valleys, snow-capped
mountain crests, peaceful lakes, inviting bays, long beaches, winding
rivers, and forbidding fjords, all in relatively close proximity. In
recent years, many have been drawn to New Zealand from watching
Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Jackson grew up near
Wellington, the country’s capital, and by using his native land as the
setting for Tolkien’s fantasy he has transformed local tourism.
However, before we go out and look for the Mt. Doom, we
need to install some scenery. New Zealand has an active flight sim
community and there are any number of freeware sceneries that you
can download, ranging from simple airstrips to whole cities. Most of
these are conveniently indexed on two websites, Heather Sherman’s
fly-heather.avsim.net and Robert-Jan Oosterloo’s walhalla.mine.nu/
fs2004.php. Robin Corn’s Godzone site windowlight.co.nz
specializes in New Zealand scenery for Flight Simulator and is a good
source for product reviews and news about upcoming releases. You’ll
CPM. V10I1
1/23/2006, 8:58:11 AM
 want to bookmark all three, especially since Corn has announced
plans to release new versions of his Godzone scenery as freeware.
While we’re waiting for that, however, my advice is to start big.
You can always download another airport (I especially recommend
Christchurch, Queenstown, and Wellington), but that is not why people
travel to New Zealand, to look at airports. There are two scenery add-
ons which, even if you download nothing else, are essential to flying
in New Zealand. Both are created by Christian Stock and both are free
from his website geographx.co.nz/downloads.html. The first is his
terrain mesh, “75m NZ Scenery.” Without this, you will take off in
search of Tolkien’s Misty Mountains, and find only Misty Lumps. Even
if you already have someone else’s mesh installed for New Zealand,
it’s worth getting Stock’s, because the elevation data that it’s based on
is more accurate. The other must-have add-on is Stock’s “Revised NZ
Landclass”; it’s a small file compared with the mesh, but the effect of
installing it is no less dramatic. Instantly, you’ll have glaciers in the
right place, forests where there were only fields, and little towns that
Microsoft, in its eagerness to fit the whole world onto four CDs, left out
or just overlooked.
Those are the two must-haves, terrain mesh and landclass. This
fall Stock has also released a product called “New Zealand Topo
Scenery,” which you can see in my screenshots. It’s not free, but it is
reasonably priced, about US$25. You can enjoy New Zealand without
it - I did, for almost two years - but don’t be a martyr. You will notice
dramatic improvements everywhere you fly, and you will also find it
much easier to navigate.
There are two things that make New Zealand a beautiful place
to fly, mountains and water. Stock’s terrain mesh takes care of the
mountains, but does nothing for the water. The problem is the default
shorelines, which are blocky and crude. What the topo scenery
does is rebuild all of the shorelines - of beaches, lakes, rivers, bays,
everything - from scratch using the most accurate data available. It
also does the same for the road system.
These changes transform the whole country, in much the same
way that Ultimate Terrain has transformed the continent of North
America. There are some differences: for example, the Ultimate
Terrain products are more expensive, but also cover larger areas;
Ultimate Terrain also has special lighting effects. On the other hand,
Topo Scenery adds 350 grass airstrips and thousands of 3D objects,
including utility pylons, antenna masts, three wind farms, and 3,500
bridges. Both products, Ultimate Terrain and Topo Scenery, show
real-world golf courses (using the built-in “golf course” texture), and
Topo Scenery also displays real-world racetracks.
Maps and Names
If you’ve read my previous articles, you know what’s coming next:
get a map. The country map in your world atlas, even if it’s a very
good one, is all right for taking in the big picture, but it doesn’t show
enough detail for VFR navigation. I won’t say it’s impossible, just
unpredictable. I like the Operational Navigation Charts (ONC) series
produced by the U.S. Department of Defense, because they’re big and
cheap (US$5 each plus shipping from sportys.com). Unfortunately
the chart that covers most of New Zealand (S-13) is no longer
available—but it was almost fifteen years out of date anyway. One
solution is to order a current chart from airways.co.nz, the state-
owned company that oversees New Zealand airspace; they sell a
Visual Planning Chart (VPC) that covers the whole country at a scale
of 1:1,000,000 (same as the ONC or WAC series); with shipping to
the United States, this comes to about US$17. If you live in Australia
or New Zealand, you can also get it from downunderpilotshop.com.
cpm101.indd 17
Now let’s look at our map. Immediately, everyone notices that
there are two main islands: the North Island and the South Island.
Between the two islands there is a narrow strait which, like many
places in New Zealand, is named after James Cook, the English
captain who explored much of the Pacific in the late eighteenth
century. The other main source of place names is Maori, the
language of the indigenous people who began coming to New
Zealand, probably from Tahiti, about 1,200 years ago. The Maori
names are often descriptive: Wanganui, for example, means “big
harbor.” Best of all are the Maori mountain names: Ruapehu, for
example, is an active volcano and means ‘exploding sound hole’.
Better still is the mountain also known as Mount Cook (what else?).
At over 12,000 feet, this is the tallest mountain in New Zealand
and its Maori name, Aoraki, means ‘cloud piercer’. One note on
pronunciation: the wh in Maori words like Whangarei ‘dear harbor’
is pronounced f, so it’s Fang array, not Wang array.
North Island
Which island is more fun to fly over? I’m not going to take sides on
that. It is possible, though, to make some generalizations and to offer
some suggestions for enjoying what each island has to offer.
The top half of the North Island isn’t flat, exactly, so much as low.
As if to make up for that, the bays and harbors here are spectacular.
What is more, the shapes are often quite distinctive, so if you have the
Topo Scenery it’s not difficult to match up what you see on the map
with what you see in the sim.
Starting from Kaitaia (NZKT) in the north, there are several flights
you can make of about 100 nautical miles (nm) round trip. Fly out
west to the coast and then follow it north to the end of Ninety Mile
Beach. When you get to Cape Reinga, at the northern end of the
island, turn around and follow the eastern shore. When you get to
Rangaunu Bay—it’s the saclike one with the narrow opening at the
top—head south over the Bay and look for the extreme end; it issues
in a river which, if you follow it for five miles, will take you right
back to Kaitaia.
Another base for exploring Northland (as this region is known) is
Kerikeri (NZKK), since it’s only five miles from the Bay of Islands.
Or, if you take a seaplane, you don’t need a base at all, since the Bay
has numerous inlets where you can moor. But my favorite bay is
Whangarei Harbor, because the airport here (NZWR) is right on the
water and because the eastern side is sheltered by an old volcano, Mt.
Manaia. If you have the Topo Scenery, look for the long strips of land
that stretch down on the western side of the harbor; these run almost
perpendicular to the main runway and are useful for lining up your
base or crosswind leg in the traffic pattern.
As we travel farther south, the north island narrows until we get
to Auckland. Like Whangarei, it’s a bay city—but bigger and with
more large buildings. To see them, however, you’ll need to install
some add-on scenery. Try Auckland 2005, a freeware scenery add-on
by Savern Reweti, Dean Baunton, and Shayne Butler; you’ll find it
in the AVSIM file library. If you want more 3D objects and photoreal
ground textures, there is also Robin Corn’s “Real New Zealand
Auckland City”; it ships for about US$30, less if you’re local. In
either case, once you have the scenery installed, the best way to
appreciate it is by helicopter. If you’ve given up on helos, try again.
Or, get Bill Lyons’ “Golden Hawaii” package (now freeware on
AVSIM) and use the Kellet autogyro: it won’t quite hover, but with
its low, low stall speed you can use it like a helicopter to explore
Auckland’s skyscrapers.
17
1/23/2006, 8:58:12 AM
 CLIMBING OUT OF MILFORD SOUND FOLLOWING ARTHUR RIVER

MURCHISON RIVER, FLYING WEST MURCHISON GLACIER WITH MT. COOK

CLIMBING OUT OF QUEENSTOWN AIRPORT HUMBOLDT MOUNTAINS

MILFORD SOUND AND MITRE PEAK FOLLOWING BULLER RIVER WEST

cpm101.indd 18 1/23/2006, 8:58:28 AM

 CLOUDS MAKE VFR DIFFICULT CIRCLING OUT OF KARAMEA

LAKE ROTOIT MT. NGAURUHOE, WITH RUAPEHU AHEAD

MURCHISON TO WESTPORT OHIWA HARBOR

WAIRAU RIVER WHANGAREI HARBOR FROM ABOVE

cpm101.indd 19 1/23/2006, 8:58:46 AM

 When you’re done with that, cross east over Hauraki Gulf and see
Great Barrier Island (NZGB). If the weather’s dirty, you can tune in
the Great Barrier (GB) radio beacon on your ADF (frequency 274)
and fly direct. It’s more fun, though, to follow the shoreline of the
Gulf, south into the Firth of Thames and then north again up the
Coromandel Peninsula. Cross the Colville Channel and look for the
airport on the eastern side of the island.
Viewed from space, the North Island looks roughly like a bird, with
wings outstretched, flying west. Thus, as you travel southward, the
North Island broadens out and becomes more mountainous. You have
now left, as it were, the bird’s right wing, and entered its long torso.
This is the North Island’s lake district. It is also volcano country.
An ideal base for exploring both is Turangi (NZTN), situated at the
southern end of Lake Taupo. If you look south, you can see two active
volcanoes in a row. Follow these, keeping them on your right, and
when you get to the second, Ruapehu, keep going south. On your left,
you’ll notice another mountain range. Keep bearing south, but cross
over and keep this new range on your right.
here, the wind is blocked by the mountains and whatever moisture it
has picked up from the sea piles up in the form of cloud. This keeps
the islands green—no shortage of rain or rainclouds here—but it also
keeps VFR pilots on the ground. These rainy spells normally last for
two or three days. If you’re using real weather, you can either wait
them out or file IFR.
Let me close with a word about Fiordland, as the west end of the
South Island is known. The most famous fjord in all of New Zealand
is Milford Sound (NZMF), with its steep canyon walls. Take off
here and follow the Arthur River south. As you gain altitude, you’ll
start crossing more fjords. When you reach the island’s southern
tip, turn out to sea and fly back up the coast. Give yourself enough
distance from the land so that you can see ahead. We are looking for
the last, northernmost fjord: that’s Milford Sound. Turn right and
enter the Sound. You’ll see Mitre Peak on your right; start looking
for the airport ahead. Now, cue up your Lord of the Rings soundtrack.
Welcome to Middle Earth.

As you fly south, you’ll see a valley opening up on your right and
a long lake on your left. Steer for the valley: the city that lines its
bottom is Wellington, where we’ll be landing in a few minutes. For
location, the airport here (NZWN) is unbeatable. With mountains on
two sides and water on three, it’s not a difficult approach, but there’s
lots to look at on your way down. Take-offs, when the wind comes
from the south, are equally satisfying, since you’re simultaneously
flying up, out of a valley, and forward, with the sea opening out in
front of you.

South Island
The South Island is less populous. The cities are smaller, and the
airports too. The reason, in one word, is mountains. The Southern
Alps, as they are known, stretch from one end of the island to the
other, and as they rise up to meet the sky, they push the cities to the
edge. Thus, where there are cities, such as Christchurch (NZCH) or
Dunedin (NZDN), they tend to be on the coast. The exceptions are
Wanaka (NZWF) and Queenstown (NZQN), which are both lake
towns. There are no volcanoes on the South Island, but there are
glaciers - remember, we are close now to Antarctica - and these have
carved, in the island’s central ridge, a series of deep valleys. Over
time, the valleys have filled with water and the result is are these
very long lakes: Lake Coleridge, Lake Rangitata (“lowering clouds”
in Maori), Lake Wanaka, the S-shaped Lake Wakatipu (“giant’s
hollow”), and the sprawling Lake Te Anau.

The lakes are beautiful in their own right, but for the aviator, they
also serve a practical purpose. If you fly often enough, you can start
to identify mountain peaks (Aoraki/Mt. Cook, for example) and use
them as reference points. At the beginning, however, it’s easier to
recognize the great lakes. You don’t have to land on them. In fact,
unless you have a seaplane, I recommend that you don’t. Plan your Tour Suggestions
route, though, using the lakes as landmarks. If you have the Topo A few years ago Les Russell put together an eighteen-leg tour of
Scenery, you can also follow rivers. You can follow roads too, but the New Zealand for his virtual airline, DC-3 Airways. Download here:
rivers are fatter and therefore easier to see from the air. The default dc3airways.com/nz%20fs2002.zip. Although not strictly VFR, it’s a
rivers suffer from the same problem: they’re thin and their color good introduction to the major regions of New Zealand and includes
blends in with the earth-colored landscape. some challenging approaches.

Of course, all of this only works when the weather is relatively
clear. Not for nothing do the Maoris call New Zealand Aotearoa ‘land
of the long white cloud’. The wind here comes mostly from the west,
and in these latitudes there is nothing to interrupt it for thousands of
nautical miles. Nothing, that is, except New Zealand. When it gets
More recently Kane “Grover” Milne has created a series of scenic
flights that start in the South Island and end in the North - http://
gpforums.co.nz/showthread.php?s=&threadid=207989. It includes
photos, descriptions, and approach charts for some airports, including
Milford Sound.

20 CPM. V10I1

cpm101.indd 20 1/23/2006, 8:58:52 AM

 21

cpm101.indd 21 1/23/2006, 8:58:59 AM

REVI
EW
TweakFS Utility Collection Review
BY DR. JOHN LATTANZIO
W
e are a lucky lot. Our hobby really demands very
powerful computers and, fortunately, these are now
available and sufficiently cheap that we can all afford
one. Memory is cheap and so is disk space. So developers take full
advantage of this and give us the complex programs we want. But
there is a cost. There is a huge increase in the complexity of the
programs and the add-ons and, perhaps above all, the adjustable
parameters available. We all want the best frame rates, the highest
resolution, and the best images, all at no compromise in quality
of the simulation, thank you! These contradictory requirements
are usually met by providing a huge number of parameters
we can control and adjust ourselves, so that we can customize
our installation. The result is that we can spend more time
experimenting and tweaking files and parameters than we spend
flying. But now TweakFS is here to help!
TweakFS is a set of five utilities on one CD. They allow us to modify
many parameters easily, and always with the 100% safe option of
returning to the backup. So there is no need to worry anymore about
doing something that has a terrible effect on your FS installation.
22
cpm101.indd 22
Let’s start with the main overview utility: TweakExplorer.
This is based on Windows Explorer but it’s been designed with FS in
mind, so it has all the buttons you would want while exploring your
FS directory and installed files. It’s a wonderfully efficient way to
poke around your directory and see what is there. It has many built in
features such as:
• a button to launch FS2004
• a button to check (or set or repair) the registry entry
• a button to launch all the other Tweak Utilities
• a quick and very simple mailer, for sending quick messages
• a simple web browser
• a traceroute and IP tool for resolving addresses and routes
• a quick ftp utility for uploads and downloads
• a zip file viewer
• a quick link to user-defined utilities and tools
• a quick link to user-defined file filters
• a quick link to user-defined folders
• a graphics file viewer
• a document viewer for reading various file formats
CPM. V10I1
1/23/2006, 8:59:06 AM
 REVIEW
REVIEW
This is all on top of the usual cut, paste, up, down, back, forward
buttons etc. There is even a file shredder that destroys files, rather
than simply “deleting” them. Most of these are not new, but it is
ever so convenient to be able to access them all quickly and simply
from the same interface. It’s the most efficient way to explore your
installation, and I recommend it very highly. Like all the Tweak
Utilities, it also has a very good help file.

The TweakAircraft utility allows you to adjust more than 500

parameters for each aircraft. It does not change the binary information
in the AIR files, for which you need the Microsoft FSEdit utility. Rather,
this program allows you to change the other parameters as listed in the
aircraft config files. It does interface nicely with the FSEdit utility, of
VIEW ALL YOUR FS FILES EASILY WITH TWEAKEXPLORER
course, should you want to change flight parameters in that file.

So, simply pick an aircraft and the main page will tell you the
aircraft title, manufacturer, the file and path to the plane. It tell you
the variations available and if the config file is the original, or one
that has been “Tweaked”. One of the beauties of this utility is the
RESTORE button that undoes your change so that you can tinker
safely and know you will never break a plane! Once you have
picked your aircraft, click on Config to have access to literally
hundreds of customizable options.

The pop-up info here is great, and it guides you through the
variables and tells you the units and other useful info. To change
something, simply double-click on it and up comes another
window with more info on the parameter and allowed values. This
is a great way to learn about the aircraft systems. For example,
the electrical panel tells you which bus each system is connected
to. You can change your aircraft call sign, the manufacturer (to
LOAD AN AIRCRAFT FOR EDITING
perhaps tidy the aircraft selection menu), and even add long-range
fuel tanks to any aircraft you like. I wish I had this when I was
trying to get that B-17 from California to Melbourne!

Next in the set is TweakLoad, which effectively gives you

a load manager for each aircraft, similar to the detailed ones
that come with many of the payware aircraft these days. Much
like before, you select an aircraft and then you can change the
weight at each station. There is a graphical display of the total
weight as well as the fuel added. And there is even a default
flight for you to test out your new configuration – a lovely day
in Anchorage. This default flight is changeable, of course.

Next is TweakFlight, for altering parameters in the saved FLT

files. I don’t know about you, but I usually end up saving a file
about a dozen times. I always seem to forget some parameter or
setting. Well now you can access some 350 parameters in the
FLT files independent of FS. And there is a button to quickly CHOOSE A PARAMETER
launch the flight of course, to check that all is as you want it.
There is a simple screenshot utility that takes a picture and
associates it with the FLT file. This is nice because it gives you
a quick graphical reminder of that flight. A nice touch. Within
the utility there is a separate page for the autopilot settings, the
engines, avionics, controls, systems, fuel and failures. There is
a nice graphic tool to set the pitch and roll values. Everything is
there for making changes to the FLT files, something that is usually
ignored but has the potential to save a lot of time.

And finally we get to the big one - TweakFPS. This allows you
to edit your scenery config settings in a safe and reliable way, and
so you can get the best performance out of your simulator. It comes
with seven pre-set configurations;

23
EACH SETTING IS CUSTOMIZABLE

cpm101.indd 23 1/23/2006, 8:59:07 AM

 SOME PARAMETERS HAVE LOTS OF EXPLANATIONS GENERAL PARAMETERS CAN BE CHANGED HERE

TWEAKFLIGHT ALLOWS YOU TO ADJUST MANY PARAMETERS ALL ENGINE PARAMETERS ARE AVAILABLE

EVEN LOADING A FLIGHT IS EASY AND CUSTOMIZABLE A SCREENSHOT UTILITY IS PROVIDED TO STORE A SNAP WITH EACH FLIGHT

THE FUEL PAGE IN TWEAKFLIGHT NICE GRAPHICAL TOOL FOR SETTING PITCH AND ROLL
24

cpm101.indd 24 1/23/2006, 8:59:20 AM

 REVIEW
REVIEW
• IFR for best performance
• IFR with AI Traffic
• VFR high visual quality
• VFR Normal
• Aerobatic (inside view)
• Aerobatic (outside view)
• MegaScenery
• Original FS9.Cfg

These are all pre-set to give specified performance for the type of
flight you are undertaking. Your original config options are saved of
course. You can simply switch from one to another as your scenery
flying requirements change. It’s nice to have a one-click operation
that sets up all the scenery parameters for the MegaScenery line of
simulator scenery add-ons for example, and then be able to switch
back to your own custom settings for your next flight with just a
button click or two. Of course, all of these settings can be changed,
as can the name. So you do not have to use the aerobatic settings,
IDEALLY YOU WANT LOVELY SCREENSHOTS, LIKE THIS for example, if they are not appropriate. You may have your own
requirements and so you can set that up easily too.

As is standard, there is a page for each set of parameters within the

config files, and there are pop-up hints to tell you the allowed range,
and an excellent help file. I believe this is the best and safest way to
play with the settings.

As an example of how helpful this utility can be, I went to a place

where I have lots of scenery installed, putting a severe demand
on my system... Manhattan. I have the Megascenery for New
York and the add-on for Manhattan installed. I then jumped into a
demanding aircraft - the PMDG 737-900. I then used TweakFlight
to set up a couple of flight positions and saved them, and then used
TweakFPS to compare the visual quality and frame rates with my
default setting, the MegaScenery setting, and the maximum VFR
setting. The first thing I noticed was that the MegaScenery setting
loaded much faster than my default settings! This was unexpected
but very good news, as sometimes the loading can take forever.
The other good news is that the MegaScenery setting gave me
higher frame rates (about 25 fps compared to my default setting
of about 18) and the visual quality was about the same. This
was also true of the maximum visual quality VFR setting - my
default works well as a generic but this revealed that it was
TWEAKFPS HELPED IMPROVE MY FRAME RATES HERE slower in some places using specific scenery add-ons. I had
started with the MegaScenery settings, but over the months you
change things and, well, the current settings were inferior for
this test, and the MegaScenery settings were much better. And a
single mouse click changes back and forth.

T Conclusion
With these utilities you can experiment with FS settings
easily and, more importantly, safely. You will not only learn
more about FS but you will enjoy it more and get more from the
hobby. At US$49.95 it’s not exactly the cheapest tool or add-on
on the market. You may have to choose between a new aircraft
or the utilities. However, the value comes in the fact that this set
of utilities will basically allow you to improve the performance
and customizability of your WHOLE simulator installation. It
works with all aircraft you have installed, not just selected ones,
and the amount of items you can modify at your leisure using
this suite of utilities is amazing… And if you are a “tinkerer” or
perhaps too nervous to tinker, then this will likely be money well
spent. TweakFS Utility Collection is available from good flight
simulator retailers.

