Re: A few thoughts on Flight Sims

[Don Parker]

David,
Go to www.flypfc.com and take your checkbook!
I gave up on the plastic stuff several years ago. You pay, but you ENJOY
the hell out of it, and it's built to last forever (lifetime warranty)!! Or
at least until technology leaves you in the dust, I recently had to go to a
DB-15/USB converter to keep the yoke airborne.
Here's a shot of my humble virtual cockpit, which doesn't hold a candle to
some of the IMAX configurations shown lately, but it keeps me happy for
hours on end, and out of the bars & alleys at night. (:->))
www.cox-internet.com/tazman/cockpit.jpg
Primary view is Sony 19" trinitron, left secondary 15", right is old
RGB/composite monitor (left over from IBM jr.!!) that has a external tuner
for in flight movies, to the right of that is the radio stack with weather
radar (cleverly disguised as a radio spectrum display), and Cirrus PFC Jet
Yoke. After many decades as a field service engineer on medical equipment,
you'll also notice the onboard Cat Scanner <G>. I discreetly moved the
porta-bar for the photo..... A Dell XPS 3GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 1GB ram, Radeon
9800, SB Audigy, and 200GB HD is the power plant, nestled down beside the
desk. What looks like a roll of toilet paper on top are actually paper
towels for the occasional hair ball or dr- er, coffee spill.......
Cheers'n beers.
Don

"R. David Steele" > wrote in message
...
> I recently toured the Purdue University's Aviation Technology Flight
> School. They have a lab that is designed to train personnel from
> Private Pilot right through airlines. What impressed me wasn't their
> 727 simulator (from Boeing) but rather that they had mock ups of
> planes like the Cessna 172 that had real cockpits!
>
> I guess that you can purchase the equipment from catalogs. Instead of
> the second rate controllers from Best Buy, why not buy the more
> expensive controls? And a good aviation rated seat.
>
> Didn't the Smithsonian Aviation mag just have an article on folks who
> have created extremely good, and realistic, simulators?
>
> BTW, I find X-Plane more of a package for real gear heads.
>

[Don Parker]

Go to post "oh dear, someone is still using this tired old non-story" 7/24
for a through disscussion on the sim/terrorist theories (included a very
moderate reply from me). No doubt they may help polish skill levels, but
most agree it takes a lot more in the "real world".
A dedicated psycho will find a way kill and maim, regardless.......
Cheers,
Don

"R. David Steele" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 27 Jul 2003 11:46:58 -0500, "Don Parker"
> > wrote:
>
> |David,
> |Go to www.flypfc.com and take your checkbook!
> |I gave up on the plastic stuff several years ago. You pay, but you ENJOY
> |the hell out of it, and it's built to last forever (lifetime warranty)!!
Or
> |at least until technology leaves you in the dust, I recently had to go to
a
> |DB-15/USB converter to keep the yoke airborne.
> |Here's a shot of my humble virtual cockpit, which doesn't hold a candle
to
> |some of the IMAX configurations shown lately, but it keeps me happy for
> |hours on end, and out of the bars & alleys at night. (:->))
> | www.cox-internet.com/tazman/cockpit.jpg
> |Primary view is Sony 19" trinitron, left secondary 15", right is old
> |RGB/composite monitor (left over from IBM jr.!!) that has a external
tuner
> |for in flight movies, to the right of that is the radio stack with
weather
> |radar (cleverly disguised as a radio spectrum display), and Cirrus PFC
Jet
> |Yoke. After many decades as a field service engineer on medical
equipment,
> |you'll also notice the onboard Cat Scanner <G>. I discreetly moved the
> |porta-bar for the photo..... A Dell XPS 3GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 1GB ram,
Radeon
> |9800, SB Audigy, and 200GB HD is the power plant, nestled down beside the
> |desk. What looks like a roll of toilet paper on top are actually paper
> |towels for the occasional hair ball or dr- er, coffee spill.......
> |Cheers'n beers.
> |Don
>
> Why did the 9-11 terrorists even want flight training with this
> available? All they could have said was that they were into playing
> expensive games and make a good simulator!!!
>
> BTW, nice "shack" (ie radios)
>
> |> I recently toured the Purdue University's Aviation Technology Flight
> |> School. They have a lab that is designed to train personnel from
> |> Private Pilot right through airlines. What impressed me wasn't their
> |> 727 simulator (from Boeing) but rather that they had mock ups of
> |> planes like the Cessna 172 that had real cockpits!
> |>
> |> I guess that you can purchase the equipment from catalogs. Instead of
> |> the second rate controllers from Best Buy, why not buy the more
> |> expensive controls? And a good aviation rated seat.
> |>
> |> Didn't the Smithsonian Aviation mag just have an article on folks who
> |> have created extremely good, and realistic, simulators?
> |>
> |> BTW, I find X-Plane more of a package for real gear heads.
> |>
> |
>

