| If you want to become a pilot then, of course, a flight | | | | home on their computers. Early versions were a bit |
| simulator is no substitute for actually getting into the | | | | slow and limited and the graphics tended to be |
| co-pilot's seat of a small light aircraft and have a | | | | somewhat simplistic. Home PC power was also an |
| professional pilot take you up. The first time you do it | | | | issue in those days. |
| and you hear the words 'You have control', it's such a | | | | Realism |
| rush that it's difficult to describe. And you'll want to do it | | | | Not any more. New open source programming |
| again and again. | | | | methods mean that the latest generation of flight |
| Training is expensive | | | | simulators are fast, realistic and highly detailed without |
| But let's be realistic here. Pilot training costs a lot of | | | | putting undue stress on computer resources. The |
| money and, unless we're going to put all our financial | | | | ability to combine technologies, such as incorporating |
| resources into it, then it's not the sort of thing you can | | | | landscape imagery from Google maps is a huge step |
| do every day. But you can get a realistic flying | | | | forward. |
| experience from some of the flight simulators now | | | | Realism |
| available. And no wonder, they were originally designed | | | | Flight simulators like this are now available for a very |
| to assist pilots learn the controls and behavior of new | | | | modest price. They emulate the 'feel' of each aircraft |
| aircraft as they became available. | | | | type through inbuilt lags and response times |
| Early versions | | | | appropriate to each. It would be difficult to get a more |
| The early versions were designed purely for | | | | realistic flying experience. Furthermore they can give |
| professional use and cost many thousands of dollars. | | | | you tons of valuable and realistic flying practice, both in |
| Then some bright spark realized that flying these | | | | instrumentation and navigation, while you save up for |
| simulators was such good fun that they'd made ideal | | | | your next flying lesson. |
| computer games for the would-be top guns sitting at | | | | |