25
MANHATTAN IS DEMANDING, BUT TWEAKFPS HELPS

cpm101.indd 25 1/23/2006, 8:59:29 AM

 Aircraft Tweaking
Workshop the Aircraft.cfg file – Part II

BY PETER STARK

L
ast month we looked at the opening sections
of the FS2004 aircraft.cfg file and examined
how we can edit them to enhance our flight
simming. Let’s take that a bit further and examine how
we can edit some of the less commonly used sections
to improve our experience and correct some common
problems. Remember to backup the aircaft.cfg file you
are tweaking in case things go horribly wrong!
[lights]
This section can be used to enhance the visual realism of most
default and many add-on aircraft. Figure 1 shows that lighting on
the default 737-400 in an Air New Zealand livery as it prepares for
a dawn takeoff from Queenstown. Figure 2 shows the same aircraft
after changing some of the parameters in the [lights] section - pretty
realistic eh? The lights now also illuminate the engine cowlings and the
fuselage. All we have to do to add this effect is to add the position of
the landing lights in 3-dimensional space so that they cast light over a
larger area, and add another set of lights to illuminate the cowlings. FIGURE 1 - DEFAULT B737 LANDING LIGHTS - MMMM, IT’S OK

26 CPM. V10I1

cpm101.indd 26 1/23/2006, 8:59:31 AM


FIGURE 2 - MODIFYING THE LIGHTS SECTION HAS ENHANCED THE
REALISM AND VISUAL APPEAL!
Let’s look at this in a little more detail. Open the default B737-400
aircraft.cfg file and scroll down to the lights section (Figure 3). The
first 2 lines read:
//Types: 1=beacon, 2=strobe, 3=navigation, 4=cockpit, 5=landing
light.0 = 3, -19.14, -47.24, 1.38, fx_navredm ,
The first line is simply a comment which gives us some clues as to
which light switch the following lights are connected to. The second
line starts with ‘light.0’ (the next light command would be ‘light.1’
etc). The value ‘3’ tells us that this light is connected to the navigation
light switch so this light is only activated when the navigation
lights switch is on. The following sections are simple longitudinal,
lateral and vertical reference points in space measured in feet from
the middle of the model (not the center of gravity). The final ‘fx_
navredm’ instructs the simulator to place this particular ‘effect’ (which
is located in the Effects folder) at this location. So all this line does
is place the specified light effect in 3-dimensional space at a point
measured from the middle of the model.
So in the default B737, this line tells us that the red nav light will be
placed at 19.14 feet in front of the middle of the model, 47.24 feet to
the left of the middle of the model and 1.38 feet above the plane of the
middle of the model. Got that?
FIGURE 3 - THE [LIGHTS] SECTION IS SIMPLER THAN IT LOOKS!
cpm101.indd 27
To add the more realistic lighting to the B737, I downloaded
rnle2.zip by Kaveh Payandeh from a file library and installed the light
effects as per the included instructions. These effects were designed
for FS2002 but work fine in FS2004 as well. This file also includes
samples of modified light sections of some default aircraft to get
you started. The following lines were added to the default B737-400
aircraft.cfg file [lights] section to achieve the results in Figure 2. Note
that light.8 is connected to switch ‘6’ - this is your taxi light switch.
light.8=6, 54.0, 0.00, -4.00, RNLE2,
light.9=5, 6.7, 7.0, -4.0, RNLE2,
light.10=5, 6.7, -7.0, -4.0, RNLE2,
light.11=5, 4, 25.0, -2.0, RNLE2,
light.12=5, 4, -25.0, -2.0, RNLE2,
It is somewhat trial and error that will lead you to the correct values
as they will obviously vary for each aircraft model and personal
preference. A bit of practice and you will be able to quickly update
your fleet!
[brakes]
It has been a common criticism of FS2004 that the brake
effectiveness on large jet aircraft is unrealistically high. As we
can only apply the brakes fully on in FS2004, the default brake
effectiveness means that we usually come to an abrupt halt, and that
the landing roll is unrealistically short. Well - let’s change that.
Open the B737-400 aircraft.cfg file and scroll down to the [brakes]
section. This is a very simple parameter where you have only two
variables. A typical [brakes] section is:
[brakes]
parking_brake = 1 //Parking brake available
toe_brakes_scale = 1.00 //Brake scalar
The parking_brake value of 1 simply indicates that a parking brake is
available (in some simple taildraggers this value may be ‘0’ to indicate
that there isn’t a parking brake). What is more useful is the ‘toe_
brakes_scale’ line. We can alter this parameter to any value between 0
(for zero effectiveness) to 1.00 (for maximum effectiveness).
FIGURE 4 - MMMM, PERHAPS THE BRAKES SECTION
NEEDS A LITTLE ADJUSTMENT?
To reduce the excess effectiveness of any aircraft, we just change
the scale value. e.g. The default value for the B737-400 is 0.885.
Reduce this value to the rather extreme value of 0.1, save your
aircraft.cfg file and go for a fly. Notice how the brakes now take
27
1/23/2006, 8:59:34 AM
 longer to pull the aircraft up. So while we still can’t vary the brake
pressure we apply, the effect of the reduced effectiveness can be fine-
tuned to more closely emulate the real world performance. Just watch
out how you handle the airplane though!

[radios]
When FS2004 first appeared, many people found that many aircraft
created for FS2002 aircraft worked quite well in FS2004, but that they
couldn’t access the radios correctly. Even with some recent releases
you may find that, typically, the secondary radio wouldn’t work at all
or changing the frequencies in the secondary radio actually changed
the frequencies in the primary radio! It didn’t take too long for
‘tweakers’ to realize that this could be corrected using the aircraft.cfg
file. Figure 5 is a typical FS2004 [radios] section.

FIGURE 6 - NOT A FLAT TYRE, BUT JUST AS EASY TO FIX.

After downloading and installing the aircraft package, open the

Goshawk aircraft.cfg file and scroll down to the [contact_points]
section (Figure 7). The main area of interest for us are the first 3
lines and these commonly represent the nosewheel (or tailwheel)
and the 2 mainwheels.

FIGURE 5 - WHAT YOUR FULLY FUNCTIONING [RADIOS] SECTION

SHOULD LOOK LIKE.

I am sure by now you are becoming quite proficient at reading the

syntax and realize what each line means. Like most section headers
in the aircraft.cfg file, the opening line is a comment that gives you
some hints as to what each value means. e.g. Nav.1 is available (a
value of ‘0’ would indicate it isn’t). The second value of ‘1’ indicates
that the radio you are using has a standby frequency, i.e. you can
prepare another frequency for later use while leaving the primary
frequency on line. The third value ‘1’ indicates that a glideslope, or
ILS, is connected to this radio. So if you experience communication
or navigation radio tuning difficulties, this is the place to look.
[contact_points]
This section can be very complex and can alter a large number of
aircraft model variables. But it is also allows us to correct what is
a surprisingly common problem in both freeware and commercial
add-ons. Figure 6 shows a BAE T-45C Goshawk (iris_gos.zip)
immediately after I installed it. Note how the nosewheel is sinking
into the deck of the Carrier! Not realistic - but fortunately this can be
corrected using editing the [contact_points] section.
Imagine an aircraft model as a skin or texture draped over the top
of a ‘tripod’. Each leg of the tripod has a foot where one can represent
the nosewheel (or tailwheel) and the other feet the main wheels.
Now picture the fact that, even though the skin (or aircraft textures)
show the nosewheel on the ground in a given position, if the tripod
leg isn’t in exactly the same spot, the nosewheel will not be correctly
placed on the ground. Get it? There must be a correlation between the
visual textures and the model contact points if it is to look correct.
The fact that the contact points themselves are invisible adds a slight
complication but it is not difficult to fix. For example, let’s correct the
problem with the Goshawk.
FIGURE 7 - THE GOSHAWK’S CONTACT_POINTS SECTION.
It seems that the contact point for the nosewheel doesn’t match the
point in the textures where the nosewheel touches the ground. From
our examination of the contact point.0 in the aircraft.cfg above, we
can see that the error must lie in the values that define where in space
the nosewheel contact point is, i.e. the nosewheel’s longitudinal,
lateral and vertical values must contain an error.
We could simply use trial and error to try and find it, but experience
shows that can be very time consuming and perhaps frustrating. There
is a way of physically seeing this ‘invisible’ contact point that will
instantly tell us where the discrepancy is! If we were to make the
contact point visible with a bright light, we could very immediately
see where the contact point is in relation to the nosewheel and know
which parameters to alter to get it back to the correct place.
In the [lights] section above, we saw how to place lights in three
dimensional space by defining their longitudinal, lateral and vertical
positions. Well let’s add a white light to our contact point the same
way! Add the following line to the Goshawk aircraft.cfg [lights]
section:
light.9 = 3, 15.00, 0.000, -5.300, fx_navwhi

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cpm101.indd 28 1/23/2006, 8:59:37 AM

 I got the longitudinal, lateral and vertical placement values directly
from the ‘point.0’ section of the same configuration file. We have now
simply placed a white nav light at the invisible nosewheel contact
point! I then loaded the Goshawk and slewed it to get a good view of
the nosewheel. Figure 8 shows the results - you can plainly see that
the contact point is about 3 feet too far forward and maybe half a foot
too high. It then took me just 2 attempts to then move the white light
spot to the base of the nosewheel. The point.0 line now reads:
point.0 = 1, 12.5, 0.000, -5.700, 36000.000, 0, 0.572, 38.58, 0.221, 2.500,
0.752, 5, 5, 0, 0, 0 //----- Nose Gear
I have simply brought the contact point back to 12.5 feet
longitudinally and to -5.70 feet vertically. Figure 9 shows the final
result with the extra light again removed from the [lights section].
Perfecto! If you would like more detail on this technique, visit
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/index.php?loc=articlesandpage=cp
If you would like more details on the the remainder of the [contact_
points] section, obtain the Software Development Kit document
referred to at the end of this tutorial.
FIGURE 8 - THE WHITE NAV LIGHT CLEARLY SHOWS THAT THE CONTACT
POINT IS TOO FAR FORWARD AND A LITTLE TOO HIGH.
FIGURE 9 - FLAT TYRE REPAIRED AND READY FOR LAUNCH!
[smoke_system]
Now why would you want to play with the smoke system? This
part of the aircraft.cfg file is quite similar to the [lights] and [effects]
sections in that the smoke system is really just another effect just like
the nav lights or the touchdown smoke. Most effects are conditional
in that they will only occur when a certain condition is reached. e.g.
The touchdown smoke will only occur when the plane touches down
on a runway. With the smoke system, it will only occur when you
manually activate it with the ‘i’ key. This gives us some scope to
introduce some great effects.
cpm101.indd 29
Let’s add a water drop effect to a C119 Boxcar water bomber
(c119bxcr.zip by Daisuke Yamamoto and canadian_c119.zip by
Jim Hanson) by editing the smoke system section of that plane’s
aircraft.cfg file. Download and install the plane and WtrDrp-
1.0.zip by Giovanni Cignoni. Place the fx_rainbow.bmp into your
Effects>Texture folder, and the fx_N_wtrdrp.fx into the Effects folder.
Next, after backing up the original C119 aircaft.cfg file, open it and
scroll down to the [smoke_system] section. Edit it to read:
[SMOKESYSTEM]
smoke.0=0.00, 0.20, 0.00, fx_N_wtrdrp
This simply changes the default smoke bitmap to the water drop
bitmap we installed. The 3 values place the smoke (or other effect)
emitter at those longitudinal, lateral and vertical positions just like
the [lights] and [contact points] sections. Now when we want to drop
our water, press the ‘i’ key and the water is dropped onto the flames
(Figure 10)! By searching the file libraries you will be able to add a
number of different effects using this section such as multi-colored
smoke, engine fires and even parachutists! It is even possible to add
several effects at once.
FIGURE 10 - FIRST THE WATER BOMBERS...
FIGURE 11 – THEN, IN GO THE FIREFIGHTERS -
ALL BY EDITING THE SMOKE SYSTEM!
I hope you are now intrigued and inspired enough to start looking at
your current hangar of FS2004 aircraft and looking at ways to correct
minor errors and customizing your fleet. We have only really touched the
surface and there are many other parameters you can edit. The best place
to searching for information is the Microsoft Aircraft Container Software
Development Kit (SDK) available from http://www.microsoft.com/
games/flightsimulator/fs2004_downloads_sdk.asp#
Searches of the major file library forums are also very useful.
Good luck and have fun!
29
1/23/2006, 8:59:38 AM
 Lunar Pilot
BY AL PELLETIER
I
am used to writing reviews on airplanes, panels,
scenery and all those regular add-ons available
to enhance our flight simulator experience. This
review is a total departure from all that so called
regular “stuff”. Writing about the LLRV involved
my reading and learning about technologies of a
totally different era. A time when engineers didn’t
have access to powerful computers which we take for
granted today, and an era when trail blazing was a
daily routine.
30
cpm101.indd 30
The Lunar Pilot Module
I must start by giving you some information about the actual Lunar
Lander. The Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) was conceived
in response to President Kennedy’s (circa 1960) decision to have
Americans land on the moon within 10 years. NASA contracted with
Bell aircraft industries to build the Lander which would be used for
test purposes and training of astronauts (a simulator and mock up
machine were also built but turned out to be of little use). On the
LLRV, they used a CF700-GE Engine with 4200 lbs of thrust, which
was mounted vertically, along with numerous sets of gimbals to
control pitch, roll and yaw (you’ll get very familiar with each one of
these should you acquire this product). So basically, this huge engine
CPM. V10I1
1/23/2006, 8:59:41 AM
 REVIEW
pushing the weight of the tubular skeleton module upwards,
accompanied by 16 rockets (4 clusters of 4) to provide forward/
aft/sideways or pitch/yaw motion, while gimbals were busy
keeping you from tipping over. Since the lunar gravitation field
is 1/6th the density of that of the earth, a computer (as basic
as they were then) was used to program the engine throttle to
provide thrust to 5/6 of the vehicle weight. Sixteen hydrogen-
peroxide lift rockets provided the remaining lifting power while
also being responsible for various tasks necessary for flight. Two
of those hydrogen-peroxide lift rockets, with thrust that could ACTUAL LUNAR LANDER WITH CONTROL VEHICLE
be varied from 100 to 500 pounds, handled the LLRV’s rate
of descent and horizontal translations. The remaining rockets,
mounted in pairs, gave the pilot control in pitch, yaw, and roll,
and in case of jet engine failure, six of those 500-pound thrust
rockets could be used by the pilot to carefully apply lift thrust
during the rapid descent to hopefully achieve a controllable
landing. The pilot’s platform extended forward between two
legs while an electronics platform, similarly located, extended
rearward. The pilot had a zero-zero ejection seat that would
then lift him away to safety in case of a total engine failure
(works well in this simulator, and I used it often).

So, all of this in plain language translates to a huge CF700

turbofan engine to get the LLRV airborne on earth, and the
rockets to do it on the moon’s atmosphere. Basic operation
and description of the LLRV is very well explained on the
CD with the aid of a couple of very well produced and
enjoyable documentary movies. The main documentary is
narrated by one of the original pilots of the LLRV, NASA
Test Pilot Don Mallick. The second movie is a demo flight LUNAR LANDER NEAR THE ACTUAL LTS
of the Lunar Simulator and the P-51D Mustang that is
included in the package.

Flight test of the Lunar Lander started on October 30th 1964

and ended in December of 1967. A total of 5 LLRV were
built. 3 were destroyed (pilots had to eject) and 2 are now
in museums - one at the Dryden Flight Research Center, the
other in the Johnson Space Center’s visitor area. If you get a
chance, don’t miss checking them out.
I have enclosed a couple of pictures of the actual Lander
in order to demonstrate the actual size of the LLRV.
This was a huge skeletal craft with absolutely zero flight
dynamics as we know them.

Anyway, on we go with the Microsoft Flight Simulator

version.

The Package and Installation

My version of Lunar Pilot came on a CD in a very
attractive case. Recommended system is a 2.0 Ghz CPU, ACTUAL VIEW OF LANDER AND PILOT
512 Mb RAM and 120 Mb available hard disk space.
The software installed via an easy to follow menu. No
problems here.

The package includes:

Aircraft: the Bell Aerosystems Lunar Landing research
Vehicle (LLRV) and, as an extra, the P-51 Mustang by
Shigeru Tanaka.

Scenery: Spaceville, Florida/US, Kennedy Space Center LTS

(Lunar Terrain Simulator) in the vicinity of Launch Complex
39 (Airport ID: KNAD).

ACTUAL LANDER FROM 1966

cpm101.indd 31 1/23/2006, 9:00:03 AM

 LLRV NEARS THE LUNAR TERRAIN SIMULATOR LLRV NEARS THE LTS DOOR

LLRV INSIDE THE LUNAR TERRAIN SIMULATOR LLRV FLYING BY THE SHUTTLE LAUNCH PAD

LLRV 1000’ OVER RUNWAY LLRV AT THE REFUELING STATION

LLRV AT THE DOOR. GOOD SHOT OF PANEL LLRV ENTERING THE LTS

cpm101.indd 32 1/23/2006, 9:00:25 AM

 I must mention again that there are excellent “extras” on the
CD. Aside from the “info” videos you’ll also find an install for
Swiss Military Bastion which adds airports and scenery (all
fictional) in the Swiss Alps. Although fictional, SMB gives
unrivaled perception of what to expect when landing in hi-
alt/low-press regions. The challenge is to try and land on all 3
platforms. One more extra is the Lunar-Cam by Gunnar Daehling.
The Lunar-Cam converts the FS tower-view into a virtual
cameraman, always trying to get the best flyby-shots. The Lunar-
Cam is a great add-on in its own right.

The Exterior of the module and the scenery

Everything about the LLRV has the “real life” look. It is just
amazing how the crew from Things-To-Come managed to accomplish
such a great model and skeletal replica of the LLRV. Of course, there
weren’t many moving parts on the actual vehicle. As mentioned
above, motion is achieved by applying little bursts of rockets in the
opposite of the desired direction. When you select a left rudder, for
example, the rocket on the right side will fire off a small charge.
This is visible in the exterior view as a “puff” of rocket blast. The
pilot’s head and feet will also follow along when sideways input
are applied. As for the scenery, the NASA space center, Spaceville
buildings, tower, refueling dock and the Lunar Terrain Simulator are
all breathtaking.

The Panel
The only reference that I have to compare with the real panel is that
viewed on the video. It is very simple and very similar to a helicopter
panel. Included is the rate of climb (VSI) at the very top (I found it
to be the most important gauge), hydrogen-peroxide quantities and
pressure, artificial horizon, static pressure, the RPM on the CF700
turbo fan, and altimeter, and all the necessary switches to start the
CF700 engine, refueling and lunar mode. Also included is a basic
radio stack and the “all important” eject button. Everything is simple
with well laid out graphics with crisp and clear numbers and dials.
The Flight Characteristics, Sounds
and other details
At the beginning it wasn’t easy. Actually, for a long time I thought
that I would never be able to fly the Lander. But, like anything else,
after reading the excellent PDF format manual, my flying skills
improved after every successful takeoff and landing. First major
achievement was to fly the Lander to the refueling pad. Because
the Lander has only about 10 minutes worth of fuel and hydrogen-
peroxide, many trips to the refueling docks are necessary. These
refueling trips were excellent pilot training. Then it was on to the
Lunar Terrain Simulator (LTS). A set of lights and arrows will guide
you in. Once inside you must activate the “Lunar Sim” mode switch
on your panel to be in full Moon atmosphere condition, which
basically means that only the hydrogen-peroxide rockets are now
employed to move the LLRV around. I enjoyed it in there. The only
problem was that I couldn’t settle the LLRV on the simulated moon
surface because the Lander would just fall through the surface.
Inside the LTS you’ll see the black lunar night sky and the Earth
in the distance, along with a few stars. You can exit through the
main door or by an escape tunnel. From there it was a trip around
the Spaceville area and trying to land on some of Spaceville’s
downtown “landable” rooftops. The NADA LTS-Tower and Shepard
International Airport were a real blast! No kidding, this was a lot
of fun. As my skills got better and better, the fun meter went up
accordingly. The manual has all the necessary maps pointing out the
landable rooftops and various landing pads in and around Spaceville.
What I like about the LLRV
1. A totally new experience of a vehicle designed 40 years ago.
2. Everything was done with attention to small details. The LLRV is so
well replicated. The scenery is breathtaking.
3. Engine sounds that are very realistic and powerful. Turn on the big
subwoofer for this one.
4. Great documentation and manuals. You can tell these guys put
a lot of work into this. One of the best I have ever seen as far as
documentation goes.
What could have been better?
1. Just the simulated moon surface being non-landable. Otherwise,
absolutely nothing. Leave it alone.
Conclusions
The LLRV was a totally new experience. When I first tried to fly it I
was sure that I couldn’t write this review. But after reading the manual
and spending time in pilot training, it eventually all came together. Like
mentioned above, as my skills improved with each flight, the fun meter
went up and up. If you have some spare change and are looking for
something different to do, then buy the Lunar Pilot program (an add-
on for FS2004). Once you have it installed, read the entire manual and
watch all the videos and remember that, when you are flying the Lunar
Lander, everything has to be performed slowly. Slow is the key word
when handling the Lander. Get in a rush and you’ll find yourself in an
unrecoverable spin and into an ejection situation.
Job well done to the Things-To-Come team. This was a real blast.
The package retails for US$39.95 and is available from all good
flight sim retailers.

