"The original Russ." wrote in message
...
ROFL!

Goodness me. I've been lucky enough over the years to have spent time in
the
jump seat on a few commercial flights during takeoffs and landings.

I can honesty say that anyone without proper flight training in a real
aircraft (or *real* simulator) wouldn't know which way to turn in an
actual
commercial airliner cockpit. Let alone know how to fly the friggin thing
with enough accuracy to hit a building!!!

When will these arseholes finally give it up? lol.

Cheers,

Russ.

Oh I dont know Russ. If we are speaking about the kind of terrorist
atrocities carried out on 9/11, all they had to be able to do was some basic
navigation and control the speed and altitude of the craft. If they knew how
to use the A/P and programme the FMC it wouldnt have been too hard to get to
the Towers. And remember, we are speaking about two of the tallest buildings
around at the time, not some backyard outhouse.

If we are speaking about a Simmer jumping into the LH seat and being able to
take off, or control the thing in the air, then I agree that most would be
lost. However there are simmers who take it that stage further. The one time
I got up front for a landing, I wouldnt say I was particularly knowldgable,
but I did know what all the main bits were and how they worked. Since that
time I have learned a hell of a lot more, to the point that now I could sit
in the thingypit of a 747 and pretty much know what everything did. It helps
that I have had a couple of lessons from a RL 747 pilot of course, but even
he is impressed at just how well the PSS 747 resembles the real thing. I
would also feel comfortable in the 737-400 series, and soon probably the
NG700's, and there are probably lots of simmers who know a lot more than I
do.

To say that FS2xxx can be used to help terrorists with nefarious intentions
is probably true. To suggest that there are armies of them out there using
it for some long term doomsday scenario would probably be false, at least I
hope it is ;-)

The VA that I fly for has 3 or 4 RL pilots (Jets not Props), and to a man
they all agree that flying Jets in FS can be harder than the real thing.
Whether its because FS doesnt have the feel that sitting in a moving object
does, or the lack of peripheral vision, or even the fact that a lot of the
Jets in FS are difficult to trim for straight and level is neither here nor
there, but if I can follow a 10DME Arc in FS, or make a 7DME tear drop
approach and line up perfect, or even land on two engines in the PSS747 with
a stiff crosswind in FS, then I would have more idea in the real thing than
most passengers.

I agree that it is a tired old story, but I dont agree that "anyone without
proper flight training in a real aircraft (or *real* simulator) wouldn't
know which way to turn in an actual commercial airliner cockpit. Let alone
know how to fly the friggin thing with enough accuracy to hit a building"

Now, if you had said "most people" instead of "anyone", we would be in
agreement g

Rgds,

Chris J






Dave Pearson wrote in message
.. .


URL:http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/20...rrorism/index_
np.html
And just in time for another new release of MSFS. Presumably this will
be
a
regular feature from now on? sigh

--
Dave Pearson
http://www.davep.org/