[Don Parker]

"R. David Steele" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 27 Jul 2003 13:08:11 -0500, "Don Parker"
>
> Too a serious question, and thanks for the link. How good is
> CH-products? Or would I be better off with http://www.saitek.com
> off the shelf type products? In time I might be able to convince the
> wife to allow me to purchase off the web site you gave me.
>
David,
Can't give you any good current advise for other controllers, especially
Saitek. I've had an old ThrustMaster FCS joystick & throttle that were
great when I was in the fighter mode (sold), a old LogiTech Wingman FF
joystick that hasn't been out of the closet for maybe two years after the
novelty wore off (it's BIG, control falls over like a wet noodle if your
hand isn't on it, etc.), a old CH Virtual Pilot yoke that did pretty good
after I dismantled it and shaved down the main shaft to prevent binding, and
a newer CH Flight Yoke (looks like the ones now) that I sold within a month
because of binding, sloppy return to center, and no fix seen by minor
surgery (I tried) - it may have been improved by this time. It was at this
stage I said the hell with it, get the best, whimper a while at the cost,
but at least be satisfied!! Which I did, haven't looked back, and if this
is considered a "commercial" by some - TS!! I suppose you could call CH the
Chevy of controlers, especially yokes & pedals, because there's a ton of
them out there, and are without doubt the #1 seller. Sidewinder joysticks
seem to have the biggest fan club (did I hear a rumor MS was bailing out of
the market???).... But others will be more than happy to give you a current
status report, I'm sure!!
Cheers
Don

[Brett Holcomb]

>
> "R. David Steele" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Sun, 27 Jul 2003 13:08:11 -0500, "Don Parker"
>>
>> Too a serious question, and thanks for the link. How good is
>> CH-products? Or would I be better off with http://www.saitek.com
>> off the shelf type products? In time I might be able to convince the
>> wife to allow me to purchase off the web site you gave me.
>>

I've had both and would go with the CH which I currently use. It works
well, the USB stuff has a very good programming interface if you want to
program it. It's more powerful than the old TM F22 stuff I had. I had a
Saitek X35 combo and got rid of it after waiting over a year for them to
come out with a interface so we couild program the buttons. Maybe they
have one now.

I think CH is a good combination of value and useability.
--
Brett I. Holcomb

Microsoft MVP
AKA Grunt <><
Remove R777 to email

[Jeroen Wenting]

I haven't seen ANY CH commercials in a long time...
And even if, they don't use suggestive titles that are completely irrelevant
to the subject of the message...

If your stuff were as good value for money as you claim it to be it would
sell if the price were decent.
But not a lot of people can afford to spend ?1000 or more on a yoke and
pedals while ?300 is just within reach.
Think about that, maybe if you and your company were to introduce some
hardware at a lower price level but your vaunted quality you'd get more
customers...

"Don Parker" > wrote in message
...
> Yeah - just like CH gets a few hundred commercials everytime someone
> mentions yoke. If one reply in one group and one post in another group
> constitutes "spam", guess I'm guilty as hell!! SUE ME!!
>
> "Jeroen Wenting" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Don, so you need to go spamming all the FS forums with your PFC
> commercial?
> >
> >
>
>

[Dr. Anthony J. Lomenzo]

Don Parker wrote:
> David,
> Go to www.flypfc.com and take your checkbook!
> I gave up on the plastic stuff several years ago. You pay, but you ENJOY
> the hell out of it, and it's built to last forever (lifetime warranty)!! Or
> at least until technology leaves you in the dust, I recently had to go to a
> DB-15/USB converter to keep the yoke airborne.
> Here's a shot of my humble virtual cockpit, which doesn't hold a candle to
> some of the IMAX configurations shown lately, but it keeps me happy for
> hours on end, and out of the bars & alleys at night. (:->))
> www.cox-internet.com/tazman/cockpit.jpg
> Primary view is Sony 19" trinitron, left secondary 15", right is old
> RGB/composite monitor (left over from IBM jr.!!) that has a external tuner
> for in flight movies, to the right of that is the radio stack with weather
> radar (cleverly disguised as a radio spectrum display), and Cirrus PFC Jet
> Yoke. After many decades as a field service engineer on medical equipment,
> you'll also notice the onboard Cat Scanner <G>.