33

cpm101.indd 33 1/23/2006, 9:00:39 AM

 Who’s In Control?
Approach Control…
BY ROGER CURTISS
N
ote: This series details procedures for the United
States and as implemented by the VATUSA
division of VATSIM. Air Traffic Control
procedures of other countries and/or other online
organizations may differ slightly in standard usage.
In many pursuits “V” stands for victory. In air traffic control “V”
is no less important, but it stands for Vectoring. That one word is the
key to successfully working the Approach position (APP). Once a
controller can master this position there should be no airspace that
cannot be worked effectively.
A Tower controller could possibly be working with quite a few
aircraft but they will generally be in neatly spaced single file lines
either on the ground and possibly stationary or on final approach to
a runway as a “string of pearls”. This orderly progression of arrivals
has been choreographed by the Approach controller and it is while
working Approach that most controllers usually first experience the
pressure of working a significant amount of traffic since all of the
traffic for APP is in motion.
34
cpm101.indd 34
An Approach to working Approach
The responsibility of APP is simple in theory; direct aircraft that
are converging on an airport from many directions and organize
them into a cohesive path that lines them up on final approach to an
arrival runway.
In practice this can be a bit more difficult to accomplish as there is
usually no set pattern as to when these aircraft will be arriving or the
directions from which they will be coming. In addition, unless there is
a dedicated Departure controller also online, the APP controller will
also have to work with aircraft that have taken off and get them on
their way.
One of the keys to successfully working air traffic control is, to the
greatest extent possible, standardizing the procedures for handling
aircraft. While standard practices cannot always be followed, their use
provides a predictable base as a starting point. The controller should:
• assess the situation
• formulate a plan
• instruct the traffic so as to follow that plan
CPM. V10I1
1/23/2006, 9:00:48 AM
 For example: A controller is going to work APP at KDTW, Detroit
Metro airport in Michigan. After logging in he will contact the TWR
controller to ascertain what runways are in use. Upon learning that
21L and 22L are the primary landing runways and that 21L/21R/22L
are the departure runways APP can visualize where traffic will need to
be directed (arrivals) and from where it will be coming (departures).
With this knowledge the controller can plan that arrivals from the
west will be directed to approaches using 22L and east arrivals will be
vectored to 21L.
DETROIT AREA AIRSPACE
Tools of the Trade
Fortunately, there are procedures set up to further standardize the
APP controller’s operations that are common practice at all major
airports. Some of these involve the use of Standard Terminal Arrival
Routes (STARs) that direct incoming aircraft to specific routes from
the enroute phase to a point usually about 30 miles or less from the
airport. STARs are published and are available to pilots for easy
reference in the cockpit. These routes routinely depict that aircraft
can expect to be instructed to cross specified fixes on the route at
certain altitudes. While ATC does not always strictly adhere to these
instructions they offer a rough idea for general descent planning
purposes by the pilots.
Even if a STAR is not in effect, local ATC procedures will probably
dictate that traffic will be handed off from the Center (CTR) controller
to APP at designated points, either intersections or VORs. The
pilot may not even be aware of this “corralling” of aircraft as the
instruction may simply be a vector to the appropriate spot, “American
344, turn left heading 300 proceed direct to the CXR VOR.”
Utilizing these procedures it can be seen that, rather than deal with
incoming traffic from every possible direction, the APP controller will
instead have traffic arrive to perhaps only four or six specific spots
before entering APP airspace. From these known locations the APP
cpm101.indd 35
controller can usually use a standardized routing to have the aircraft
maneuver on a path selected by the controller for placement on the
final approach course. Such a routing will not be depicted on a chart
but will be created by the controller with the goals of maximizing the
amount of airspace available and minimizing the number of turns an
aircraft must make to align with the final approach course. This moves
the “string of pearls” concept from the extended runway centerline
out to the limits of APP airspace. The result is an easier workload
for the controller who would otherwise have to mentally calculate a
route for each arriving aircraft and remember to issue the appropriate
instructions at the proper moment when each instruction might be
unique to that aircraft’s flight path. Instead, the controller’s task now
will be to manage the traffic and maintain separation.
As was mentioned in an earlier installment of this series (Overview
of Controlling CP Magazine Vol. 9 #9) separation is achieved by
managing traffic vertically (keeping at least 1000’ above or below
other aircraft) and, laterally (keeping at least 3 miles away from other
aircraft at the same altitude). These separations can be “mixed and
matched” as needed.
For example: two aircraft are on converging paths at the same
altitude. Separation can be maintained by either moving one aircraft
to a different altitude 1000’ above or below or by turning one or both
of the aircraft to paths that stay at least 3 miles away from each other.
The APP controller has some limitations in the use of these two
techniques however, because aircraft preparing for approach and
landing cannot be climbed and have a limited area to change course in
order to still be on the proper descent profile for landing. Therefore,
the APP controller, more so than any other control position, will
utilize speed control to keep aircraft at least 3 miles in trail.
CLE ARRIVALS
In addition to keeping the arrivals separated from one another the
APP controller also has to contend with keeping the arrivals separated
from the departures. Initially there is little possibility of interference
between these traffic areas because the departures are entering the
airspace on the “front side” of the runway while the arrivals are being
vectored outside of the airport area to the “back side” of the runway.
However, at some point most departures will need to turn to proceed
on course and there the potential for conflicts may occur.
35
1/23/2006, 9:00:57 AM

CLE DEPARTURES
This can be mitigated in two ways- departure traffic is routed to
specific departure “gates” before being cleared to join their planned
routes. They are also limited to a temporary altitude designed to keep
them below traffic on any nearby approach corridors. That is why
pilots will usually be given a departure clearance that states in part, “…
climb and maintain 10,000 expect FL320 ten minutes after departure...”
That initial “temporary” altitude is sufficient to keep the departures
below arrivals that have been instructed to cross an arrival fix
approximately 30 miles from the airport at 12,000’. In most traffic
conditions the departure will have passed that point within 10 minutes
at which point the ATC instruction will be given to climb to the cruise
altitude. In practice, the clearance to cruise altitude is often given
well before the ten minute period has elapsed. ATC usually strives
to clear an aircraft to the next higher altitude prior to its reaching the
lower temporarily assigned one in an effort to allow a fuel efficient,
uninterrupted climb to the cruise altitude.
Working the Traffic
One of the dangers of working a high intensity traffic position
such as APP is the possibility of “losing the big picture”. It is vital
that a controller keep a mental edge while working traffic. Just as
a pilot should always be monitoring the current status as well as
thinking ahead of the airplane the controller needs to be focused on
what the airplanes on the screen are doing, that they are doing what
they should be doing (climbing, descending, turning, slowing down,
speeding up), and anticipating what they will be instructed to do next.
One way to make this easier for the controller, as already mentioned,
is to have the aircraft flying specific routes so that each aircraft is issued
pretty much the same instruction upon reaching the same spot. This
provides needed predictability to the aircraft movements and allows
the controller to issue “canned” instructions which, by dint of mere
familiarity, can be issued rapidly and almost by rote.
Example: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (KCLE)
arrivals from the east to the ILS runway 24L approach - Center will
send these aircraft to the east arrival fix CXR, the Chardon VOR and
instruct them to cross CXR @ 10,000’. Handoff to APP will occur
just prior to CXR. Once the pilot checks in with APP the controller
can issue this instruction, “Depart CXR heading 290. Descend and
maintain 4000.” When the aircraft reaches 4000’ the controller can
quickly verify the aircraft’s location and will likely be able to issue
36
cpm101.indd 36
the instruction, “ You are 5 miles from FOORD (the outer marker).
Turn left heading 265 to intercept the localizer. Maintain 3000 until
established. Cleared for the ILS 24L approach. Contact the Tower at
FOORD 120.9.”
In this way, the controller has handled this traffic by issuing only two
standardized instructions. These ‘canned’ procedures have proven to be
extremely efficient and require a minimum of effort by both controller
and pilot… which can prove to be quite an asset when conditions are
very busy.
There are also ways for controllers to help themselves to ease the burden
of having to remember which aircraft has been instructed to do what.
As an example: Upon receiving a handoff of an aircraft from the
Center controller, APP knows that aircraft must descend to cross a
certain point at 10,000’. The controller should change the aircraft’s data-
tag assigned altitude to 10,000 and then immediately broadcast this new
altitude to the pilot either by voice or text. Until this is accomplished
the controller should not deal with any other traffic. Once the readback
confirmation of the new altitude has been received, the controller’s
attention can move to another aircraft.
It is best to handle aircraft in this manner rather than making a mental
note to contact the pilot later when the aircraft is close to the descent
point. Aside from being efficient, it also puts the responsibility for
initiating the descent with the pilot who can plan accordingly to meet the
crossing requirement. If the controller believes there could be a potential
for a conflict during the descent the controller can add the caveat, “Call
leaving flight level xxx”. That allows the controller to check the traffic
situation at the time of the descent and ascertain whether any restrictions
need to be imposed to assure separation.
Controllers, like pilots, need to develop an “instrument scan” and
avoid fixating all their attention on one aircraft. Maintain a visual
scan of all aircraft under your control to ensure that they are on the
correct heading, speed and altitude just as a pilot watches the cockpit
instruments for assurance that the aircraft is performing as intended.
Busy, busy, busy
Activity at APP will usually be the busiest of all the control positions.
During online fly-in events there will often be multiple approach controllers,
divided by sides of the airport (north/south or east/west) or as an initial
approach controller who brings the aircraft from the arrival fixes closer to
the airport and then turns them over to a final controller who places them
on the intercept headings for the final approach course. There may be a
constant flow of traffic requiring the controllers to give rapid instructions. In
these situations it is incumbent on the pilots to recognize that and respond
expeditiously as well. If the instruction is, “United 417 turn left heading 265
maintain 3000 until established cleared for the ILS 24L approach” the pilot
should readback only, “265 3000 cleared for the ILS United 417” in order
to minimize the time on the radio. The controller will be able to observe the
aircraft turning and descending on the radar screen and just needs to know
that the pilot correctly heard the heading and altitude.
Listening to the radio transmissions on the frequency of an Approach
controller during a heavy traffic session is to appreciate the ability of a
craftsman. The instructions will be crisply sent to the aircraft and everyone
involved will sense the professionalism and respond accordingly. There will
be very few times when an instruction must be repeated and the readbacks
will be terse as all sense that absolute precision and concentration are
needed in order to accomplish the task at hand. With everyone at “the top of
their game” it is enjoyable to be a participant or observer.
It gives new meaning to the term ‘poetry in motion’.
CPM. V10I1
1/23/2006, 9:00:58 AM
 37

cpm101.indd 37 1/23/2006, 9:01:02 AM

 HORTON’S HINTS for FS2004
BY DOUG HORTON

H
ere are more hints for FS2004, collected
from various sources, including my own
discoveries in “flying” the simulator. In
his issue, we’ll focus on making AI traffic more
realistic, as well as enhancing AI traffic performance,
all through freeware files and programs developed
by volunteer contributors. Whatever your level of
experience with the program, I offer these hints for
your flight simulation enjoyment. Take your pick and
give ’em a try. “Practice makes perfect!”
Ultimate GA
Many readers will recall my previous remarks about the unrealistic
nature of FS2004 default AI and commercial AI traffic packages for
FS2004 regarding the general lack of business jet and other general
aviation AI aircraft models and related traffic. There’s simply more
general aviation traffic flying than included in any of these programs.
In one article, I mentioned that one fractional ownership business jet
company flies enough aircraft and flights that if the operation were an
airline, it would be one of the top ten in the world!

38 CPM. V10I1

cpm101.indd 38 1/23/2006, 9:01:09 AM

 HORTON’S HINTS FOR FS2004
At many large airports, as well as nearby reliever airports, the
amount of personal and business aircraft traffic is quite surprising.
Examples include: Scottsdale, Arizona Municipal (KSDL) near
Phoenix averages 500 flight operations per day; and West Chicago,
DuPage (KDPA), near my home, averages 540 flight ops per day.
One of the busiest, Teterboro (KTEB), near New York City, averages
nearly 600 flight ops per day, or slightly more than one every two and
a half minutes for all 24 hours a day!
ULTIMATEGA.COM IS DEDICATED TO DEVELOPING
GENERAL AVIATION AI TRAFFIC.
“To the rescue” comes www.UltimateGA.com with numerous
business jet and other general aviation AI models, repaints, and
paint kits; GA AI traffic packages; AFCAD files that include lots of
realistic GA aircraft parking; and a support forum. As of this writing,
UltimateGA includes 36 AI business jet and other GA aircraft models,
many AFCAD files with enhanced parking, and several aircraft model
packages that include related AI traffic files. Using AI models instead
of regular flight models will help greatly with frame rates.
ULTIMATEGA’S GULFSTREAM 400 AI AIRCRAFT MODEL.
cpm101.indd 39
As an example of what’s available, UltimateGA offers a
Gulfstream AI traffic package that is quite comprehensive and very
detailed. Divided into four separate downloads, the entire package
contains 358 repaints that cover all 558 known Gulfstream 4,
Gulfstream 300, and Gulfstream 400 aircraft in service – including
their real registration numbers! According to the authors, the flight
plans were created with highly accurate flight plan data gleaned
from flight tracking resources flying over 6500 flight segments
during the second week of May, 2005. The flights include major
fractional fleet operators such as Netjets (www.netjets.com), as
well as all corporate, military, and government aircraft that flew
during the sample week.
Replacing Fictitious Default AI Airlines with
GA Traffic
If you’ve installed freeware AI airline traffic from
www.projectAI.com or one of the commercial AI traffic packages
such as Ultimate Traffic, Traffic 2005, or My Traffic 2004,
you’ll no longer need (or want) the fictitious default AI airlines
in FS2004 (Landmark, Soar, Orbit, etc.). Using Lee Swordy’s
freeware Traffic Tools (TTools) program and downloadable
freeware AI models for business jet and other general aviation
aircraft, you can easily substitute GA aircraft for the fictitious
airliners. The GA aircraft will fly the same flight plans previously
operated by the fictitious airliners.
Here’s the procedure, which takes about an hour to perform:
1. Find the default FS2004 AI traffic file, traffic030528.bgl, in your
FS2004\scenery\world\scenery folder, then make a backup copy
with a suffix other than “bgl”.
2. Use TTools to decompile your traffic030528.bgl file into
aircraft030528.txt, airports030528.txt, and flightplans030528.txt files.
3. Use a text editor to open the aircraft030528.txt file, then focus your
attention on the following lines, which list the aircraft currently
flying the fictitious airliner flight plans. The first field is the aircraft
number, which corresponds to related flight plans. The second field
in each line is the aircraft’s cruise speed, and the third field is the
aircraft’s name from its respective aircraft.cfg file.
AC#3,477,”Boeing 737-400”
AC#4,477,”Boeing 737-400 Paint1”
AC#5,477,”Boeing 737-400 Paint2”
AC#6,477,”Boeing 737-400 Paint3”
AC#7,477,”Boeing 737-400 Paint4”
AC#8,505,”Boeing 747-400”
AC#9,505,”Boeing 747-400 Paint1”
AC#10,505,”Boeing 747-400 Paint2”
AC#11,505,”Boeing 747-400 Paint3”
AC#12,482,”Boeing 777-300”
AC#13,482,”Boeing 777-300 Paint1”
AC#14,482,”Boeing 777-300 Paint2”
AC#15,482,”Boeing 777-300 Paint3”
AC#32,265,”de Havilland Dash 8-100”
AC#33,265,”de Havilland Dash 8-100 Paint1”
AC#34,265,”de Havilland Dash 8-100 Paint2”
AC#46,438,”McDonnell-Douglas/Boeing MD-83”
AC#47,438,”McDonnell-Douglas/Boeing MD-83 Paint1”
AC#48,438,”McDonnell-Douglas/Boeing MD-83 Paint2”
39
1/23/2006, 9:01:14 AM
 4. Search www.UltimateGA.com or your favorite file library
websites for at least 19 AI models for business jets and
other general aviation aircraft, such as Beechjets, Citations,
Challengers, Falcons, Gulfstreams, Learjets, Sabreliners, etc.

5. After downloading and installing at least 19 new GA aircraft,

open their aircraft.cfg files and make a two-column list of
the aircraft names from the “title= “ lines of their [fltsim.x]
sections, and their respective cruise speeds from the “cruise_
speed= “ line of their aircraft.cfg file [Reference Speeds]
sections.

6. Return to the aircraft030528.txt file, and replace cruise speeds

and aircraft names in the AC#XX lines above with the speeds
and names on the list you made in step 5. Try to substitute
aircraft of similar speeds, which will make assignments more
realistic (larger GA to larger airports, smaller GA to smaller
airports).

7. Also, if you believe as I do that there are far too many Cessna
Caravans appearing as AI aircraft, substitute additional
downloaded AI GA models for two of the default three of
each Caravan model, in the four of the six aircraft030528.txt
file lines below:

AC#16,143,”Cessna 208 Caravan Amphibian”

AC#17,143,”Cessna 208 Caravan Amphibian Paint1”
AC#18,143,”Cessna 208 Caravan Amphibian Paint2”

AC#19,175,”Cessna Grand Caravan”

AC#20,175,”Cessna Grand Caravan Paint1”
AC#21,175,”Cessna Grand Caravan Paint2”
8. Check your work, because exact aircraft names
must be used. Finally, use TTools to recompile the
modified aircraft030528.txt file, with the unmodified
airports030528.txt and flightplans030528.txt.files, to make an
updated traffic030528.bgl file.
9. To ensure that you see the new AI traffic, go to Options,
Settings, Traffic, and set your AI traffic to 100%, with both
the Airline and General Aviation boxes checked.
10. Go to an airport for which there’s abundant parking for GA
aircraft, such as those for which Ultimate GA provides a
collection of AFCAD files for 162 airports, including 35 in
Australia. Look on www.avsim.com for Ultimategajune2005
afcad.zip.
The result of this simple procedure will be much greater
realism of AI traffic, as shown in the example screenshot of the
new General Aviation ramp at the old Air Force area of O’Hare
(KORD), using a modified traffic file. In this case, increased
GA parking is provided by an elaborate KORD AFCAD2 file,
which I developed with Matt Zagoren and Steve Parkinson.
Our KORD file contains accurate parking at each terminal
and it features simultaneous operation of six runways, using
the “crossing runways” technique. This file is available at
ProjectAI.com, at http://afcad.projectai.com/general/search_
results.php?download=86.
GENERAL AVIATION RAMP AT KORD AFTER REPLACING FICTITIOUS
AIRLINERS WITH GA TRAFFIC, USING KORD AFCAD FILE FROM PROJECT AI.
Smoothing AI Traffic Flow
Sometimes it’s the small freeware programs that make a major
difference. In this case, program author Michael Sagner has developed
his ingenious AISmooth program for improving the arrival flow of AI
aircraft at airports. Without AISmooth, there is so much AI traffic at
many large airports, that many aircraft “go around” and never land,
or land and disappear because of lack of parking spots, with the result
that airports gradually become empty. With AISmooth operating,
and with additional parking added with AFCAD files, many more AI
aircraft land and make their way to parking, resulting in more aircraft
parked and departing.
AISmooth monitors airports and AI aircraft in the vicinity of your
aircraft, then smoothes the arriving AI aircraft by placing them into
holding patterns or changing their speeds. AISmooth communicates
with FS2004 through Pete Dowson’s FSUIPC module, including
the unregistered free version. AISmooth also includes an optional
synthesized voice feature that plays ATC directions to holding AI
aircraft.
Shown in the first screenshot is AISmooth version 1.11a, operating
with FSUIPC version 3.50. At the time, my aircraft was surveying AI
traffic at O’Hare (KORD), with the AFCAD file mentioned above, in
Slew mode a few hundred feet above the airport. You can see in the
first three columns that AISmooth has placed 17 aircraft into holding
patterns. In the three right-hand columns, AISmooth shows six aircraft
that are landing soon at KORD and nearby airports.

40 CPM. V10I1

cpm101.indd 40 1/23/2006, 9:01:18 AM

 HORTON’S HINTS FOR FS2004

AISMOOTH WINDOW SHOWING HOLDING AND LANDING AIRCRAFT.

The second screenshot illustrates the optional settings for

AISmooth, which include several parameters related to the geometry
underlying the techniques that are programmed to smooth the AI
traffic flow. As a user of this program, I’ve found no reason to vary
any of the geometry parameters, though I’ve occasionally unchecked
“User plane response” while viewing AI traffic, so that my aircraft has
no effect on the traffic.

AISMOOTH SETTINGS WINDOW.

How do you know that AISmooth is working? First, note in the

upper left-hand corner of the first screenshot that the program is
monitoring 190 aircraft and that nearly ten percent of them are in
holding patterns. Perhaps a better measure is viewing the traffic
over several hours at a busy airport and seeing if the airport retains
a significant number of parked aircraft, or if the airport gradually
empties because of “go-around” AI aircraft that never land. This is a
great program!

41

cpm101.indd 41 1/23/2006, 9:01:30 AM

 42 CPM. V10I1

cpm101.indd 42 1/23/2006, 9:01:36 AM

 43
“LEARJET 40 XR” Photograph by Glenn Alderton

cpm101.indd 43 1/23/2006, 9:01:47 AM

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cpm101.indd 44 1/23/2006, 9:02:51 AM


Volu me 1-6 BACK ISSUE ar
Volume 7 Issue 1
Reviews • Microsoft’s Combat Flight Simulator 3 • Lago’s FS Maintenance • Creative Audigy
2 + Inspire 6.1 Speakers • Aerosoft’s Scenery Spain 1 & 2. Combat Flight Simulator 3 Mega
Review. The latest version of Microsoft’s combat sim range with this awesome 12-page review
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To Europe. The Best Of 2002. Looking Into the Wild Sim Yonder. Horton’s Hints. Fly! II Freeware
Roundup 2002. FS2002 Tutorial Series - A.I. Part I. X-Plane Tutorial Series: Creating Photorealistic
Scenery. Multi-Engine Flying: Your First Charter Flight in the Chieftain. The Art Of Instrument
Flying: Flying the SAAB 340 with Reginal Express. Flying the Heavies: Unusual Attitutes Around
Alaska, PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS AND MORE!!!
Volume 7 Issue 2
Reviews: Airport 2002 Volume 1 • Commuter Airliners/Eurowings Professional • VFR
Photographic Scenery Volume 1 • Operation Barbarossa. The Birth of a Virtual Aircraft, Hardware
Corner, Flying with ELITE, X-Plane Object Creation Revealed!, A.I. Part II, Mission Building in
CFS3, Freeware Frenzy!, The Art Of Instrument Flying: Flying the SAAB 340 With Regional Express
- Part 2 The Arrival. Ground School: “Swinging on Takeoff” Round Robin Adventures: JetBlue
Standard Domestic Route, PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS.
Volume 7 Issue 3
Reviews • Legendary Boeing 727 • Ready For Pushback 747-200 • SoCal Scenery for X-Plane
• Radar Contact V3 • ATI Radeon 9700 Pro. The Pilot’s Guide to the USA. Blue Side Down!
Francois’ Flying Tales: “The Art of Getting There”. A Visit to Aeroplane Heaven. Forgotten Battles
Preview. Operation Jericho: “A Memorable Mission”. Bill Stack highlights the diversity and range
of flight simulation products. Flying the Heavies: Stalling. Multi-Engine Flying: Final Approach.
Flight Instructor: The Retractable Undercarriage. Flight Sim Doctor. Horton’s Hints, PLUS OUR
REGULAR COLUMNS AND MORE!!!
Volume 7 Issue 4
Reviews: German Airports Selection •Phoenix Simulation’s Dash 8-300 •Orbiter Space Simulator
•P-51 for Fly! II. Building A Virtual Flying Club, Aircraft Recognition Challenge, A View to a Kill:
combat situational awareness techniques, Are you a Multi-Simmer? Virtual Aviation Photography:
Taking Great Screenshots, Adolf Galland’s Final Combat Mission, Hardware Corner, The Art of
Instrument Flying: Position fixing , Freeware Frenzy, Ground School: The need For Speed, Round
Robin: Atlantic Southeast Airlines Domestic Route, PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS AND MORE!!!
Volume 7 Issue 5
Reviews: Scenery Canary Islands • Emma Field • Schiratti Control Center • Sybex CFS3 Official
Strategies & Secrets Book. Flight Simming at Avalon in 2003, Long Haul Flights - Chicago to
China, and Back! Keeping Order in the Flight Sim Skies, Maximizing PC Performance for Flight
Simulation - The Memory Game… Citation Dreaming, The Bridge at Remagen - A Memorable
Mission for CFS3, Flying the Heavies: Warning Systems, Multi-Engine Flying: Engine Failure In-
Flight, Flight Instructor: retractable undercarriage, PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS, Hortons Hints
4 FS2002, FS Doctor & CP Mailbag.
Volume 7 Issue 6
Reviews: VFR Photographic Scenery Vol 2-4 • Flight Sim Commander V6 • IL2 Sturmovik:
Forgotten Battles. The Dream: Buying and Owning Your Own Aircraft, Creating Custom Panels in
X-Plane. Under the Weather? Tackle the toughest of weather conditions. A Look into the Carenado
Hangar. Hardware Corner: the latest and greatest flight sim hardware available for the PC. Round
Robin: Explore the beautiful region of Alaska. Freeware Frenzy, The Pilot’s Guide to Russia, The
Art of Instrument Flying: various types of ILS approaches. Ground School: Gyroscopic systems,
PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS AND MORE!!!
Volume 7 Issue 7
Reviews: Iron Knuckles DC-9 • Eaglesoft Beechjet 400A • British Airports Vol 1-4 • London City
2003 • Flight Deck III. Centenary of Flight – 100 Years of Aviation, Glider Flying in Romania,
Unusual and Dangerous Approaches III, Flight Simulator 2004 Preview, Hortons Hints 4 FS2002,
Carrier Ops, Multi-Engine Flying: tips and tricks. Flying The Heavies: Situational Awareness.
Reviewing the Reviews. Flight Instructor: Night VFR flying part 1 PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS
AND MORE!!!
Volume 7 Issue 8
Reviews: FS Traffic 2002 & Ultimate Traffic • Aeroplanner • Twin Otter. Crosscheck – Artificial
Intelligence, Rush to Mt. Rushmore, Get Your Feet Wet – Flying the Amphibians, The Director’s
Cut - Movie Making in X-Plane, Combat Simulation – An Overview Part I & An Overview Part II.
Hardware Corner, Round Robin Adventures; The Azores, The Art of Desktop Instrument Flying;
IFR approaches, Ground School; The Constant Speed Unit. PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS AND
MORE!!!
Volume 7 Issue 9
Reviews: X-Plane Version 7 • ActiveSky wxRE • Piper Meridian • RAF Tornado. The 45th Paris
Airshow Report, Into the Wild Green Yonder with Bill Stack, FS2002… What Can I Do? 747 Sim
Australian Style, Setting Up a Website, Joining a Virtual Squadron, Flying the Heavies: The Two
Pilot Crew. Multi-Engine Flying: The Fuel System. Flight Instructor: Night VFR Flying Part II, PLUS
OUR REGULAR COLUMNS AND MORE!!!
Volume 7 Issue 10
Reviews: Microsoft’s Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight • PMDG’s 737: The Next
Generation • Abacus’ FS Whirlybirds. Island Hopping Adventures, Crosscheck: Transitioning from
FS2002 to FS2004, Flight Simulator 2004 Full Review. Round Robin Adventure, Flying High? Or
Flying Low? Editing Sounds in FS2002/FS2004. Combat Sims: An Overview - Part III. The Art of
Instrument Flying – The VOR Revisited. Ground School – The Fuel System PLUS OUR REGULAR
COLUMNS & MORE.
Volume 7 Issue 11
Reviews: Megascenery USA 2004: Los Angeles/San Diego • Simcharts Version 3.0 • MiG 21
Interceptor. FS2004 Tips and Tricks, Cover CD Information, Crosscheck – Online Air Racing,
FS2004’s Love/Hate Relationship, Running the Hardware Gauntlet, The X-Plane Test Lab, Flying
South America, Combat Flight Sim Training, AirVenture 2003 Report, Flying the Heavies: “Keep
it Short and Simple”. Multi-Engine Flying: Simple IFR Techniques You Can Use Anytime! Flight
Instructor: night flying, PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS & MORE!!!
Volume 7 Issue 12
Reviews: Flight 1’s Cessna 152 Package • Sybex FS2004 Official Strategies & Secrets • Visiontek
Xtasy 9800 Pro • Just Flight’s Memphis Belle. Sub-Zero Aviation: Flying around in icy Winter
conditions, Tips for Flight Simmers, AVSIM Conference Report 2003, The Best of 2003, Going
Commercial with X-Plane, Round Robin Adventures: Flying for WESTJET Airline, Mods and
Rockers, You Get What You Deserve!: Virus protection, The Art of Instrument Flying: Partial Panel
IFR, Ground School: Keeping a logbook, PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS & MORE!
cpm101.indd 45
ticle index is availab
Volume 8 Issue 1
Reviews: Flight 1’s Cessna 310 • Aerosoft’s My Traffic 2004 • Just Flight’s Battle of Britain.
Crosscheck - Aviation Management Sims, AVSIM Conference Fly-In, The Good Fight by Bill Stack.
Installing FS Add-ons, Hortons Hints for FS2004, Inside AirsideTV.com, Rotary Wing 102 - Having
trouble flying the choppers? Accessing Flight Sim Newsgroups, CFS3 - 12 Months On. Be Careful
What You Wish For… Multi Engine Flying - High Altitude Operations. Flying the Heavies - Keep
a Good Look-out! Flight Instructor - Flapless approach and landing. PLUS OUR REGULAR
COLUMNS AND MORE!!!
Volume 8 Issue 2
Reviews: UbiSoft’s Lock On: Modern Air Combat • T-37 Tweet microSimulator • Abacus’ Sea
Plane Adventures. On A Wing And A Prayer – Ultralight Flying, Unusual & Interesting Airports,
Lock On: Modern Air Combat Mega Review, X-Plane Parachutes, Flight Sim Piracy: Fact or
Fiction? Round Robin Adventures: Ski trip to Innsbruck with Edelweiss Air. Understanding and
Customizing AI Traffic in FS2004. Ground School: flying an aircraft for maximum range and
endurance. The Art of Instrument Flying: Holding over a VOR station...PLUS OUR REGULAR
COLUMNS AND MORE!!!
Volume 8 Issue 3
Reviews: Bihrle’s First Flight: The Wright Experience • eDiemsnional’s Voice Buddy •
NaturalPoint’s Track IR2 Head Tracker. Wings Over Japan, X-Plane Nuts & Bolts, Crosscheck:
Getting it Wright! “Humoring the Stodgies”: A novel about flight simming? Mike Pohl’s Aces
Flight Simulation Center, Multi-Engine Flying: Untraditional Airports, New Generation Monitors,
Customizing AI Traffic for FS2004 Part II, Top Gun Fighter School: The A-10A Thunderbolt, Flying
the Heavies: A ‘Dirty’ Night in Naples, Getting the Most from PMDG’s 737NG, Flight Instructor:
Formation Flying PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS & MORE!!!
Volume 8 Issue 4
Reviews: PC Aviator’s Megascenery New York •Aerosoft’s Scenery Canary Islands • UbiSoft’s
ACES Expansion pack •Dauntless Software’s SimPlates 2004. Using the Garmin GPS, Round
Robin: Boeing 737 Test Flight, Top Gun Fighter School: The Su-25 Frogfoot, Using Flight Sims to
Learn from Real Accidents, Thrust Vectoring in X-Plane, Inside Project Open Sky, Ground School:
Aircraft Stability, FS Short Hops, The Art of Instrument Flying: The Glass Cockpit, PLUS OUR
REGULAR COLUMNS & MORE!!!
Volume 8 Issue 5
Reviews: Lago’s GeoRender Collection & Roaring Thirties • Just Flight’s Battle Over Europe •
Just Planes’ European & Novair DVDs. Virtual Holidays: Flying Tenerife. When Things Go Wrong.
Inside FlightSim.Com. Flying the Heavies: Heavy Jet Limitations. Top Gun Fighter School: The F-
15 Eagle. Using the Garmin GPS Part II. Flight Instructor: Carburetor Heat. X-Plane Nuts & Bolts:
Scenery Design. Jetliners Swarm the Flight-Sim Airspaces. The Real Virtual World. Multi-Engine
Flying: Fuel Management Jetliner Style...PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS & MORE!!!
Volume 8 Issue 6
Reviews: Battle of the Mesh Feature: RealScene 2004, USA Extreme Landscapes, European
Enhanced Terrain • EagleSoft’s Cessna Citation X • X1 Software’s Operation Fall Blau. Flying
with Friend, What’s Really Going On With X-Plane Weather?, Ringing the Bells, PC Maintenance
& Video Performance Tips, Round Robin Adventures, It’s Showtime, The Art of Instrument Flying:
Flying IFR in Paradise. Hardware Corner, Top Gun Fighter School: The Anatomy of the Missile.
Ground School: Spinning the Myth out of Stalling, PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS & MORE!!!
Volume 8 Issue 7
Reviews: Ilan Papini’s Micro Flight V4 • Aerosoft’s Scenery Manhattan • Just Flight’s Traffic
2004 • Just Flight’s FS Falcon. Building a Virtual Flight Deck, Controlled Flight Into Terrain,
Behind Precision Flight Controls, X-Plane Websites Reviewed, Top Gun Fighter School – The MiG-
29, Flying the Heavies – Flying Accidents, Horton’s Hints for FS2004, “State of the Cart”, Flying
VFR in the Canadian Rockies, Multi-Engine Flying – Advanced Turboprop Techniques PLUS OUR
REGULAR COLUMNS & MORE!
Volume 8 Issue 8
Reviews: RealScenery’s Seattle-Tacoma for X-Plane • PMDG’s Beech 1900D • NaturalPoint’s
TrackIR 3 Head Tracker • Just Flight’s A340 Professional • FlightJack’s SIMControl 2.0. Flying
the Boeing 777 Simulator. Hardware Corner. Air Traffic Control – A Beginner’s Guide. Round
Robin Adventures; AMERIFLIGHT. The Virtual Australian Air Force. Discovering Alaska. Ground
School; A spinning aircraft. The Art of Instrument Flying; ILS approach. Hard Drive Heroes, PLUS
OUR REGULAR COLUMNS AND MORE!!!
Volume 8 Issue 9
Reviews: Just Flight’s World Airports 2 • Aerosoft’s A320 Pilot in Command • PC Aviator’s
Megascenery Northern California • Captain Sim’s F-104 Starfighter • Aerosoft’s Diamond DA-
20 Katana • Fischer Air DVD. International Flight Sim Convention Report. New Kids on the Block
– An introduction to several new flight sim companies. Air Traffic Control – A Beginner’s Guide
Part II. Starship Diaries – An Excerpt. Top Gun Fighter School – Air to Ground Missiles. Exploring
X-Plane’s Failure Modes. Building Better PCs for Flight Simulators. Flying the Heavies – Visual
manuevering. Flight Instructor – Engine failure...PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS & MORE!!!
Volume 8 Issue 10
Reviews: Flight 1’s Meridian DVD Bundle • MAAM-Sim’s B-25 Briefing Time • Lago’s Holiday
Resorts • IEntertainment’s Warbirds 2004. African Safari! The Flight Simulator Learning Center.
Out with the Old… In with the New! Improving Your Favorite X-Plane Airport. Warbirds 2004
Review/Interview. A Visit to the Airbus’ Miami Training Center. EAA AirVenture 2004 Report.
Flight Instructor; crosswind situations. Ground School; Airspace. PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS
& MORE!!!
Volume 8 Issue 11
Reviews: Wilco’s CRJ 2004 • Flight1’s Cessna 441 Conquest II • Vmax 747-200 2nd Generation
• Shockwave’s Wings of Power. “Of Mountains & Valleys”. Australian Flight Simulation Expo
Report. Recent Changes & Improvements to X-Plane. Enhancing FS2004 Clouds. VATSIM
Convention 2004. The Best of British. The Art of Instrument Flying: Parallel Runway Operations.
Power Line Patrolling. Flight Instructor: Meteorological Decision Making, PLUS OUR REGULAR
COLUMNS & MORE!
Volume 8 Issue 12
Reviews • UbiSoft’s Pacific Fighters • CH Products Throttle Quadrant USB • PILOT’s FS
Global 2005 • Pacific Fighters. AVSIM 2004 Conference Report. Learning from Accidents. X-
Plane Aerobatics. Medivac – A Day with the Life Flight Rescue Team. Round Robin Adventures
- Jetstar. The Smithsonian Institute. Ground School – FAQs. The Art of Instrument Flying – FMC
Basics...PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS & MORE!!!
puterpilot.com
le online at www.com
Volume 9 Issue 1
Reviews: Flight 1’s USA Roads • Aerosoft’s FS Commander V7 • Flight 1’s ATR72-500 •
Just Flight’s RAF Vulcan. Cockpit Building Series Part II – Pedals and Monitors. Power-Line
Patrolling II. Bill Stack: Gauging the Devices. 3.5 Hours in an Air Canada A330/340 Simulator.
Round the World in 80 Days – C172 Style. Supercharging Pacific Fighters. The Art of Instrument
Flying – FMC Basics Part II. Flight Instructor – Weather Forecast Decoding. Gauging System
Performance. Flying the Heavies – Flying the Maldives...PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS
AND MORE!!!
Volume 9 Issue 2
Reviews: PSS Concorde • Abacus FS Flight Ventures • Bryan York’s FS2Crew • REALAIR
SIMULATION’S Spitfire. Flying the Maldives: What Went Wrong? Cockpit Building Series
– Pedestals and Panels. Aircraft ID Challenge II. Round the World in a C172 – The Trip Home.
Hardware Corner – latest joysticks and controls from Saitek. The 727 Project. “Hit the Deck!”
– Flying UbiSoft’s Pacific Fighters simulator. Battle of the Airlines. The Art of Instrument
Flying – FMC Basics Part III. Round Robin Adventures – America West, PLUS OUR REGULAR
COLUMNS & MORE.
Volume 9 Issue 3
Reviews: Aerosoft’s Austria Professional 2004 • NaturalPoint’s Vector 6 Expansion •
Australian Simulation’s Piper Warrior II / III. The Making of a Scenery Add-on. Battle of the
Airlines II. Cockpit Building Series – Back to Basics. Learning from Accidents – 737 Overrun.
“What FS10 Needs”. My Flight Sim Closet. “HELL OVER HIGH WATER” – The Grumman
Hellcat. Flight Instructor: “Get Real” – PPL Training. Ground School – All About the GPWS.
The Next Dimension – Online ATC. Hazards when Power-line Patrolling...PLUS OUR REGULAR
COLUMNS & MORE!!!
Volume 9 Issue 4
Reviews: PC Aviator’s MegaScenery Pacific Northwest • Assorted Flight Simulator Books •
Aerosoft’s U.S. Airports 1 • Flight 1’s 727 • Laminar Research’s X-Plane 8. Cockpit Building
Series – Switches, Encoders & Computers. Free Flying in the Pacific Northwest. “Middle Earth”
– Exploring China. Meigs R.I.P. Weapons of the Rising Sun – The A6M Zero. Round Robin
Adventures – Canadian Forces Regular Service. Flying the Heavies – Operating at Difficult
Airports. “Get Real” PPL Series - Part II. Ground School – SIDs and STARs Explained. PLUS
OUR REGULAR COLUMNS & MORE!!!
Volume 9 Issue 5
Reviews: PC Aviator’s MegaCITY San Francisco • Air Nav System’s FS Live Traffic • FeelThere’s
ERJ 145 Pilot in Command • Just Flight’s Spitfire. Setting Challenges in Flight Simulator. D.I.Y.
Scenery. Seaplanes, Flying Boats, and X-Plane. Microsoft’s Punching Bag. The River Approach
to DCA. Cockpit Building Series. The 2005 Avalon Airshow Report. “Whistling Death” – The
Bristol Beaufighter. “Get Real” PPL Series Part III – FS2004 Private lessons. Ground School
– Flying with Tailwinds. Flying the Heavies – Flying the North Atlantic, PLUS OUR REGULAR
COLUMNS & More!!!
Volume 9 Issue 6
Reviews: PC Aviator’s MegaCITY Denver • Level-D Simulations’ 767 • Flight 1’s Skyhawk
172R • Joel DeYoung’s Squawkbox 3 • Eagle Dynamics’ Flaming Cliffs. Energy of Flight! D.I.Y.
Scenery II, Cockpit Building Series – Sub-Panels, The Golden Age of Airliners, Freeware Frenzy
Returns! A Walk on the World Wide Web, Flying Under Control, Flying the Heavies – A Review
of Navigation, Round Robin Adventures– Alaska Airlines 737, Flight Instructor – PPL Series
Part IV...PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS & MORE!!!
Volume 9 Issue 7
Reviews: Wilco Fleet: A380 • FlightSoft’s Fly to the Caribbean • Just Flight’s Airliner Pilot •
Tim Exley’s Australian X-Plane Scenery. Fly By Lights! Le Tour de France. D.I.Y. Scenery Part III.
Enhancing your X-Plane Models – Part I. Horton’s Hints for FS2004. Flying the F-15 “Under the
Radar”. “How To” Articles. Cockpit Building Series: Sub-Panels Part II. Private Pilot Training
Part V. Ground School: Critical Point. Flying the Heavies: Basic Flight Instruments PLUS OUR
REGULAR COLUMNS & MORE!!!
Volume 9 Issue 8
Reviews: Shockwave’s Battle of Britain II • PC Aviator’s MegaCITY Dallas / Ft. Worth • Flight
1’s Pilatus PC-12. D.I.Y. Panel Building - Part I. Flying the Virtual Cockpit. Enhancing your
X-Plane Models – Part II. Free Flying in Hawaii – Part I. Destination: North Pole. Fractional
Ownership Airlines. Unusual and Dangerous Airports IV. Hardware Corner. Flight Instructor
– The Science of Trim. Ground School: Engines. Round Robin Adventures – transport route in
Central Europe. PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS & MORE!!!
Volume 9 Issue 9
Reviews: PC Aviator’s Piper Dakota • Aerosoft’s Airbus Holiday Destinations • GoFlight’s GF-
RC Rudder Pedals • Graphsim’s Falcon 4: Allied Force. Free Flying in Hawaii - Part II. Who’s In
Control? – An Overview of ATC. The 46th Paris Airshow 2005 Report. Training for an Instrument
Rating – Part I. Thunderbirds are GO! Enhancing your X-Plane Models – Part III . DIY Panel
Building II. Ground School – Checklists. Flight Instructor – Holding Made Easy. Flying the
Heavies – Aircraft Performance PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS & MORE.
Volume 9 Issue 10
Reviews: Daniel Polli’s FS Passengers 2004 • Assorted X-Plane Scenery • PC Aviator’s
Bonanza F33A • Sim-Wing’s Paris / Fly Tampa’s Midway scenery. Free Flying in Israel.
High Flight: high altitude flight. Who’s In Control? Delivery. D.I.Y. Panel Building Part III.
International FS Convention 2005 Report. The Ups and Downs of BoB II. Ground School: The
Propeller. Hardware Corner. Round Robin Adventures: flying for Fedex on the Boeing 727-200.
Training for an Instrument Rating Part II, PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS & MORE!!!
Volume 9 Issue 11
Reviews: PMDG’s 747 Queen of the Skies• Just Flight’s Flying Club • Wilco’s Caravan Deluxe
• Aerosoft’s Seahawk & Boxer. Free Flying in Papua New Guinea, Chelton Flight Systems
Glass Cockpit, “You Have the Ball”, Add-on Mania!, Who Says Simmers Aren’t Sociable?, Who’s
In Control? (ATC), Training for an Instrument Rating - Part 3, TaxiDraw – An Overview, Flying
the Heavies – Human Factors, The Art of Instrument Flying – DME Arcs PLUS OUR REGULAR
COLUMNS & MORE!!!
Volume 9 Issue 12
Reviews: Just Flight’s Traffic 2005 • Aerosoft’s Scenery Germany 3 • Abacus’ World
Extreme Landscapes • Flight 1’s Flight Environment. Pilot’s Guide to the Netherlands.
Lighter than Air in X-Plane. “You Have Control”. Who’s In Control?. Aircraft Workshop
Part 1. Mud Moving in the Viper – 101. Round Robin Adventures: Amsterdam to
London Heathrow. Hardware Corner. Flight Instructor – Unplanned landing. Training
for an Instrument Rating – Part IV PLUS OUR REGULAR COLUMNS
1/23/2006, 9:03:10 AM
 Capturing the
Moments
The still lifes of flight simming
BY BILL STACK
C
an a hobby about motion find
followers in still photography?
Flight-simulation moments
captured forever by screenshots say:
“Yes!”
As reproductions of computer screens’
current displays, screenshots are saved as
graphics files for viewing on computers
and/or printed on paper for viewing
elsewhere. They’re also known as “screen
captures.”
Under the theory that pictures are worth
thousands of words, screenshots have many
uses. They’re seen in advertisements and
instructions for software and hardware.
They help communicate information and
ideas in books, magazines, and websites.
Uploads of sceneries, aircraft, and panels
are often accompanied by screenshots
giving us an opportunity to see what we’re
about to download. Many shots are publicly
shared with others for simple enjoyment.
Flight-sim screenshots depict sceneries,
clouds, airports, aircraft, and instrument
panels. Some screenshots are static portraits
reflecting no movement. Others reflect,
power, speed, and majesty as aircraft take
off, bank, and land.
In a series of shots, for example, a
Douglas A4 Skyhawk fighter is shown
taking off from Chicago’s Meigs Field
and flying past nearby skyscrapers.
“Windy Departure” shows a DeHaviland
Dash-8 commuter taking off at a sharp
angle to the runway centerline with the
point of view just behind the aircraft.
“Storm Chasers” shows a U.S. Air Force
Lockheed C-130 Hercules banking
in fair weather, if you can accept the
contradiction.
46
cpm101.indd 46
Some shots show how exciting
simplicity can be. A shot looking out the
back window of a Cessna 172 shows the
runway behind and below. You can feel
yourself climbing out just by looking at
this shot.
Shots of mountains, cities, and airports
are also popular, and exotic sceneries
are plentiful. “Waiheke Island” shows a
biplane sightseeing around this splendid
New Zealand scenery.
A few shot makers show the same
subject from numerous positions: above,
below, behind, ahead, left, and right.
Some show the same subject by day with
companions showing them by night.
Innumerable shots are shared on
various websites. Some sites are dedicated
to screenshots, while others have pages
and sections dedicated to them. Dedicated
forums exist for screenshot makers
to show their “artwork” and discuss
difficulties and successes.
Viewers are often impressed: “Beautiful
post!” wrote a simmer about a series of
shots of a 707.
“Outstanding” and “Very nice shots”
were written about a series of shots of a
Megascenery title.
A few creators offer their shots in several
sizes and resolutions for the viewers’
convenience. One site, for example, offers
the same shot in 640x480 pixels, 800x600
pixels, and 1024x768 pixels.
Making screen shots takes only seconds.
A scene is selected, a keyboard button is
pressed, and an image is saved to the disk.
CPM. V10I1
1/23/2006, 9:03:14 AM
 BILL STACK
But that’s the easy part. Making good
screenshots is the challenge.
Pictures of flight sim products are
obviously made by professionals with
artistic and technical skills. Some shared
shots by amateurs are so good, they look
like product-box covers or magazine
advertisements. Others are so poor, you
wonder what the creators were thinking
when they made them and what else they
were thinking when they shared them
with people.
Like basic photography, which
screenshots resemble, composition is
crucial for success. Photographic elements
such as subject matter, point of view, width
of view, camera distance, and lighting
are all essential. When these elements are
considered thoroughly, the screenshots
enthrall others. When they are disregarded,
the shots plainly reveal their makers’ lack
of care or skills.
That’s why instructions and experiences
are readily available on websites and in
magazine articles. Special sections of
flight sim sites explain basic technical
and aesthetic techniques of making good
screenshots.
A page on a popular flight-sim site
thoroughly explains how to make
impressive screenshots, supported by
excellent examples. Screenshots showing
how to make screenshots! The page
shows how different positions of the
same subject can alter its appearance
and implied message. It also shows how
backgrounds can enhance or detract from
a subject and how shadows from early
morning or mid afternoon sunlight can
alter the emphasis.
Content is as important as
composition and technical
specifications. If you want to show
an aircraft departing an airport, for
example, you obviously need the
aircraft and the airport behind and
below it. The background is as much a
part of the subject as the aircraft. If you
want to emphasize the aircraft, a camera
angle that minimizes background clutter
does the job. Similarly, if you wanted
to show the position of an instrument
on a panel, you need to show the entire
panel or at least the section of the panel
where this instrument is. But if you
want to explain how the instrument
works, you focus on the instrument and
exclude all else.
cpm101.indd 47
Background selection matters.
Aircraft can blend into cluttered urban
backgrounds like Waldo. A shot of a white
jetliner flying over snow-covered terrain
was visible only because of its airline
markings, as another example.
Cropping is more important than some
shot makers appear to believe. Excess
border areas muddle a shot’s implied
message. One shot whose caption said it
was a 737, for example, showed mostly
scenery with a tiny aircraft flying by.
While many shots are stunning, some
are absurd. A shot of a helicopter hovering
in a canyon formed by New York City
skyscrapers is highly questionable. Although
flying a helicopter so closely to massive
buildings might be possible, I can’t imagine
authorities allowing it. A jetliner shown at
high altitude still has its landing gear down!
This seems to be the result of slewing the
aircraft from the ground to around 20,000
feet without retracting the gear!
Instrument readings betray shots taken
while slewing. A shot of an aircraft
ostensibly aloft shows zero airspeed and
altitude on its instruments! Slewing is
indisputable when the creator forgets or
doesn’t know how to crop the word “slew”
from the bottom right corner.
For simmers who don’t want to grapple
with graphics programs, some of which
can be complicated, special programs
for capturing screens are offered. Simply
striking the appropriate key will save
the image to the disk instead of to the
clipboard for viewing later.
Some screenshots are too small with too
little resolution to be useful outside web
pages. Others are so large they consume
too much disk and page space and take too
long to display online or transfer via e-mail.
While they are acceptable in their proper
forums, they are annoying elsewhere.
High resolution screenshots that burden
websites and e-mail systems make beautiful
pictures in books, magazines, and product
covers. So if that’s the ultimate use, high
resolution must receive a high attention.
Many flight sim sites and newsgroups
provide instructions on the technical how-
to of uploading shots to their sites for
others to see. Their titles tell all: “How to
Create and Share Screen Shots,” “Secrets
of Great Screen Shots,” and “How to
Upload Screen Shots to This Forum.”
These guidelines explain image formats,
dimensions, file sizes, and resolutions for all
screenshots posted in their sites and forums.
A screenshot instruction on one site uses
numerous screenshots of the site, the computer,
and the graphics program to explain how to
make, resize, and upload screenshots.
Such elementary instructions beg the
question as to why the site operators believed
instructions were needed. Apparently, some
uploaded screenshots are very bad, some
makers have troubles uploading their massive
creations, and viewers must have difficulties
viewing or downloading them.
One forum states what ought to be obvious:
“Only flight sim images should be posted
in this forum.” Why anybody would post to
a flight sim forum screenshots of anything
unrelated to flight simming is baffling.
For screenshots to be displayed properly
online, they must be created in GIF
(graphic interchange format) or JPG (joint
photographic experts group) format. To
avoid an overly technical explanation,
GIFs are generally okay for small images
displayed on web sites, and JPGs are
better for larger images that will be
displayed online or in print. Formats such
as BMP (bitmap) are useful for printed
materials such as books and magazines.
The requirements of the website or
publisher should always be followed.
Use screenshots legitimately because
they are the copyrighted material of their
makers. Any use of screenshots made
by others should be fully attributed to
their makers. Permission to use should
be obtained whenever money will be
earned from them. Screenshot makers
have a right to expect royalties.
Look here: View screenshots to see
flight simming as other simmers see
it, or make your own to share your
views of the hobby. Please observe the
guidelines first, however, so others will
see what you saw in your shot.
Bill Stack is an expert flight simmer, a
management consultant and a professional
writer, speaker and trainer based in Knoxville,
Tennessee, USA. He has authored several
books and numerous articles about flight
simming. His books are available from
quality flight sim suppliers such as PC Aviator
at www.pcaviator.com, and he can be
contacted at fsbooks@topskills.com
47
1/23/2006, 9:03:15 AM
 REVIE
W
VoxATC Deluxe
BY DAVID ISON
R
ealistic flight simulation is not complete
without the presence of air traffic control
communication. I often feel guilty, or as
though I am “getting away” with something, when
flying out of an airport like Atlanta Hartsfield-
Jackson and not uttering a word. Obviously, in the
real world, the frequencies would be abuzz. In an
effort to make simulation more realistic, generic air
traffic control chatter was added to Microsoft and
X-Plane. Microsoft has gone as far as adding an
interface, but one thing was missing: the requirement
of a pilot to actually talk. This deficiency has been
tackled by RC Simulations’ VoxATC Deluxe software.
48
cpm101.indd 48
Installation is easy, but it does take a little time as there are many
voice files to transfer from the CD. The total installation time is
around 30 minutes, so be sure to make sure you have some spare time
when sitting down to load the program. Not only is the core program
installed, but so are some other utilities, one being AT&T Natural
Voices 1.4. This system includes “Mike 16” and Crystal 16,” the
voices that are used by VoxATC. While these two voices far surpass
those that are standard on Windows operating systems, they are still
clearly “computerized.”
You’ll need to ensure that your headset is attached to your
computer. The VoxATC Deluxe can be ordered as a package deal that
includes a Plantronics Audio 90 “Ultimate Performance” headset.
Plantronics has been making excellent aviation headsets for “real”
flying for years. The Audio 90 is a very high quality headpiece and,
equally as important, it is comfortable to wear even over long periods.
CPM. V10I1
1/23/2006, 9:03:17 AM
 REVIEW
Its microphone seems to transmit voice to the software rather well.
The headset also has its own volume control and a microphone on/off
switch which is nice to prevent the system from “hearing things”
when you don’t intend it to. No special installation procedure is
necessary for the headset, nor is a driver required.
After the software and hardware installation is complete, you will
need to do some training. In this case, you’ll actually be training the
computer. Voice recognition software such as VoxATC needs to be
familiarized with the voice(s) of users. During this training session
you will read through some sentences so that the system can figure
out your pronunciation eccentricities. There may be a few occasions
when the system seems to be having a hard time recognizing your
speech. This is actually pretty normal for voice recognition systems
while they are learning. Just be patient and repeat the words so that
the software learns properly.
TAXI INSTRUCTIONS
Once the software is properly trained you’re free to use the system
as you please. The next logical step is to peruse the VoxATC help
document, which is 56 pages of very beneficial information. The
documentation goes into great detail on how to use the software
including proper ATC phraseology. It is important to note that you
can’t just talk any way you like; the software will only recognize
standard ATC words and phrases. Never fear though, a dialogue
box is always available to give the proper response in text form by
pressing the letter “O” while using Microsoft Flight Sim (MFS).
There are a few miscellaneous things to do to make sure the software
integrates well with existing hardware and software, but the help
document walks you through it step-by-step.
If you are not familiar with ATC phraseology, i.e. “aviation speak,”
it is wise to take advantage of the Flight Plan Trainer. Before you
actually go flying, you can practice the communication that will be
expected of you during a particular flight. You simply pick a saved
flight (or a VoxATC supplied one) to use with the trainer. You’ll be
sounding like a professional in no time.
The interface with MFS is seamless. You simply plan a flight,
either VFR or IFR, using the MFS flight planner. Once ready to
begin conversing with ATC, you simply go to the tool bar at the
cpm101.indd 49
top of the screen and enable VoxATC. It takes about ten to fifteen
seconds for the system to determine the conversation required,
frequencies, etc. It is important not to do this step until the flight is
planned and the weather is set. A neat feature that can be accessed
when setting up a flight is the ability to change the call sign of your
aircraft. Under the same tool bar entry, pick “Options.” You can
then type in any realistic aircraft identification or even an airline
name and flight number. You can even make up your own airline
name and ATC will refer to you by it!
There are even more interesting choices under “Options.” You can
have ATC require you to enter a holding pattern at the last radio navaid
(VOR) on your flight plan as long as it is 40 nautical miles from the
destination. You can also enable ATC to give you radar vectors around
traffic. Traffic density (frequency congestion), speech volume and
average speech rate can also be controlled under this menu.
Regardless of whether you’re flying VFR or IFR, the first step is
to tune Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) if available.
Once you have this information, you are ready to call ATC. If there
is no ATC facility at the airport from which you are flying, you are
still expected to make position calls on a common traffic advisory
frequency (CTAF). There’s even a person who will answer you
when you ask for an airport advisory. Wow, talk about realism. In
the beginning, you’ll want the VoxATC prompt box in view to know
exactly what to say. Press the spacebar to “key” the microphone and
read what’s in the box. As long as the computer recognizes what you
say (and it does so very well), it will respond.
If you’re already at cruise and decide you want to shoot an
instrument approach, simply enable VoxATC. As long as you are 6
nautical miles from your departure point, the software will prompt
you to contact an ATC facility and will include the frequency on
which to do so. Obviously, interaction with ATC can only be fun if
you can make impromptu changes and requests. There are several
options available throughout a flight. At any point you can call up
these options by pressing the number “0.”
When taxiing, pressing “0” will bring up choices of runways to
use. Simply press the number coinciding with the runway desired
on the list. The proper wording will then be displayed. Next, key the
ATC RESPONSE
49
1/23/2006, 9:03:20 AM