Which, so goes the word anyway, has an unseen 'wire' going into a sort
of specially rigged throat mike for the cat! Ohhh yes! Why, you ask?
Well, how would you like to be descending in zero/zero at O'Hare and
suddenly the 'cat' pipes up, to wit, "DON'T SINK! Meow! Meow! DON'T
SINK! Meow! Meow!"

Reportedly quipped Don to a rather astonished spectator, "I saw no
reason at all not to put the cat to work! You should see my 'co-pilot'
do a rather decent rendition of "MEOW! MEOW! MEOW! AUTO PILOT!"

When pressed on the matter, Don finally admitted that there was in fact
a small tape recorder hidden near the cat's tail but, added Don, "the
meows's are quite real albeit previously taped to the voice but it still
tends to bring on gasps from first time visitors!" And then, it happens,
from the CAT no less and 'sans' any recorder: "If Don is content, hey,
so am I and notwithstanding that it adds to the flight sim experience!"
Last I heard, Don was running and re-running the flick "The Cat From
Outer Space" and kept mumbling to himself, to wit, "....stranger things
have happened in this realm! Stranger things..... ."

Doc Tony
;-)


Note to Al D.! Send me an email, amigo, I've got news!

I discreetly moved the
> porta-bar for the photo..... A Dell XPS 3GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 1GB ram, Radeon
> 9800, SB Audigy, and 200GB HD is the power plant, nestled down beside the
> desk. What looks like a roll of toilet paper on top are actually paper
> towels for the occasional hair ball or dr- er, coffee spill.......
> Cheers'n beers.
> Don
>
> "R. David Steele" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>I recently toured the Purdue University's Aviation Technology Flight
>>School. They have a lab that is designed to train personnel from
>>Private Pilot right through airlines. What impressed me wasn't their
>>727 simulator (from Boeing) but rather that they had mock ups of
>>planes like the Cessna 172 that had real cockpits!
>>
>>I guess that you can purchase the equipment from catalogs. Instead of
>>the second rate controllers from Best Buy, why not buy the more
>>expensive controls? And a good aviation rated seat.
>>
>>Didn't the Smithsonian Aviation mag just have an article on folks who
>>have created extremely good, and realistic, simulators?
>>
>>BTW, I find X-Plane more of a package for real gear heads.
>>
>
>
>

[Don Parker]

How'd you know all that? That damn cat turn on the web cam again? Going to
have a good talk with her!! It's bad enough on 0/0 finals to have a back
leg and tail draped over the windshield, without all the hysterical
CATerwauling.........
(:->))
Cheers,
Don

"Dr. Anthony J. Lomenzo" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> > Yoke. After many decades as a field service engineer on medical
equipment,
> > you'll also notice the onboard Cat Scanner <G>.
>
> Which, so goes the word anyway, has an unseen 'wire' going into a sort
> of specially rigged throat mike for the cat! Ohhh yes! Why, you ask?
> Well, how would you like to be descending in zero/zero at O'Hare and
> suddenly the 'cat' pipes up, to wit, "DON'T SINK! Meow! Meow! DON'T
> SINK! Meow! Meow!"
>
> Reportedly quipped Don to a rather astonished spectator, "I saw no
> reason at all not to put the cat to work! You should see my 'co-pilot'
> do a rather decent rendition of "MEOW! MEOW! MEOW! AUTO PILOT!"
>
> When pressed on the matter, Don finally admitted that there was in fact
> a small tape recorder hidden near the cat's tail but, added Don, "the
> meows's are quite real albeit previously taped to the voice but it still
> tends to bring on gasps from first time visitors!" And then, it happens,
> from the CAT no less and 'sans' any recorder: "If Don is content, hey,
> so am I and notwithstanding that it adds to the flight sim experience!"
> Last I heard, Don was running and re-running the flick "The Cat From
> Outer Space" and kept mumbling to himself, to wit, "....stranger things
> have happened in this realm! Stranger things..... ."
>
> Doc Tony
> ;-)
>
>
> Note to Al D.! Send me an email, amigo, I've got news!