READING BACK INSTRUCTIONS WITH VOICE INPUT
mic and wait for ATC approval. While VFR enroute, you can ask
for position fixes, i.e. “hey ATC, where am I?” When IFR enroute
you have a whole slew of options available to you. These include
altitude change requests, weather avoidance tactics, a request to
begin descent and emergencies.
Altitude change requests are just what they appear to be,
you’re asking to climb or descend at a different cruising altitude.
Sometimes ATC will respond “unable,” just as they do in the real
world. If you’re cruising along and you don’t like what you see out
the window (or on radar) you can make a request to avoid weather
(very neat). When you think it’s time to start down and ATC hasn’t
said a word (as they often do not), you can see if they’re still awake
by requesting to begin your descent. Again, don’t be surprised if you
are sometimes chided and told to wait.
A very clever feature of VoxATC is that pilots can declare an
emergency. You can announce a general emergency or one of five
specific types: engine failure, low fuel, hydraulic failure, avionics
IN-FLIGHT OPTIONS INCLUDE EMERGENCY DECLARATION!
50
cpm101.indd 50
failure or due to an ill passenger. ATC responds with getting you
down to a nearby airport. I declared a general emergency and was
immediately given vectors to a nearby airport. Still descending, ATC
kept me in the vicinity of the airport until low enough to be cleared
for the approach.
The software can also be configured to cater to your likings. You
can change the button assignments so that keying the mic can be
accomplished on a yoke instead of the keyboard. And if at any point
the software begins to act up, there is an extensive troubleshooting
section in the help document. Probably the easiest fix is, regardless
of the trouble, to simply disable VoxATC and then re-enable it. It will
“reboot” to enroute mode and you can pick up where you left off.
READING BACK APPROACH CLEARANCE
There are many very nifty tools, options and abilities of VoxATC.
From being issued traffic pattern entry instructions to being cleared to
“descend via” a standard terminal arrival route (STAR), the software
provides a much higher level of realism than has previously been
available with MFS. There are, just as with any software, a few
problems. One issue is when checking in with a new ATC facility
while climbing or descending. Instead of stating the actual altitude
through which you are flying, the wording construction has a lag to it.
In other words, you’ll have to tell ATC you’re, say, climbing through
2,300, when in fact you’re passing 2,700. If someone else is talking
on the frequency, this effect becomes more exaggerated.
Two other troubles exist that I noticed, though both are very minor.
One is that the call sign “Eastern” is used. It’s been a long time since
those birds have been flying so unless you’re into nostalgia, it’s a bit
unrealistic. Another faux paux is that you can transmit and receive
flight service station (FSS) communications on 122.1 MHz. In the
U.S., this frequency is simplex, i.e. only for one way communications
(in this case to transmit to FSS).
With these trivial flaws aside, VoxATC is a capable voice recognition
tool that can truly enhance the MFS experience. It is hard to argue
with the level of realism supplied by an ATC call to “resume own
navigation” on course to destination or to maintain a heading “until
established on the localizer cleared for the ILS approach.” Even better
is when you don’t acknowledge, they repeat the instruction. The beads
of sweat begin to flow. Now that’s flying. VoxATC Deluxe is available
from all good flight sim retailers and sells for around US$74.95.
CPM. V10I1
1/23/2006, 9:03:22 AM
 Subject:

(using

I begin to laugh with tears coming down our face. He really enjoyed the
experience from flight sim and he bought himself a copy of FS2004.
f S w e den” ER PILOT
“Alf o COMPUT
SION!
Now we use it to fly together one or twice a week and one of us acts as
a captain and the other as first officer. The one who is in control takes
M O N TH X T E N
care of the flying and the other radios and sets the autopilot. Sometimes
12 /E
WINS BSCRIPTION
we also connect our computers over the internet and use Roger Wilco for
communication. My point is that, instead of flying by yourself, or if you
think flying on VATSIM or IVAO is too complicated, get a friend and connect
your computers and fly together, or invite a friend to act as first officer and
SU
have lots of fun.

Thanks for a great Magazine.

Regards
Alf
Sweden

Subject: A Different World

As a child, my Dad had a Link Trainer in our backyard. I sat in that thing
and spent my childhood flying to exotic places and on exotic adventures.
As I grew older my Dad took me to the airport he worked at. This was in
the days before ramp security so I was free to look at airplanes all day long.
Every day was an airshow for me. I almost hate to admit this but I would
sit behind jets as they taxied out just to smell burning jet fuel. As an adult,
I worked in an industry that allowed me to be around airplanes every day.
Again, when the world wasn’t so dangerous, I’d climb aboard a tug and
drive the perimeter road and taxiways just to be around airplanes, hear
the screaming engines, and smell the jet fuel. I couldn’t afford to fly but
I started out my flying career with the first Flight Simulator when it was
green ground, blue sky, and gray stick figure buildings.
Today I no longer work at the airport and it’s been a long time since I
smelled jet exhaust but now I sit in front of a very good machine with every
MegaScenery title and a list of other add-ons that are too many to count.
I dim the lights in my room, settle in behind the yoke, put my feet on the
pedals and hit “Fly Now.” The scenery is so spectacular and the experience so
real I can still imagine flying to those exotic places!
I only wish someone made a scented candle that smelled like burning jet
fuel.
Robert (Bobby) Hipperson
Southwest Florida.

Subject: Free Flying…

I enjoyed David Wilson-Okamura’s piece on free flying Papua New Guinea. I
was surprised though that he missed one of the real treats of FS9, Moro
Papua New Guinea (AYMR). This dirt strip is located at the end of a
lake and right beside a spectacular pinnacle rising from the jungle floor
some 6,000 feet. I’ve got over 2000 hours VFR looking for something to
compare, and in my opinion the standard FS9 scenery doesn’t get any
better than this! It’s a great place to base your WWII aircraft. Try a low
visibility landing with no ILS, only the Moro DME and ADF to guide you,
knowing that a huge chunk of cumulo-granite is very nearby. Fifty miles to
the East-Southeast is an area of dozens of stunning pinnacles and buttes. No
matter what you like to fly, this is an area you just don’t want to miss.
Richard A. Stacy
Denver, Colorado

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

cpm101.indd 51 1/23/2006, 9:03:46 AM

 Training for an Instrument Rating
BY DOUG HORTON
PART V
I
n this issue, we’ll complete the series on training
for an instrument rating with discussion of my
250-mile cross-country instrument training
flight, listing the Practical Test Standards for a real
instrument checkride in the U.S., then we’ll learn
about flying with a partial panel. I’ll briefly describe
the FS2004 instrument checkride and then debrief
my real instrument checkride. We’ll close the series
with my reflections on how eleven years of Flight
Simulator experience prepared me for pursuing an
instrument rating four years ago.
52
cpm101.indd 52
Instrument Cross-Country Training Flight
A candidate for an instrument rating in the U.S. is required to
perform a 250-mile cross-country flight under simulated (or real)
instrument conditions, with landings and different types of instrument
approaches at several airports. My instructor suggested that I plan the
flight to include three intermediate airports with an approach at each,
as well as an approach on return to West Chicago DuPage (KDPA).
He suggested also that I include one each of Class C, D, and E airports
among my intermediate airports. After discussing possible routes,
we agreed upon flying first to Sterling Whiteside (KSQI) in Illinois,
which is untowered (Class E); then Madison, Wisconsin (KMSN),
a class C airport with Approach Control and Tower; then Kenosha,
Wisconsin (KENW), which is a Class D airport with control tower.
CPM. V10I1
1/23/2006, 9:03:48 AM
 After completing flight plans the night before and re-checking them
the morning of the planned flight in late winter, I checked the weather
and learned that there was ice on the runways at both Madison and
Kenosha. Consequently, it was time to start over and plan for a flight
south instead of north!
After adding up the total leg mileage to make sure the flight
would satisfy the 250-mile requirement, I put together another plan
with similar airport variety. The revised plan included flying to the
following Illinois airports: Kankakee (KIKK), an uncontrolled Class
E airport; Bloomington (KBMI), a Class D airport with control tower;
then Peoria (KPIA), a class C airport with Approach Control and
Tower. With this selection of airports I filed four successive flight
plans by phone with the nearest Flight Service Station: KDPA to
KIKK, KIKK to KBMI, KBMI to KPIA, then KPIA to KDPA, as
shown in the following screenshot from AOPA’s Real-Time Flight
Planner, which is free to members. By the way, flight simulator pilots
are welcome to join AOPA; see www.aopa.org/join
ROUTE FOR IFR CROSS-COUNTRY TRAINING FLIGHT.
REAL-TIME FLIGHT PLANNER NAV LOG FOR IFR CROSS-COUNTRY
TRAINING FLIGHT.
cpm101.indd 53
To fulfill the instrument cross-country requirement for performing
at least three different types of instrument approaches, my instructor
recommended that I plan to request from ATC the following four
approaches: Kankakee VOR Runway 22; Bloomington LOC Runway
29; Peoria NDB Runway 31; and DuPage ILS Runway 2L. We also
planned one extra approach in case one of the selected approaches
was out of service.
You can see the relationship among DuPage, Kankakee,
Bloomington and Peoria airports on the accompanying screenshot
from AOPA’s Real-Time Flight Planner. If you have access to charts,
this area is shown on IFR Enroute Low Altitude chart L-23. It was
good that my instructor added the extra approach because the NDB at
Peoria was not operating. However, I still flew this approach with my
instructor providing simulated bearings to the NDB antenna, based on
his visual sighting of the airport. All my approaches were acceptable,
but I had one surprise that confused me somewhat when I received a
departure clearance at Peoria that was different from what I filed.
SECTION OF IFR ENROUTE LOW ALTITUDE CHART L-23 SHOWING THE
RELATIONSHIPS AMONG DUPAGE, KANKAKEE, BLOOMINGTON, AND
PEORIA AIRPORTS.
I had filed the following routing for departure from Peoria: KPIA
to the Bradford (BDF) VOR, then via the Victor 10 low-altitude
airway, which follows the BDF 058º radial, until it ends at the
PLANO intersection, then direct to KDPA. Instead, I was cleared
to depart KPIA with radar vectors to intersect the PIA VOR 030°
radial, then intersect Victor 10 northeast of the Bradford VOR. The
controller was clearing me to “cut the corner” near the BDF VOR, but
this was unfamiliar routing and confusing after about three hours of
flying “under the hood.” Fortunately, my instructor prompted me to
read back the clearance, and then he prompted me to understand the
clearance routing by checking the L-23 chart.
The instrument cross-country was fulfilling, yet quite tiring, as
I flew all four legs “under the hood,” except for landings, taxiing,
and the first minute after takeoffs. Overall, I logged 4.2 hours of
53
1/23/2006, 9:03:49 AM
 flight time, with 2.9 hours of that being under the hood in simulated
instrument conditions. This was a most tiring yet rewarding
experience, as I was confident afterward that I was ready for the
instrument practical test with a flight examiner.
Instrument Practical Test Standards
What is known to most pilots as a “checkride” is officially called
a “practical test.” For an instrument rating in the U.S., the Practical
Test Standards (publication FAA-S-8081-4B) include detailed
requirements and tolerances for satisfactory completion of each
standard, as listed in the following eight categories:
these failures may result from electrical or vacuum system failures, or
blockages of the Pitot tube or static vents. In general, the procedure
for dealing with these failures involves recognition of the failure(s)
by comparing readings on all instruments as part of the continuous
instrument scan, adapting to the situation, then interpreting pitch and
bank attitudes by alternative means. For example, loss of vacuum
in my Piper Dakota leads to loss of both the attitude indicator and
heading indicator (directional gyro). During training, my instructor
simulated loss of vacuum by placing black rubber covers over both
instruments, as shown in the screenshot.

I. Preflight Preparation
A. Weather Information
B. Cross-Country Flight Planning

II. Preflight Procedures

A. Aircraft Systems related to IFR Operations
B. Aircraft Flight Instruments and Navigation Equipment
C. Instrument Cockpit Check

III. Air Traffic Control Clearances and Procedures

A. Air Traffic Control Clearances
B. Compliance with Departure, En Route, and Arrival Procedures and
Clearances
C. Holding Procedures SIMULATING LOSS OF VACUUM IN PIPER DAKOTA BY COVERING
ATTITUDE INDICATOR AND DIRECTIONAL GYRO.
IV. Flight by Reference to Instruments
A. Straight and Level Flight
B. Change of Airspeed In the partial panel screenshot, assume the following conditions:
C. Constant Airspeed Climbs and Descents airspeed is low and decreasing, vertical speed is pegged high,
D. Rate Climbs and Descents and altitude is 2500 feet and increasing. The turn coordinator
E. Timed Turns to Magnetic Compass Headings indicates the wings are level, and magnetic compass (not visible) is
F. Steep Turns stationary. These conditions can be interpreted to indicate that the
G. Recovery from Unusual Attitudes aircraft is flying straight but pitched up sharply and is approaching
stall speed with the needle on the airspeed indicator near the lower
Note: at least two of the part IV tasks, A through E, as selected by the end of green (flaps up) range. This condition might be encountered
examiner, are performed without the use of the attitude indicator and immediately after takeoff and requires immediate action to lower
heading indicator. Task F is performed with all available instruments the pitch attitude to neutral, significantly reduce the climb rate, and
and Task G is performed without the attitude indicator. increase the airspeed.

V. Navigation Systems FS2004 Instrument Checkride

Intercepting and Tracking Navigational Systems and DME Arcs The FS2004 instrument checkride begins in the air in the Cessna
Skyhawk 172SP near Seattle and it includes the following sequence
VI. Instrument Approach Procedures of maneuvers directed by a simulated examiner:
A. Non-precision Instrument Approach
B. Precision Instrument Approach • Set up for VOR approach
C. Missed Approach • Fly Seattle-Tacoma (KSEA) VOR runway 34 L/R approach
D. Circling Approach • Execute missed approach
E. Landing from a Straight-In or Circling Approach • Proceed direct to SEA VOR at 3000 feet
• Set up and hold at SEA VOR
VII. Emergency Operations • Proceed to NOLLA
A. Loss of Communications • Set up for ILS approach
B. Loss of Gyro Attitude and/or Heading Indicators • Perform procedure turn
• Fly Boeing Field (KBFI) ILS runway 13R approach
VIII. Postflight Procedures • Land the aircraft
Checking Instruments and Equipment
This checkride is very difficult to pass! The problem is mostly
Flying with “Partial Panel” related to the real-world tolerances that are required by the checkride,
Part IV of the instrument practical test standards requires that compared to the accuracy of typical flight simulator controls
certain maneuvers be flown with simulated instrument failures. (joysticks, yokes, and rudder pedals) and flight models in Flight
This is another knowledge and skill area not covered by the FS2004 Simulator. The required flight performance criteria are summarized in
instrument lessons. Depending on specific aircraft and instruments, a table that you can read at (FS2004)\FSWeb\Lessons\Instrument\
InstrumentLessonsCheckride.html, a portion of which is shown.

54 CPM. V10I1

cpm101.indd 54 1/23/2006, 9:03:52 AM


PORTION OF FLIGHT TOLERANCES TABLE FOR
FS2004 INSTRUMENT CHECKRIDE.
If you want the ultimate challenge in FS2004, try this checkride.
However, because of its difficulty, FS user Gordon Wood has prepared
and published an extensive 20-page guide to (perhaps) successfully flying
the checkride. I found Gordon’s file “InsideFS2004InstCheckride.zip” at
http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/syb.cgi?section=misc&file=Insi
deFS2004InstCheckride.zip. In his readme file Gordon says, “You’ve
read the briefing. You’ve tried the checkride. Now find out what you need
to know to pass it.” His guide explains the altitudes, headings, airspeeds,
radio frequencies, turns, climbs, descents, timers, and “ding” messages
– “everything the briefing doesn’t tell you about the checkride.” To make
the best use of this outstanding guide, print the table of performance
criteria and tolerances on the FS2004 instrument checkride instruction
page and print the two linked approach charts. Good luck!
Real Instrument Practical Test
AIRCRAFT FLOWN FOR AUTHOR’S INSTRUMENT PRACTICAL TEST:
FOX FLYING CLUB’S PIPER ARCHER N8150A.
The first step of my real instrument practical test process was
contacting a designated examiner, and I chose the same examiner I
selected for my private pilot practical test. During our conversation, he
indicated his weight, so I could do a weight and balance calculation, and
he assigned me to prepare an instrument flight plan from nearby DeKalb
(KDKB) airport, where I would meet him, to Spirit of St. Louis (KSUS)
airport. I scheduled taking the test in the same aircraft I used for my
private pilot practical test, Fox Flying Club’s Piper Archer N8150A.
cpm101.indd 55
The instrument rating practical test includes both an oral examination
and a flight test. The oral portion of my test included mostly questions not
in the published FAA question bank and not included in the instrument-
training textbook I’d studied. After discussing my answers, it seemed that the
examiner’s purpose was not to trip me up, but rather, to provide information
that is generally unknown to new instrument rated pilots. Example: can an
uncontrolled Class E airport such as DeKalb (DKB) be specified on a flight
plan as an Alternate? I responded by referring to the requirements I knew,
such as the need for forecasted weather at the alternate airport at expected
time of arrival to be at least 800-foot ceiling with two miles visibility for
non-precision approaches, or 600-foot ceiling with two miles visibility for
precision approaches. The “catch” in this question is “forecasted weather,”
because smaller airports such as KDKB don’t have Terminal Area Forecasts.
They may have an ATIS report or real-time automated weather reporting, but
not forecasts. According to the examiner, such airports can’t be specified as
alternates, though subsequent discussion suggests this is debatable since the
area of KDKB would be covered in an Area Forecast. This oral exam lasted
about an hour and a quarter and I learned a great deal from the questions and
the examiner’s discussion of answers. Next, the examiner asked me about
my flight plan, and he checked my knowledge of IFR Enroute Low Altitude
charts, including a variety of chart symbols.
Finally, it was time to fly. Designated examiners prepare their
own sequence of exercises to take the candidate through the PTS
requirements efficiently. Thus, many of the PTS tasks are combined.
My examiner indicated that I need not file the flight plan and obtain
a clearance though ATC, as he would provide my clearance and
simulate all ATC communications. My flight test included the following
sequence of operations:
• Requesting and receiving a clearance from an uncontrolled airport,
which I accomplished by contacting a Flight Service Station on
the radio. Flight Service then relayed the clearance from ATC. The
clearance was somewhat different than what I filed, as I presumed
it might be, to test my ability to assimilate and read back the actual
clearance and adapt to new routing.
• After takeoff and going under the hood, I was vectored for several
course changes before “resuming own navigation” onto the Victor 6
airway outbound from the DuPage (DPA) VOR, toward the Bradford
(BDF) VOR.
• Clearance to a holding pattern, entering the hold, and performing two
circuits. The examiner provided the following clearance, “cleared to
hold on the Victor 6 airway, northeast of the HERVY intersection,
left turns, expect further clearance at time 25.” After my readback,
I continued outbound on the DPA VOR 253° radial to the holding
point, which is located 26 nautical miles from the DPA VOR. I
reported the hold entry and time to ATC.
• Loss of attitude indicator and directional gyro during the holding pattern
– simulating a vacuum system failure. I reported this to the examiner (as
simulated ATC), and he responded, “we’ll get you down quickly.”
• Clearance and vector out of the holding pattern, after which the
examiner requested that I perform steep turns in both directions.
• Vectors for the ILS approach for Aurora (KARR) Runway 9, clearance
for the approach, then intercept and continuing to a missed approach.
• Vectors for VOR approach to DeKalb (KDKB) Runway 27, which
involves flying outbound on the DPA VOR 277° radial. This approach
was performed with simulated failures of attitude indicator and
directional gyro, again to a missed approach.
• After flying the missed approach procedure to a climbing turn, vectors
to the southwest of DeKalb airport, where I performed recoveries from
two unusual attitudes without use of the attitude indicator.
• Vectors to the LOC DME approach to DeKalb (KDKB) Runway 2,
with circling to land on Runway 20.
55
1/23/2006, 9:03:54 AM
 ...i
and other types of approaches that are available in real flying. As an
example, take a look at the VOR/DME approach for DeKalb, Illinois
(KDKB) Runway in the accompanying figure, which was part of my
instrument practical test. This approach requires flying outbound from
the DPA VOR. Though it looks simple at first glance, the issue with
this and similar approaches is that when flying away from a VOR,
the closer you get to the airport, the less precise is the accuracy of
following the VOR needle. This occurs because the distance between
VOR radials increases with distance from the VOR.

APPROXIMATE TRACK FLOWN DURING REAL INSTRUMENT PRACTICAL TEST.

The flight portion of my practical test seemed very straightforward

and I was much less nervous than I had been on my private pilot
practical test with the same examiner. After landing and taxiing back
to the DKB terminal building, I felt good about the test, and as I
shut down the engine, the examiner shook my hand and said simply,
“Congratulations!”

Reflections and the Role of Flight Simulation

The overall instrument training process took me about five months,
which I’m told is about average. On the other hand, there are short
courses that provide concentrated training for an instrument rating in
about two weeks, with a checkride on the last day. Since I questioned
my ability to retain so much information and retain instrument flying
proficiency after a short course, I chose to work with my regular
instructor over a period of several months.

In reflecting on my experience with instrument training, I’m confident

that my flight simulation experience helped me more for instrument
training than for my private pilot training for at least two reasons: R

• Most flight simulation flying is focused on instruments, because

the outside views are limited, or because many of us don’t often
change views away from the panel. This was a slight negative in my
private pilot training, as I needed to learn to “get my head out of the
cockpit” in looking for other aircraft and learn to fly by reference to
the outside view for pitch and bank.
• In instrument training, I already knew a great deal about ATC
procedures and terminology from flying with the Flight Shop and
ProFlight series of ATC adventures, flying online with simulated
ATC controllers on SATCO (now VATSIM), and from ATC flying
with the Flight Unlimited and Fly! programs. I’d also made it a
practice to listen to real ATC during my commercial airline flights,
when possible – United Airlines pilots usually make ATC available
on the entertainment system. Nevertheless, I admit to being a bit
nervous the first time I actually flew under real ATC. My instructor
commented about how quickly I seemed to learn ATC procedures,
but in reality, he was observing my applying years of flight
simulation experience to flying with real ATC.
R
WHEN FLYING AN APPROACH AWAY FROM A VOR, INDICATOR
SENSITIVITY DECREASES AS YOU APPROACH THE AIRPORT.
Overall, I know that getting the instrument rating was made easier
by my flight simulation experience and by the chance to practice
instrument approaches with my Flight Simulator. While the personal
computer flight simulation time could not be logged as part of my
W
training, it was extremely valuable. And it’s still valuable because
instrument-rated pilots must maintain proficiency by meeting
instrument practice requirements every six months. Accordingly, I
often practice whole ATC flights and related approaches with FS2004
before making real flights.

A final comment: I knew about instrument approaches from
simulator flying, though I assumed that I knew more than I did.
There’s a lot to learn about approaches, and in particular, I knew next
to nothing about the vertical requirements of approaches and missed
approach procedures. Also, I knew about ILS approaches only from
flight simulation; I didn’t know anything about VOR, NDB, LOC,
Finally, I wondered during the process of getting my private pilot
certificate and instrument rating if my interest in flight simulation
would decrease. My interest remains high and with the increasing
realism of Flight Simulator ATC, weather, scenery, terrain, and AI
traffic with each new version, I’m even more interested in comparing
my flight simulation and real flying experiences.

56 CPM. V10I1

cpm101.indd 56 1/23/2006, 9:04:04 AM

 COMING UP ...
...in the February 2006 Issue

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classic aircraft and fly them around various parts of the FS world. You can follow along too, providing
some purpose and excitement to flying the ‘golden oldies’ of aviation.
Mud Moving in the Viper – Part 3
Mike Glynn concludes the mini-series on flying the Viper in Falcon 4 by briefly looking at air-to-air
weapons and wrapping up many other loose ends in tactics and training, giving you the best possible
chance to achieve success in the air, and avoid hitting the ground!
UAVs
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and reconnaissance campaigns. It’s certainly an interesting area of study/application, and one that
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cpm101.indd 57 1/23/2006, 9:04:21 AM
 Mud Moving in the Viper 102:
Stand-Off Weapons
BY MIKE GLYNN
I
n the first part of our mud moving odyssey last
month, we learnt various methods of spreading
alarm and despondency that involved flying
directly over a target and dropping substantial
amounts of high explosives via the agency of a
dumb bomb.
While this method is undoubtedly a lot of fun and gets you up close
and personal to the action, regrettably, some targets have developed
the annoying habit of hurling substantial amounts of high explosive
straight back at you.
Some of the readership may drop their voices several octaves and
manfully exclaim, “So what?” at this unwelcome development, but
for the less unbalanced amongst us the advent of standoff weapons
such as the AGM-65 Maverick and the Harm AGM-88 (Hi-speed
Anti-Radiation Missile) has meant a hefty decrease in our virtual
insurance premiums.
58
cpm101.indd 58
The Maverick in particular is the weapon of choice for those of
us raised in the age of the video arcade. Nothing quite matches the
satisfying sense of omniscience that a good Maverick strike brings.
“Ok, you’re dead… and you too, yep, you‘re outta here as well…
sorry fella, toodles!”
Of course there is a process to go through before you obtain this
degree of deification, so that is where we come in, using the new
Falcon 4: Allied Force simulator as our reference simulator.
The AGM-65 Maverick
First we start with what you, the aspiring minor deity, can’t do with a
Maverick. In the nose of each Maverick is an IIR (Imaging Infra-Red)
camera that the pilot uses in conjunction with the radar to seek out the
target. Whilst this camera has a search cone of 60 degrees, the Maverick
can only be fired in a 30 degree cone centered on the nose of the Viper.
This is important to remember this because the IIR camera will display
targets on the MFD that can be outside of this launch limit and you need
to be able to tell if you can actually hit them.
CPM. V10I1
1/23/2006, 9:04:24 AM
 Let’s have an in-depth look at the MFD displays and various modes
of the Maverick.
There are two important features of the Maverick targeting process.
The first is the tracking gate. The tracking gate is the means that the
Maverick uses to lock on to a target. Similar in operation to the radar
cursor, it can be slewed on to a target manually or slaved to the radar.
Once you decide you have the correct target in the crosshairs you lock
up the target by pressing the customary “0” key. Note that the target
must be within the central dashed box on the MFD to be locked.
The second feature is the pointing cross and this is the way to
determine whether the target is within the 30 degree cone of the
missile launch limit. A target will be centered in the tracking gate
once locked, so the target’s relationship to the boresight (the line
running through the nose of the aircraft through to the tail) is not
known. The pointing cross gives this indication by its position relative
to three horizontal lines on the MFD which represent 10, 20 and 30
degrees off boresight. If the pointing cross is below the 30 degree line,
the missile cannot be launched.
Maverick Aiming Modes
There are two basic aiming modes. The first is Boresight. In this
mode the AGM-65 starts by electronically peering straight ahead of
the aircraft. Target designation is a two stage operation. The pilot
slews the tracking gate manually. This will also move the TD (Target
Designator) box on the HUD. Once the TD is on the target and the “0”
button is pushed the TD box becomes “ground stabilized” - Figure 1.
FIGURE 1
The pilot then refines the designation on the target, presses the “0”
again and the target’s days become numbered.
The second aiming mode is slaved. In this mode you undertake the
same two-step procedure utilizing the GM, GMT and SEA modes of
the radar - see the previous article for explanation of these modes. The
TD is once again ground stabilized using the radar cursor. Give the
seeker a couple of seconds and then refine the targeting by manually
slewing and pressing “0”.
What happens then? The Maverick will provide a DLZ (Dynamic
Launch Zone) display on the HUD and on the MFD that will give
you in-range cues to fire the weapon. The DLZ is presented as a
bracket with a caret. As long as the caret is inside the bracket, then the
Maverick is within striking distance - Figure 2.
cpm101.indd 59
FIGURE 2
Once a Maverick is launched the pilot loses video from that missile
because there is no datalink back to the cockpit. The next AGM-65 on
the rails however will automatically slew to the same target. Once the
last Maverick is lost however, the video feed stops.
Maverick sub-modes and Symbology
The Maverick MFD presents several captions which should be
memorized to fully take advantage of the missiles capabilities;
• OPER - stands for Operate and is always there when the Maverick
video is called up.
• PRE - stands for Pre-planned. Pre-planned means the aiming
mode is slaved. Click on this OSB to toggle between Slaved and
Boresight modes.
• BORE - means Boresight mode.
• FOV - stands for “Field of View”.
• HOC - stands for “Hot on Cold” which sets the visual polarity of
the missile video display.
• 3/7 - is the number which corresponds to the stores station on the
wing. 3 is the left wing and 7 is the right.
• RDY - means the missile is armed and ready to fire.
The Maverick firing sequence is straightforward once memorized
and can be practiced ad-infinitum in the training mission provided by
the program.
Here is the checklist for the Boresight mode:
1. Get into A-G mode by pressing A-G on the ICP or “Backspace”.
Keep pressing the backspace button until “6AG65D” is displayed
on the MFD.
2. Power up the Mavericks by clicking on the PWR button.
3. Each missile seeker is protected by a dust cap. This is removed by
pressing the “U” button each time a missile is called up.
4. Slew the TD box over a target (hint: use the Shift-L or Ctrl-L button
combinations to bring up target labels if you can’t readily see them)
and pre-designate or ground stabilize the TD by pressing the “0”
key on the numeric keyboard.
5. Slew the cursor to refine the designation by using the arrow keys
and press “0” again once you are happy.
59
1/23/2006, 9:04:26 AM
 6. Wait until the DLZ caret is inside the bracket to indicate the target
is in-range, and the tracking cross indicates that the target is within
30 degrees off boresight, then fire the missile. Ka-boom!
The checklist for Slaved mode is slightly more involved:
1. Complete steps 1-3 from above.
2. In the left MFD, check that the air-to-ground radar mode is
operating on GMT (Ground Moving Tracking mode) on the
appropriate OSB. The missile is now in default slave mode (PRE
mode). If it isn’t, make it so via the right hand MFD.
3. The radar should display any moving targets. Hint: They are easier
to see by reducing the range to 10 nm by the adjunct of the F3 key.
4. Place the radar cursors over the target, then designate with the “0”
key.
5. When the target is within range, fire the missile.
6. Touch fingers in front of face, a la Monty Burns and murmur…
”Excellent…” (Figure 3).
FIGURE 3
AGM-88 HARM Missile
Back in the Vietnam War, the advent of radar guided missiles
started making life very uncomfortable for the mud moving fraternity.
One of the counter tactics to the radar threat was the “Wild Weasel”
mission, where pilots with excessive testosterone and a death-wish
placed themselves in front of active SAM radars so someone else
could take a potshot at the offending emitter with an AGM-45 Shrike
missile. The genesis of the improved tracking abilities and speed of
the HARM came from the lessons learnt in these missions.
The Falcon HTS: HARM Targeting System
The HTS is a passive system designed to look for active radar
emitters. The radar is detected via an antenna and the signal is
processed and analyzed then presented as a radar type and a position
on the MFD. Also on the MFD is a dim oval “footprint”. If the
detected radar symbol is inside this footprint, then it is in range of
the HARM.
HARM Modes and Symbology
Detected radar symbols will present differently on the MFD
according to their status;
• Bright symbol - threat is searching or emitting.
• Reverse Bright Symbol – Threat is tracking a target (probably you).
60
cpm101.indd 60
• Dim Symbol - threat is known to the HTS but the operators also
know all about the capabilities of a HARM and aren’t stupid, so the
radar is not emitting.
• Blinking bright symbol – The threat has launched a missile.
The MFD captions presented for the HARM are similar to the
Maverick, with a couple of differences;
• “HTS” - stands for HARM Targeting System.
• “TBL1” - stands for Threat Table 1. This is a computer database
used to identify the incoming radar signals as specific SAM
systems.
Numbers on the bottom left and right of the MFD represent
the stations that the missiles are loaded on. The active missile is
highlighted.
HARMing somebody
By now we should be getting a good grip on the similarities of the
Falcon’s air-to-ground modes. The HARM firing method is similar to
the other we have looked at.
HARM checklist:
1. Call up the A-G mode on the ICP and cycle the “backspace” button
until “HTS” appears on the MFD.
2. Lock on to any radiating threats by slewing the cursors over the
target and designating with the “0” button.
3. There is a DLZ caret similar to the AGM-65, plus the dim oval on
the MFD to tell you whether the target is in range.
4. Fire the missile.
5. Place hands over… Oh well you know what to do!
FIGURE 5
If the SAM radar stops radiating then chances are the missile will
not hit the target precisely. It will however keep tracking to the same
point on the surface and hence has a small chance of doing its job. If
the radar station arcs up again while the missile is in flight, the missile
stands a small chance of acquiring it and completing its terminal
homing phase - tech talk for Ka-boom!
Rocketry
Rockets are not technically a stand-off weapon but their delivery
method means at least you don’t have to fly over the target. It also
looks good and, let’s face it, that is what we are really about here.
CPM. V10I1
1/23/2006, 9:04:29 AM
 Rocket aiming is problematic but, if you do achieve a hit, you are Rocket attack checklist:
more likely to do damage to a hard skinned target such as a tank than,
say, with the Falcon’s 20mm gun. 1. Get into A-G mode and cycle the “backspace” key till A-G RCKT
appears.
The Rocket HUD 2. Find a target.
The HUD symbology for a rocket attack is a floating pipper which 3. Place floating pipper over target, fire the rockets and track target
gives that eternal optimist, the fire control computers, best guess until all rockets are on their way (Figure 7).
about where your spray of white hot metal will land (Figure 6).

FIGURE 7

FIGURE 6 As you can see, a lot of the satisfaction of being a Viper

Rockets are fired in a salvo of 19 so, once you press the trigger,
make sure you continue to track the target until all 19 rockets have
departed the pod.
pilot comes from spreading the joy that only a well carried out
aerial bombardment can do. Next month we will explain some
miscellaneous ground attack methods not yet mentioned, and tie it all
in to a mission using the campaign feature of Falcon 4: Allied Force.
Check your six until then!

.
61

cpm101.indd 61 1/23/2006, 9:04:32 AM

 REVIE
W
AudioFX Force Feedback
GAMING HEADSET
BY DEAN BIELANOWSKI
A
s a flight simmer, I know how easy it is to get
caught up in ensuring what we see on our
monitors is as good as it can be. Indeed, most
simmers are more conscious of how their aircraft and
scenery look visually than worrying about how their
aircraft engines or environmental effects sound, or
should sound. There is great benefit to maximizing
the sound quality of your simulator sessions and your
general music listening quality too. Today we will take
a look at eDimensional’s latest offering to the sim and
gaming market, proclaimed to improve your audio
listening experience – the AudioFX Force Feedback
Gaming Headset.
62
cpm101.indd 62
Setup
The AudioFX headset comes packaged in a clear plastic ‘case’
which includes the headset only. There are no other extras or
installation CDs etc, simply because you do not need them. Setting
up the headset is simple. Just plug in the two standard PC audio
plugs (one for microphone and one for speakers – each is labeled
accordingly) into the input jacks on your computer’s sound card and
plug the USB connector into a free USB port on your system. USB
cord I hear you say? What’s that all about? We will see later…
Once you have attached all plugs the headphones are ready to use.
Start up your sim or your favorite CD or MP3 file and start listening.
There are a few steps I would recommend you undertake before you
get too far into your next sim or music/DVD session, and these are to
tune the output/profile of the speakers for best operation. These are
not mentioned by eDimensional, but rather just simple steps anyone
CPM. V10I1
1/23/2006, 9:04:37 AM
 REVIEW
should undertake to fine tune their sound setup. There are many more
advanced tips you can undertake, but these are beyond the scope of
this review.
Tip 1: When using stereo headphones, be sure to select these as
your speaker device within Windows. This involves going to Windows
Control Panel and then to the “Sounds and Audio Devices” section.
Under the “Volume” tab, which will appear first anyway, there should
be a Speaker Settings section at the bottom. Hit the Advanced button
which will pop up a new screen allowing you to change the type of
speakers you have in use. Use the drop down list to select “Stereo
Headphones”. This is usually the best option but feel free to experiment
with other options as these may offer you a better output profile. When
it comes to sound/music, everyone has different tastes!
SELECTING A SPEAKER PROFILE
Tip 2: The headset itself has a basic volume wheel control,
however, you can adjust Treble and Bass output via Windows for
a different output effect. In the same “Sounds and Audio Devices”
section of Control Panel, hit the Advanced button under the Device
Volume section of the Volume tab. In the new window that opens
up, you can modify volume and balance for various audio options,
but just hit the Advanced button under play control to access the
Tone Controls. In the Tone Controls section, you can adjust Treble
and Bass. By default, these are set equally in the middle of the scale.
I found I needed to lower Bass and Increase treble to liven up the
output of sound with the AudioFX.
cpm101.indd 63
ADJUSTING TREBLE AND BASS
Note that the type and quality of sound card you have also greatly
influences the quality of sound that comes from your games and sims.
I have a Creative Audigy 2 system which is high quality. Window
names or control options may also differ between different sound
cards and Windows software versions.
AudioFX Features
So what does this set of headphones offer that any other set
doesn’t? Well, the major feature is the “Force Feedback” this set can
deliver. It’s not really the same force feedback you get with some
joysticks or controllers, i.e. you are not going to be bashed around the
head, it’s more a vibration force that is delivered by the headphones
via the inbuilt “subwoofer”. Remember that USB connection? This is
what powers/controls the subwoofer in the headphones.
How does it work? This is perhaps best explained by eDimensional
themselves:
“The human ear cannot hear anything below 20-25Hz but other
frequencies can be “felt” as vibrations. If you’ve ever watched movies
on a powerful home theater system then you know that bass is often
times more a “feeling” than a “hearing” sensation. The Audio FX’s
bass amplifier interprets frequencies below 20Hz and transforms
them into vibrations that we can feel through the headphone earpiece.
Advanced transducers located in the earpieces convert these low
frequencies into real vibrations to be felt for the most realistic and
immersive sound experience ever.”
63
1/23/2006, 9:04:41 AM

nat
‘volumes’ set to a reasonably high level to get the full effect.
Sometimes I found the vibration effect to be a little uncomfortable
around my ears, especially when it really kicks in on earthy bass
sounds in music, or in the rumbles of large jet engines thrown
into reverse upon touchdown, however, this only occurred when
listening to extended bass effects of fair duration and intensity.
There is certainly no denying the odd feeling of having a subwoofer
sitting in a pair of headphones, and it does take some getting used
to. If you crank up the bass setting in your car audio player or home
theatre often, it will probably not even worry you! Again, everyone
is different.
The rumbling sounds produced are certainly a nice option to have
in your headphones, and you can control the amount of vibration
delivered via the adjustment wheels on the small control pod on the
unit. Or, you can just turn off the subwoofer totally with the ON/OFF
switch, also located on the control pod. The main volume wheel
is also found here. On the side of each headphone are three levels
of LED lamps. These light up in stages depending on the level of
subwoofer output experienced. It certainly adds to the “cool” factor in
64
cpm101.indd 64
use, and others around you can readily see how ‘intense’ your current
gaming or listening experience really is. But of course, you should
protect your ears from excessive noise exposure to avoid negative
hearing effects later down the track.
eDimensional also claims improved situational awareness by using
the AudioFX headset as it can enhance sounds in either headphone
speaker based on the location of that sound in the virtual 3D space of
a game or sim. In particular, deep bass or heavy sounds are further
amplified. While true, I’m not convinced it’s a “breakthrough” feature
as my previous headphones could achieve that particular task just as
well, and you do need to crank up the volume and vibration effects a
fair way before it becomes more obvious for hearing enemy footsteps.
In jet fighter sims however, the effect is more pronounced and you can
judge the location of your enemy much easier, and at lower volumes.
This was my personal experience, but it has more use in the flight sims
(particularly combat ones) than in general online 3D battle games.
As you can see from the photos included, the AudioFX also
includes a microphone boom. This rotates down for use and can be
rotated back to sit beside the left headphone speaker when not in
CPM. V10I1
1/23/2006, 9:04:57 AM
 he microphone delivers credible clarity, making it useful for
voice recognition applications. There is a slight hint of background
‘noise’ but nothing that should cause any problems. It is certainly
a good option for online gaming communications, whether it be
communicating with ATC in an online simulator session, or barking
orders at your teammates in an engaging round of Battlefield 2!
Both the headphones and headband connecting them are well
padded, providing comfortable use over extended listening or gaming
periods. After using them the first few times they may feel a little
uncomfortable pressing on the sides of your head around your ears,
but they do loosen up nicely and pose no comfort problem thereafter.
The headphones pivot on their attachment bracket too so there is even
pressure around your ear.
Sound Quality
Having some good quality sound gear installed in my home and
on my PC, I can attest to the difference good speakers can make to
the overall sound experience. The AudioFX offers a reasonably good
quality sound output, although I found it did need a little tweaking of
my sound options to get the best quality sound. Out of the box I found
cpm101.indd 65
the sound a little muffled, and not as crisp in the high range as I’d like,
so I dropped the bass volume and increased treble to sharpen things
up a little. As mentioned, sound is a personal thing, so don’t take my
advice as gospel. Modify sound options to suit you!
The AudioFX sound quality in general is not up to Yamaha
standard, however, you are not paying Yamaha prices either. For the
asking price of US$49.95, the AudioFX headset delivers very good
value for money in the sound department, in my opinion.
Overall
Based on the retail price the AudioFX is a good sound option,
particularly if you need to keep sound volumes down at night to
avoid waking or annoying others around you, and this set is one
of the only I know of that provides the subwoofer effect built in
to the headphone! If you visit big LAN meets, headphones are a
must, and the AudioFX will certainly be a talked about item with
its cool pulsing LED level meters, and the microphone will leave
no confusion when talking/chatting to your fellow team mates,
or harassing your enemies! Check out eDimensional’s website at
www.edimensional.com or good flight sim retailers to order the
AudioFX Force Feedback Gaming Headset.
65
1/23/2006, 9:05:15 AM
 GoogleEarth Revealed
BY CHUCK BODEEN

W
hether you are making scenery for your
flight simulator or just want a look
at the real world, you can find many
map, aerial, and satellite photo tools such as http:
//virtualearth.msn.com/, http://www.terraserver.micro
soft.com/ and http://googleglobetrotting.com/ but none
have the versatility of GoogleEarth for quickly “flying”
around the world to your favorite places. As will be
explained later you can even merge MSFS 2004 with
GoogleEarth to get photorealistic scenery anywhere
you are flying. Amazingly, this is all free of charge.
Launch GoogleEarth.exe and you will see a beautiful picture of
North America. Type in “Brisbane Australia” and the globe quickly
turns and zooms in on that city. Slide over to where the airport is in
the center of the screen, zoom in more and you can see the fantastic
detail of the satellite and aerial photos that are used. The long shadow
of a lamp post to the left of the airplane indicates that the picture was
taken fairly early in the morning. You may even be able to identify
the airline by the color of the plane. The source pictures are updated
from time to time but are not actually “current”. You may find some
newer landmarks that are missing. GOOGLEEARTH LAUNCH SCREEN

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GOOGLEEARTH BRISBANE AIRPORT WITH INSET
THE GOOGLEEARTH TOOLS
At the bottom of the GoogleEarth screen you will find a set of tools.
On the left you can choose to use the terrain elevation data, and find
hotels, restaurants, and roads. In the center you can zoom in and out,
rotate to the left or right, and scroll in four directions. On the right a
“placemark” to which you can return can be created and you can print
the page or email it. The slider near the right side is to control “tilt” so
that you can look at the Earth from angles other than straight down.
Two buttons allow you to return a rotated view to “north-up” and to
restore from a tilted view to straight down.
THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING IN NEW YORK CITY AS A PHOTO AND AS
AN OPTIONAL 3D BUILDING
cpm101.indd 67
GoogleEarth offers much more than just the photo representation
of the Earth – at least in the United States. You may choose from
more than 40 “layers” to expose things like roads, schools, churches,
restaurants, pharmacies, postal boundaries etc., all with their names
posted on the overlaid images. Data such as this is sparse in other
parts of the world but will probably be added as the product matures.
I found the Empire State building by first using FLY TO “New
York City” at the top left corner of the screen followed by LOCAL
SEARCH “Empire State Building”. The pictures have been rotated
and tilted with the “Roads” layer turned on. You can see that the
building is on 5th Avenue between 33rd and 34th streets.
FOUR LEVELS OF ZOOM DETAIL AT GROOM LAKE
Groom Lake, otherwise known as “Area 51” is a secret U.S.
government airfield located about 110 miles northeast of my home
in Las Vegas, Nevada. Most people now know it exists, but very few
have any idea what is going on there. Using GoogleEarth, I searched
on Rachel, the very small town which is the closest place you can get
to Groom Lake without a security clearance. It is rumored that aliens
from UFOs were brought to Area 51 for study. Hence, the restaurant
in Rachel is named “Little A’Le Inn” which is in the GE database.
Certain U.S. stealth fighters and bombers were developed and tested
at Area 51.
As one zooms in on the lake, the 27,000- and 16,220-foot long
parallel runways become visible. A closer look reveals the myriad
of hangars and buildings on the ramps. Go down even further and
you can see one of the white 737 planes used to ferry equipment and
personnel back and forth from KLAS (Las Vegas).
MAP OF AREA 51 IN FS2004, GOOGLEEARTH, AND X-PLANE
Out of the box, MSFS 2004 is concerned purely with civil aviation,
whereas X-Plane has a larger database of airfields including the
military ones – and even Area 51 which goes by the code KUFO. The
variation in color on the left and right sides of the center picture are
caused by the fact that they came from different sources and have
different resolutions.
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 5. Download FSUIPC version 3.5 (or latest available) from Peter
Dowson’s site at http://www.schiratti.com/dowson.html and put
the FSUIPC.DLL in the MSFS\Modules folder. There are many
other features available at this site as well as a number of other files
in the FSUIPC download – including documentation. All of these
can spruce up your MSFS experience, but all you really need is to
copy the FSUIPC.DLL file into the MSFS \Modules folder.

THE YELLOW AREAS SHOW WHERE HIGH RESOLUTION IS AVAILABLE. MYFSGOOGLEEARTH SETUP SCREEN
COMPARE THE U.S.A WITH AUSTRALIA

6. Run MyFsGoogleEarth.exe and set Server IP: to “127.0.0.1”. The

Feel free to use anything from GoogleEarth for your own purposes,
default Server Port is 30080. Leave that alone. The other values
but remember that all of the images are protected by copyright.
can later be adjusted while flying and you can read about their
Computer Pilot has received special permission to reproduce the
functions in Jürgen’s documentation.
screenshots in this article.
7. Start MSFS 2004 and create or select any flight. As soon as the
MyFsGoogleEarth aircraft is ready for takeoff, pause the sim and switch to your
Jürgen Haible has created MyFsGoogleEarth, a small webserver
desktop by pushing either START key on your keyboard.
that links MSFS 2004 with GoogleEarth. It is rather like a plugin in
X-Plane. You can see the current position of your aircraft and of the
surrounding AI traffic superimposed upon the GoogleEarth satellite
photo representation of the world to any scale and orientation.
Here are the steps you need to download the free product and get
it running. Haible explains all of this on his website, but I’ll try to
condense it for you here. The discussion will cover the initial setup
of the system on a single computer, but you can read about using
multiple machines and troubleshooting on Haible’s website. There are
quite a few steps to get started, but it is well worth the effort.

Installation THE START KEYS ON THE KEYBOARD

1. If you have not done so already, install GoogleEarth from
http://earth.google.com/
2. Go to http://www.elbiah.de/flusi/ from which you can download
MyFsTools-1-4.zip, MyFsGoogleEarth-1-0-1.zip, and the
documentation for both. There are other MSFS enhancing
downloads there as well.
3. Unzip MyFsTools-1-4.zip into the Modules folder of MSFS.
4. Unzip MyFsGoogleEarth-1-0-1.zip to C:/Program Files
8. Run MyFsGoogleEarth.exe again and press the “Start” button in
the upper right corner so it can serve the requests coming from
Google Earth.
9. What you are going to do next is run GoogleEarth.exe and
create a “tree” of folders and “Network Links” that connect
MyFsGoogleEarth, GoogleEarth, and MSFS 2004. GoogleEarth
thinks these are places you want to visit, but in fact they form the
interface with the three programs. The tree is going to look like this:

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 To create the trunk folder,

1. Highlight My Places to show where the trunk will be attached.

2. At the top of the window click Add.
3. On the dropdown list select Folder.
4. Type in the name “MyFsGoogleEarth”.
5. Click on OK.

Now you can use a similar technique to add all the limbs to the
tree. For the new folders highlight the trunk you have just added -
MyFsGoogleEarth. Then click Add, select Folder, type in the name
THE FOLDER TREE of the folder and click on OK.

Each folder is accompanied by a Network Link. The order on the

tree is not important, nor are the names as long as the folders are
paired with the links. For instance, you could use MAP instead of
Mark Aircraft Position.

SETTING UP A NETWORK LINK

To add the Network Links, highlight MyFsGoogleEarth, click on

ADDING THE TRUNK OF THE TREE
Add, select Network Link and enter the name which should match
the name of the accompanying folder. In the Location field of the
window that comes up enter “http://127.0.0.1:30080/xxx.kml”
where xxx is a brief name that corresponds to the folder name – e.g.
“map”, “mat”, or “fap”. Check Refresh Parameters and on the
When line choose Periodically and 2 secs. The “2 secs” indicates that
GoogleEarth will update your position every two seconds. When you
set up the Network Link for Follow Aircraft Position (and for that
one only) be sure to check Fly to View on Refresh.

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 Now let’s go flying!
To get started complete the following steps in the order listed:
1. Run MyFsGoogleEarth and click on the Start button in the window
that opens.
2. Run MSFS 2004 and set up a flight ready to takeoff.
3. Run GoogleEarth.
4. Click on My Places to turn on the links.
5. Go back to MSFS to fly.
Using full screen displays of each program you can switch back
and forth from MSFS to GoogleEarth by using either Start key on
your keyboard.
The default airport when starting MSFS 2004 is KSEA, Seattle-
Tacoma, Washington – not by chance the closest large field to
Microsoft headquarters. In order to get places fast and check out nice
scenery I chose the Lear 45 and headed for nearby 14,410-foot Mt.
Rainier. In the figure notice:
A. The position of your plane.
B. Where it will be in one minute if you continue without
manipulating the controls.
C. Turning on the Terrain Layer activates the elevation database so
that the world will not look flat.
D. The compass rose has turned with the view indicating that the
plane is traveling in a southeasterly direction.
E. The “Eye elevation” for this picture is 35,826 feet which is
controlled by the zoom level.
F. You can turn off the AI traffic display in GoogleEarth by un-
checking the Network Link you created.

DESKTOP SHOWING BOTH GOOGLEEARTH AND FS2004 OVER “LOGO

(LAKE) COMO” IN THE ITALIAN ALPS

APPROACHING MT. RAINIER IN FS2004
If you reduce the size of both windows you can watch your plane
in GoogleEarth and MSFS 2004 simultaneously. The simulator and
MyFsGoogleEarth will allow you to control for a while and then they
take over. If you try to zoom, tilt, or rotate using the GoogleEarth
tools, that will work to a certain extent and for a short time, but then
Haible’s program takes over and slowly returns to the view it prefers.
In this mode of operation you can switch programs just by clicking
anywhere on either window, but every time you leave the simulator it
still pauses automatically.

More Options
MyFsTools has more than just the bare-bones program interfacing.
While the simulator is running you can select from the menu bar
at the top of the screen a new entry, “Modules”. Under Modules /
MyFsTools there are several options which I will describe briefly. Full
documentation comes with the MyFsTools download.

• Map shows a moving map of known locations around the aircraft.

• Tower allows you to save and select your preferred tower view
positions. You can also activate an automatic mode so that the
nearest tower is selected automatically while flying.
• Start can be used to start additional tools and to open documents
THE SAME SITUATION ON GOOGLEEARTH directly from within Flight Simulator.

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 • Locator lists nearby airports, cities, mountains and lakes and
guides you to a wanted place. Locations of interest can be opened
in small “Guide” windows in which ILS-like views are shown
for selected airports. Additional databases can be downloaded
for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, France,
Monaco, Andorra, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Iceland,
Arizona, New York, and Washington D.C., but you can create more
“.geo” databases yourself easily from freely available geographic
data file data from The “National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
(NGS)” for all countries of the world except the United States from
http://earth-nfo.nga.mil/gns/html/cntry_files.html
The “U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)” provides the data for the
U.S. at http://geonames.usgs.gov/stategaz/index.html
Documentation and a conversion program are included with
MyFsTools.

Now you are free to travel!

When my simulator friends see this setup they run right home and
put the programs on their own computers. There is an old saying
in the United States: “Join the Navy and see the World”. Now you
don’t need to join the Navy – just set yourself up on the wonderful
combination of MSFS 2004, GoogleEarth, and MyFsGoogleEarth and
fly to the wonders of the world.

A GOOGLEEARTH TRIP TO CAIRO,

THE GIZA PYRAMIDS, AND THE SPHINX

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 FLIGHTINSTRUCTOR
STEEP TURNS
Skill Level: All Levels Instructor... Ben Ippolito
M
ost new pilots or simulation enthusiasts
are often under the impression that steep
turns are the domain of the military fast jet
and aerobatic pilots. However, they are only partially
correct. While these pilots are the only ones that will
routinely conduct steep turns, the theory and execution
of steep turns is taught to all pilots as part of their
initial training, and hence, we will learn about these
maneuvers in this month’s lesson. Let’s get cracking!
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cpm101.indd 72
Defining a steep turn
First of all we must define a steep turn. A task that is not as easy
as it seems because there are three maneuvers that are all very
similar, yet very different. A steep turn is defined as a turn where
the angle of bank is in excess of 30 degrees. Usually, these turns
are conducted at 45 or 60 degrees of bank. Of course, in the advent
of combat maneuvers or advanced aerobatics, there are times when
the angle of bank is more than 60 degrees; 90 degrees or more can
be used! For most general aviation training aircraft however, the
angle of bank is limited to 45 degrees because of the performance
constraints of these aircraft.
CPM. V10I1
1/23/2006, 9:05:34 AM
 FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR
In addition, and for the most part, it is assumed that these turns will
be conducted in a level attitude, although they can also be conducted
in a descent, and this is where the confusion in maneuvers exists.
While the steep descending turn and the spin can have similar flight
paths, they are fundamentally different maneuvers, which will be
explained later.

Why teach everybody?

The next question to answer is one contemplated by most nervous
students. Let’s face it, most normal people are simply not comfortable
with an aircraft (a light aircraft at that) banked at 45 degrees and
gravity exerting itself at nearly 1.5 times its normal force. Others,
myself included, quite enjoy it. I must be doubly mad because I also
enjoy spinning too! The reason that we do teach everybody is that
aeroplanes have to fly through the atmosphere, and given that we
can’t predict what is likely to happen in turbulence, we must teach
everybody how to safely execute and recover from steep turns, steep
descending turns, and spins.
THIS CAN BE A VERY STRESSING SITUATION FOR A VFR PILOT WHEN
YOU ARE OVER 8/8THS OF CLOUD! TIME TO START LOOKING FOR A
WAY DOWN… FAST!

I FOUND A HOLE IN THE CLOUD, BUT IT’S TOO SMALL TO CONDUCT

A NORMAL DESCENT. IT’S TIME TO CONFIGURE FOR A STEEP
DESCENDING TURN TO DROP DOWN THE HOLE AND RESUME VFR
FLIGHT UNDERNEATH.

THE STEEP TURN SITUATION THAT MOST PILOTS FIRST VISUALIZE,

HOWEVER, THE ‘FALCON TURN’ WHICH IS SUCH A CROWD PLEASER
WHEN THE F16 PERFORMS AT AN AIR SHOW IS A LITTLE BEYOND THE
PERFORMANCE CAPABILITIES OF THE AVERAGE LIGHT
TRAINING AIRCRAFT!

There are also more ‘normal’ uses for a steep turn (outside of
the aerobatic and military uses that is). While one of the more
severe uses is in collision avoidance, there is also the issue
of weather avoidance and for those that get distracted by the
scenery – avoidance of restricted and controlled airspace areas
(although hopefully this is only in the online environment). A steep
descending turn is very useful when you are VFR and becoming
surrounded by clouds below and you sight a hole and need to stay
in the hole to remain in VMC. Of course we are all fantastic virtual
WHILE IT WON’T BE OVERLY COMFORTABLE, THE STEEP DESCENDING
pilots and would never have to descend in a cloud hole, or steep turn TURN ENSURES THAT WE STAY IN THE HOLE IN THE CLOUD, AND
to avoid traffic or airspace, right? REMAIN IN VMC, THUS FLYING LEGALLY.

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RESUMING CRUISING FLIGHT UNDER THE CLOUD BASE. IT WILL MOST
LIKELY BE ROUGHER DOWN HERE AND IN THIS SITUATION IT’S ALSO
RAINING. BUT IT’S A MASSIVE RELIEF FOR THE PILOT TO BE DOWN
HERE AND BUMPED AROUND A BIT RATHER THAN UP THERE IN THE
SMOOTH AIR WITH NOTHING BUT CLOUD AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE.
Some turning revision
First off it’s best that we revisit the basics of turning an aircraft.
Remember that, unlike a car, we cannot turn the aircraft via the
“rudder” alone. Well that is not technically correct, you can make
‘rudder turns’ but they are awfully inefficient and exhibit frightfully
bad airmanship! What we do is bank the aircraft, the balance of the
forces of the aircraft completes the turning for us. This is because
the lift force of the aircraft remains perpendicular to the wings of
the aircraft. Thus when the aircraft banks the lift force is inclined
into the direction of the turn. However, the weight force of the
aircraft remains pointing straight down (to the center of the earth).
This presents an unusual problem in turning aircraft, the inclined
lift vectors now no longer strong enough to support the weight of
the aircraft. So in any turn we find that we must increase the back
pressure on the stick to remain level. This increase in back pressure
increases the angle of attack that the aircraft is flying at and thus the
lift created by this wings.
EXTRA LIFT
REQUIRED
THE LIFT VECTOR IS TILTED IN A TURN, SO MORE BACK-PRESSURE
(ANGLE OF ATTACK) IS REQUIRED TO GENERATE ENOUGH LIFT TO
SUPPORT THE AIRCRAFT AND ENSURE LEVEL FLIGHT.
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cpm101.indd 74
This brings us to one of the major problems in performing a steep
turn. There is considerable back pressure to be held in a steep turn, so
there is a considerable angle of attack to be flown. This is a problem
because the stalling characteristics of the aircraft are related to the angle
of attack of the aircraft, not the airspeed at which it is flown. Thus, as
the angle of bank is increased, the aircraft comes closer to the stall.
Considerations
First and foremost the prime consideration (after other air traffic,
see below) is your angle of attack. Because most light aircraft lack
an angle of attack meter, we are forced to rely on common sense and
airspeed relationships. Before we go any further I must stress that an
aircraft will stall at a certain ANGLE OF ATTACK (AoA), not an
airspeed. It’s a sobering reminder when you yank the stick with a little
too much enthusiasm to cop a rebuke from the stall warning system,
even though the airspeed is near normal cruising value.
Now, this is where we must be careful because we are conducting
a turn, so we know we must increase back-pressure, thus we are
increasing angle of attack. However, because this is a steep turn we
must use even more back pressure, and so we are now flying at an
even higher angle of attack. For example, say that the cruising AoA
value for the aircraft is 4 degrees, with a stalling value of 16 degrees.
In a normal 30 degree banked turn we have to increase that to say
8-9 degrees, but in a steep turn we need to increase this further to
something like 12-14 degrees! Result? Even though we are still around
cruising speed (assuming we lose some speed in the turn, usually
less than 5kt) we are now VERY close to the stall. All you need is an
unexpected thermal to really make your day interesting.
Now, this all ties into something known as load factor, which is
related to the lift generated by the wing of the aircraft. It is more
commonly known as ‘g’ force, something thought to be the domain
of military fighter and aerobatic pilots, certainly not something to be
experienced by normal pilots and passengers for that matter. However,
you would be very wrong in that regard. Load factor is increased as
angle of attack is increased in a turn, therefore, as the aircraft must
increase the lift to make up for the shortfall, we can also change the way
we resolve the forces to say (in effect) that the aircraft experiences an
apparent increase in weight. I say apparent because we know of course
the weight of the aircraft is not really changing, save for fuel burn off.
5
10° 20° 30° 40° 50° 60° 70° 80°
A SIMPLE REPRESENTATION OF THE LOAD FACTOR GENERATED IN
LEVEL FLIGHT AT VARIOUS ANGLES OF BANK. NOTE THAT AN AIRCRAFT
CANNOT BE IN A LEVEL TURN AT EXACTLY 90 DEGREES BANK, LIKE THE
F16 IN THE FALCON TURN, BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING TO SUPPORT
THE WEIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT. IN REALITY HOWEVER, THE ANGLE IS
RARELY EXACTLY 90 DEGREES AND THE THRUST AND INERTIA OF THE
AIRCRAFT ALSO HELPS OUT.
CPM. V10I1
1/23/2006, 9:05:47 AM
 FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR
This can be demonstrated in an aircraft (any aircraft) during a
turn. Ever noticed in an airliner that the water in your glass remains
level even though the aircraft may be turning? That’s the ‘g’ force
that is keeping it in place. So even if the turn is extremely steep, the
centripetal force generated ensures that the water remains in the glass.
If you don’t keep at least 1g then you will get wet!

The next thing to consider is the traffic around you, assuming a

training situation. A steep turn is extremely tight. In fact is it possible
to hit your own wake if you do a good enough job! This rapid turn
means that an aircraft that is following you or aiming to pass behind
you can get a nasty shock when you are virtually in the same spot
when they look at you again. This is why we do a complete lookout
turn (a normal turn) before we start a steep turn, because not only is
our turn rate very rapid, but also it is very hard to maintain a normal
lookout during a steep turn. During the turn the roof of the aircraft RUDDER
obscures the view in the direction of the turn.
ROTATION STOPS

RECOVERY

SPIN
AIRSPEED ALLOWED TO
DELAY / OR TOO MUCH
BACKPRESSURE

• AIRSPEED LOW/DECR.
• STALL WARNING
• MAYBE BUFFET
• NOSE ANGLE MAY NORMAL
STILL BE STEEP WINGS LEVEL
STEEP DESCENDING
• RAPID RATE TO TURN
TURN

• AIRSPEED AND
RATE OF TURN
STABLE RECOVERY
THE TRUSTY PIPER CUB IN A STEEP TURN. IT’S BEST THAT YOU ENSURE
THE AREA AROUND YOU IS CLEAR OF OTHER AIRCRAFT, BECAUSE
YOU’LL BE TURNING AROUND IN A MIGHTY GREAT HURRY! YOU SPIRAL DIVE
DON’T WANT TO BE NOSE TO NOSE WITH AN AIRCRAFT THAT WAS NOT ENOUGH
PREVIOUSLY FOLLOWING YOU. BACKPRESSURE

The other major consideration is drag. As we discussed earlier the
lift that the wing generates must be increased to ensure that the weight
of the aircraft is supported during the turn. However, there is a penalty
from that extra lift. Remember how there are two types of drag? Well,
as the lift force is increased so is the induced drag. Thus we have a large
increase in drag in proportion to the large increase in lift that we need.
Result… we will also need to increase our thrust to compensate for this
increase in drag. We only need this extra power while the extra lift is
being generated, so the power will need to be adjusted while we enter
and exit from the turn. For a light aircraft we will increase the power
to climb levels when we pass 30 degrees while entering the turn, then
returning to cruise power passing 30 degrees coming out of the turn.
The correct type of turning motion
I mentioned earlier that the turning motion of several maneuvers
can be confused for a steep turn. Since the level steep turn is relatively
straight forward, we must look at the descending turn. The confusion
lies in the fact that a steep descending turn can carve a similar path to
a spiral dive or a spin. However, that is where the similarity ends and
the recovery actions to take for each are vastly different. So different
that using the wrong one could mean you bend the aircraft and quite
possibly have an involuntary inspection of the dirt that was formerly
below you!
• AIRSPEED HIGH/INCR.
• OVERSPEED MAY
SOUND
• MAY BE LOW RATE OF
TURN
A SIMPLE REPRESENTATION OF THE FLIGHT PATHS OF THE
VARIOUS MANEUVERS. NOTICE THAT ALL ARE TURNING AND
DESCENDING, BUT AT DIFFERENT RATES AND SPEEDS. ALSO NOTE
THE TIME TAKEN FOR RECOVERY IN THE SPIN AND SPIRAL. THE
FACT IS, IN THE ONGOING BATTLE BETWEEN AIRCRAFT GOING
HUNDREDS OF MILES AN HOUR AND THE GROUND GOING ZERO
MILES AN HOUR, THE GROUND HAS YET TO LOSE. THE BASIC
CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH MANEUVER ARE ALSO LISTED.
A steep descending turn is normally what we are trying to achieve
when it becomes something else! This is a controlled flight maneuver
so we expect all parameters to be stable in the flight path, excepting
the altitude of course. Therefore, during a steep descending turn,
although the altimeter is unwinding at a great rate of knots, we have
a stable rate of turn and airspeed. That’s right, the airspeed will be
stable because in a steep descending turn we don’t increase the power,
we reduce it! Therefore all that increased drag we talked about earlier
is now preventing the airspeed increasing… a good thing since we
want a very steep descent. This is the GA version of putting out the
speed brakes!

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THE CUB NOW DEMONSTRATES A STEEP DESCENDING TURN. NOTICE
THAT THE ATTITUDE OF THE AIRCRAFT IS VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL TO
THAT OF THE STEEP TURN. NOTE THAT TO GET OUT OF STEEP
DESCENDING TURNS WE MUST FIRST ROLL THE WINGS LEVEL.
Now, if we don’t have enough induced drag the airspeed will start
to increase. The steep descending turn now becomes a spiral dive. In
the spiral, unlike the steep descending turn, the parameters are not
stable. The airspeed is increasing… FAST, so we have to take action,
lest we rocket past the red line and start bending things. First of all
we have to reduce any power we have still on while simultaneously
rolling the wings level. However, while we have to be brisk in our
actions, we must also be careful as the airspeed may already be inside
of the yellow arc, or fast approaching it, meaning that full control
deflection is out. So be gentle, but still be fast, then all that remains
is to ease the aircraft out of the resulting dive. Once that is done and
the aircraft is level again, and the airspeed reducing to normal levels,
we can attempt the steep descending turn again or return to normal
straight and level flight.
THE SPIRAL DIVE. NOTICE THE NOSE ATTITUDE IS NOW LOWER THAN
IN THE REGULAR STEEP DESCENDING TURN, WHICH IS WHAT IS
ALLOWING THE AIRSPEED TO BUILD UP. GET THE WINGS LEVEL AND
CHECK THAT AIRSPEED AND TRY IT AGAIN.
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cpm101.indd 76
The last option is a spin. This is the opposite of the spiral dive.
Whilst a similar flight path is flown, the spin is actually a function of
stalled flight. Yup, the wings are stalled, however, unlike the normal
straight and steady stall, in a spin one wing has stalled before the
other, putting the aircraft into a turning motion. But the wings are
still stalled, so we are losing altitude! Now you can see why we have
to use a different recovery procedure for this situation. If we were to
try to roll the wings level we would only be aggravating the spin and
making it worse. This is because, when the wings are at or near the
stall, use of the aileron can have the opposite effect! So what we need
to do in this case is firstly to stop the rotation. Because we can’t use
the ailerons we use full opposite rudder. We must also release the back
pressure on the control column to enable the aircraft to be un-stalled, a
position just forward of neutral is normally best. Once the rotation has
stopped we can neutralize the rudder and concentrate on un-stalling
the wings. Once this is achieved, all that is left is to pull out of the
resultant dive. All part of a days work… for a flight instructor!
NOW WE ARE HAVING FUN! WHILE THE CUB HAS A VERY SERIOUS
ANGLE OF BANK AND IS POINTING RIGHT FOR THE GROUND, THE
AIRSPEED IS WAY TOO LOW. FIRSTLY WE HAVE TO STOP THE ROTATION
WITH THE RUDDER AND RETURN THE STICK TO NEUTRAL, THEN ONCE
WE HAVE SOME AIRSPEED, GET OUT OF THE DIVE AND RECOVER TO
STRAIGHT AND LEVEL FLIGHT. THIS IS WHY YOUR INSTRUCTOR IS SO
PEDANTIC ABOUT WATCHING THE SLIP BALL WHEN YOU ARE DOING
STALLS, BECAUSE TO INDUCE A SPIN ALL WE DO IS BOOT IN FULL
RUDDER RIGHT AT THE STALL. WE KEEP THE CONTROLS FULLY
DEFLECTED RUDDER (OVER AND STICK RIGHT BACK) UNTIL WE START
THE RECOVERY. THIS KEEPS THE SPIN STEEP, PREVENTING IT FROM
FLATTENING OUT.
Note: When we are inducing spins deliberately we keep them steep
on purpose. Flat spins are notoriously hard to get out of, especially
more so if you don’t have a high performance aircraft like aerobatic
pilots do. Even ‘Maverick’ and ‘Goose’ (Top Gun movie) couldn’t get
out of a flat spin.
Respect your tools
Now, before we finish, we need to cover just a few minor points.
Firstly, you need to be aware of the limitations of the aircraft. This
means that, not only do you need to know the high speed limits like the
Vmo, Vno, Vne, Mmo, but also the low speed ones so you know when
to expect the stall. As far as the stall is concerned, it’s usually a case of
judgement in the case of the steep turn, as the ‘normal’ stall speed won’t
be valid in this case. If you happen to be flying something a little more
advanced then maybe the angle of attack sensing system will give you
more information and warning of your approach to dangerous territory.
CPM. V10I1
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 FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR

EXCEED POS. ‘G’ LIMIT

STALL
LOAD

NO ABRUPT CONTROL
FACTOR

CAUTION AREA

EXCEED MAX AIRSPEED

MOVEMENTS
NORMAL
FLIGHT
1G ENVELOPE
0
-1

EXCEED NEG. ‘G’ LIMIT

STALL

STALL MANEUVERING VNO VNE

SPEED SPEED (VA)
NORMAL NEVER
CLEAN AIRSPEED OPERATION EXCEED
(VS1)
LIMIT (RED LINE)

YELLOW ARC
THIS DIAGRAM REPRESENTS THE NORMAL FLIGHT ENVELOPE OF A
(ON LIGHT AIRCRAFT)
LIGHT AIRCRAFT. NOTICE THAT DOWN THE LOW SPEED END WE CAN’T
BEND THE AIRCRAFT BECAUSE THE AERODYNAMICS WILL PREVENT US
FROM DOING SO. THE AIRCRAFT WILL STALL BEFORE WE APPROACH
THE ‘G’ LIMITS OF THE AIRFRAME. HOWEVER, AT HIGHER SPEEDS, LIKE
IN THE RECOVERIES FROM THE SPIRAL DIVE AND THE SPIN, WE MUST
BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVER STRESS THE AIRFRAME. NOT ONLY CAN THIS
LEAD TO EXPENSIVE REPAIRS, BUT IT COULD SEVERELY SHORTEN YOUR
LIFE SPAN!

While we are talking about high speed aircraft, if you are lucky
enough to be flying something like a jet fighter, then you have to
be more aware… of the ‘g’ limits of the aircraft that is. In most of
these speed demon machines there are ‘g’ limiters that will kick
in, however, unlike a more sedate transport, in a fast jet you would
normally be wearing a ‘g’ suit. This not only makes you more
resistant to ‘g’ forces, but it allows you to get closer to the ‘g’ limits
of the aircraft. While the average light aircraft is only certified for
very sedate ‘g’ levels of around +4g and -1.5g, the average human
can only withstand +4g’s. This means that you will be feeling very
uncomfortable by the time you are approaching the limits of the
aircraft. This is a good thing as unless you are an aerobatic pilot you
won’t be used to these ‘g’ levels and will back off automatically.
The last thing that you have to consider when you are conducting
a steep turn, and especially when conducting a steep descending
turn, is the surrounding terrain. Of course this is important especially
when we are practicing because we don’t want to get into strife while
we are too low. As a minimum we normally conduct steep turns at
or above 3000ft, at least until the student is confident, as this will
provide enough altitude for the instructor to take over and recover if
necessary.
So now you understand more about the steep turn and how to
execute and recover from one. You also know about some of the traps,
and how to recover from them if you happen to inadvertently enter
them. Have fun practicing those steep turns…

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

Depression

‘M
ental Depression’ can be bad news for
a pilot, who should then avoid flying.
A crewmember experiencing mental
depression is also bad news for the rest of the crew,
and for the passengers, especially if a pilot is seriously
depressed, disheartened, or in low-spirits. This can
result in bad decisions, or worse. Mental depression
is a ‘Human Factor’ which can affect flight safety
negatively. Mental depression, however, is not the sort
of depression we are going to discuss today. Today,
we will discuss tropical disturbances, and why you
should avoid them during a flight. A DEPRESSED PILOT IS BAD NEWS

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 GROUND SCHOOL
Weather, like people, also has highs and lows. Today we
will discuss “Meteorological Depression”, especially when the TROPO PAUSE
atmospheric conditions include very low atmospheric air-pressure
over warm tropical seas (e.g. near the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, the DIVERGENCE DIVERGENCE
Gulf of Texas, Florida, and also along the South-West Pacific Coast ABOUT 15KM MSL
near Southern California, and Central America). These warm and
moist atmospheric conditions may encourage a hurricane to develop,
which can be very bad news for the whole area and can affect
buildings, people, rivers, ships, trucks and, of course, aviation! In ABOUT 10KM MSL
the coming years, unfortunately, the development of more and more EYE
hurricanes (and other tropical-revolving-storms) may be realized as a
result of global warming.

ABOUT 5KM MSL

EYE

EYE
OF THE LOWER LEVELS
STORM
CONVERGENCE CONVERGENCE
GROUND GROUND

CONVERGENCE OF AIR INTO A LOW-AIR-PRESSURE-AREA AT LOWER-

LEVELS; THEN AIR CLIMBS AND COOLS TO FORM CLOUDS; AND
THEN DIVERGENCE AT UPPER-LEVELS ALLOWS THE AIR TO FLOW OUT
ALLOWING MORE AIR TO CONVERGE IN AT THE LOWER-LEVELS

Isobars on a Weather Chart

HURRICANE ‘KATRINA’ AS SEEN FROM A SATELLITE
IMAGE: NASA
In these areas over warm tropical seas, with sea-temperatures more
than 25 degrees Celsius, a tropical depression may form. Depending
on the actual meteorological conditions the tropical-depression could
develop into a Tropical Revolving Storm (TRS) - like a hurricane,
cyclone, or typhoon (they are called different names in various parts
of the world). Hurricanes normally develop in late Summer or early
Fall (i.e. Autumn) near warm oceans, like in the Caribbean.
Standard sea-level pressure is stated as 1013 millibars, but the
actual sea-level air-pressure at any location varies up and down on a
daily basis. This is shown on weather charts as isobars. An ‘isobar’ is
defined as a line drawn on a weather chart to connect nearby points
on the Earth’s surface which have equal barometric air-pressure. A
weather chart normally shows a number of concentric isobars, each
isobar connecting places with the same air-pressure (e.g. 1002mb),
and the next isobar connecting places having a different pressure
(e.g.1004mb). The nearer the isobars are together, the stronger the
wind created by the pressure-gradient between them.
1000

Hurricanes take their energy from the moisture in the warm

air (i.e. carrying gaseous water-vapor taken from the warm
mb

oceans). After the winds have converged into the depression the
warm air climbs to higher altitudes to make more room for the HIGH
102 LOW
following surface-airstreams to converge into the depression. As 0m
the air climbs, it cools, and its gaseous water-vapor experiences b
980mb
condensation to change its state from gaseous water vapor to liquid
water droplets to form clouds, and this condensation gives off a lot
of latent heat. This heat energy is absorbed into the surrounding air
and these high-energy clouds rise further and further. The clouds
get higher and higher. At high levels in the atmosphere (e.g. at the
tropopause), the vertical airstreams stop climbing, and this now
higher-pressure area at this higher altitude forces the airstreams to
diverge, i.e. flow out horizontally in many directions. This is called
‘divergence’, i.e. outflow. ISOBARS ON A WEATHER CHART

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 Wind
An area having lower air-pressure at sea level (i.e. a “Low”)
sucks air in horizontally from areas where air-pressure is higher. In
meteorological terms, the different air-pressures between two areas
are known as the pressure-gradient-force. It is a pressure-gradient
which starts the movement of air parcels – the stronger the pressure-
gradient, the stronger the force to start the movement of the air
parcel. This horizontal movement of the air at a particular level in the
atmosphere is known as a “wind”.
LOW
AIR PRESSURE
The Formation of a Hurricane
A hurricane may be developed by a depression with a central low
air-pressure at sea-level of about 950 millibars (and, in exceptional
cases, the sea-level pressure may fall to below 900 millibars). The
converging inflowing air near the Earth’s surface will spiral in towards
the eye of the storm at speeds up to 200 knots, but the movement of
the whole hurricane system may be very slow, maybe only 10 miles
per hour.
The eye of a hurricane is normally a fairly small circular area at the
center of a well-developed tropical cyclone, and may have a diameter
of only 10-100 miles. The EYE of the hurricane may extend up from
the surface to high altitudes (maybe up to the Tropopause). The eye
may be clear of cloud, with only light winds, or even calm and without
turbulence. The boundary of the hurricane’s EYE, at the edge of its
clear air, is marked by a circle of very high cloud walls.

SURFACE WINDS
PRESSURE-GRADIENT-FORCE

HIGH
AIR PRESSURE

CLOUDS

AIRSTREAM IS STARTED BY THE PRESSURE-GRADIENT-FORCE

As well at the pressure-gradient-force, there is a second effect in

SURFACE WINDS
the movement of air-parcels as a wind. It is known as the Coriolis
Effect, which is caused by the rotation of the Earth. We will discuss
the Coriolis Effect in a later article. CLOUDS

Convergence to a Low-Pressure Area STRUCTURE OF A HURRICANE SEEN FROM ABOVE

Horizontal winds flowing in horizontally from different directions
towards the depression’s center is known as ‘convergence’. Then, TROPO PAUSE
the convergent airstreams are pushed up to higher altitudes causing
the air to be cooled, the water vapor to change state to water OUTFLOW REGION
droplets, and clouds to form. Rain may fall and perhaps even
DIVERGENCE DIVERGENCE
(OUTFLOW) (OUTFLOW)

CUMULUS CLOUD
(CONVECTION) MIDDLE LEVELS

LOWER LEVELS
RISING AIR
INFLOW REGION (CONVECTION) INFLOW REGION
WATER VAPOR CONVERGENCE CONVERGENCE
CONVERGENCE CONVERGENCE LOW AIR PRESSURE
(INFLOW) (INFLOW)
GROUND GROUND

CONVERGING AIR AT THE SURFACE CAN CAUSE CLOUD THREE-DIMENSIONAL AIRFLOW NEAR A ‘LOW’

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 GROUND SCHOOL
Except for the relatively clear and calm conditions in the eye,
flying conditions in a hurricane are hazardous, especially in any of the
numerous thunderstorms in the hurricane. Turbulence may be severe;
icing at medium levels may be severe; winds at lower levels may be
very strong and destructive; cloud-base may be 1000 ft above the
Earth’s surface, but visibility below the cloud base may be very poor
due to driving-rain, or due to heavy spray flown by strong winds from
huge waves on the sea.

NEAR THE EYE OF HURRICANE ‘KATRINA’

Flying Near a Hurricane is Dangerous!

A whole hurricane system may end up with a diameter of 400 miles
or more. Aviation operations during ‘KATRINA’, and during other
hurricanes this year (which has been a bad year for hurricanes) had to
be stopped at many places - like Cancun Airport, Mexico; Montego
Bay, Jamaica; New Orleans Airport and Tampa Airport in the United
States, etc. A hurricane may affect a wide area for a week or more
(with violent winds and heavy rain) because the whole system moves
only slowly (even though the spiralling winds are very strong).

SEVERE TURBULENCE; SEVERE ICING; STRONG WINDS;

DRIVING RAIN; SEA SPRAY; POOR VISIBILITY

Turbulence
Turbulence is caused by very disturbed air in the atmosphere (i.e.
not a smooth airflow), and the disturbed airflow can change its velocity
and direction very quickly or even reverse its direction. Vertical Gust
may change from up to down, especially in thunderstorms, usually
causing at least medium turbulence. There is almost always at least
some turbulence in the atmosphere, even on a good day, with slight
turbulence causing just a bumpy ride. In severe turbulence, however,
the aircraft may be out of control for periods of time. Naturally, you
should avoid severe turbulence at all times!

Icing
‘Ice’ is the solid state of water and is formed if the temperature of
liquid water is cooled to zero degrees Celsius or lower (or 32 degrees
Fahrenheit or lower). Ice forming on the wings can destroy lift,
disturbs other aerodynamic surfaces, and so can destroy the aircraft’s
performance and therefore should be avoided – whether it is clear ice,
rime ice, or glaze ice. Ice also adds weight. Aircraft can be de-iced by
ground engineers before flight and some modern aircraft have ‘anti-ice’
equipment and ‘de-icing’ equipment in the aircraft. “De-Icing” means
‘removing ice which has already formed on the aircraft’ whereas “Anti-
Icing” means ‘preventing the formation of ice’.

Visibility
‘Visibility’ is the ability of a pilot see and identify prominent unlighted
objects by day, and prominent lighted objects by night. In aviation terms
visibility is reported in statute miles, hundreds of feet, or meters.

Tornado
A tornado, sometimes known as a ‘twister’, is a small-scale
meteorological phenomenon, but can be very destructive! A tornado is
NEW ORLEANS AIRPORT a violently rotating column of air which is hanging down, as a funnel-

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 shaped cloud, below a big cumulo-nimbus cloud. This can happen
within a hurricane. Some parts of the mid-USA are known as ‘tornado
alley’ because of the high rate of tornados that occur in this alley of
U.S. land space.

A TORNADO ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE ‘KATRINA’

Other Tropical Revolving Storms (TRSs)

Tropical revolving storms are formed in tropical depressions (i.e. an
area with a moist atmosphere and very low air-pressure). TRSs can be
violent and destructive, and are known by different names in different
parts of the world.

A tropical revolving storm near the Caribbean and America is

called a hurricane.
A tropical revolving storm near the China Sea is called a typhoon.
A tropical revolving storm near Australia is called a cyclone.

HURRICANES

TYPHOONS

CYCLONES

TROPICAL REVOLVING STORMS AROUND THE WORLD

Conclusions
It is ‘good airmanship’ to both understand and avoid hurricanes
and other tropical revolving storms. The term ‘Airmanship’ means
‘operating an aircraft safely, by providing good leadership to the
crew, and exercising good judgement’. This applies to all aspects of
aviation, and your aim should be to exercise good airmanship at all
times, especially if a hurricane exists within hundreds of miles of
your position.

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 GROUND SCHOOL

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