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. Microsoft's
Flight Simulator Re-Visited Not long after the attacks of September 11th, speculation had it that the hijackers had learned to fly, at least in part, by using Microsoft's Flight Simulator. ...
Available for less than $75 in the Pro edition {2002 version}, Microsoft's FlightSim program [MSFS] has been around for a long time. I first got my hands on the first version for Windows 95, and have since up-graded to Flight Simulator '98. As you might expect, the graphics have improved dramatically over the years. The detail is good, and the options for all sorts of things -- from setting the weather conditions, to the time of day or year, and much much more, all combine to make Microsoft's FlightSim package worth the money, especially for a 'novice' like me, who will probably never get off the ground while at the controls, but who enjoys the strangely peaceful feeling that comes with taking some time out to fly in the virtual world. But can someone use Microsoft's Flight Simulator to actually learn to fly? ...
Of course, as the investigation unfolded, it was apparently discovered that a number of the hijackers had taken lessons in a much more sophisticated environment, at a flight school in Florida which had, among its other wares, a full-size cockpit simulator like those used by commercial and military training facilities. No doubt, in such a world, even though still virtual, the only thing left to do after training is to fly the real thing. ... Whether or not the hijackers who commandeered the planes on September 11th ever used Microsoft's software, or, for that matter, any of the dozens of other FlightSim software packages out there, will probably never be known for sure. And with the access they evidently had to a top notch flight school, it's safe to say they learned more there than any PC-based software could ever have taught them. ... But the fact is, MSFS, and many of the other FlightSim software titles out there, are pretty sophisticated programs.
There are basically three components to MSFS -- the aircraft, the flights and lessons, and the extensive help system available. ... And it's that last that makes MSFS a potent package. The Aircraft ... If it's the big commercial stuff you're after, however, MSFS offers up a Boeing 737-400. As the MSFS lit notes, it's "the most popular jet transport in the world, with more than 3,000 in service around the world and hundreds more on order." The 737-400, which is roughly 120-feet long and holds a max of a little more than 5,000 gallons of fuel, is considerably smaller than the 757 or the even larger 767, which were used in the attacks. A small twinjet, the 737 is used primarily for short- and medium-range routes, and is "often the first jet transport that new airline pilots fly." But as with most FlightSim software, devotees out there are constantly improving upon things, with not only additional scenery and flights, but additional craft, as well. For example, flightsim.com this month is offering a self-installing download of an Icelandair Boeing 757-200. The Flights ... For the 737, you can also run a couple of lessons focused on VOR [the Very high-frequency Omni-directional Range signal], the most common means of electronic navigation currently in use, including a VOR intercept and tracking maneuver out of Honolulu, and a VOR holding pattern outside Cincinnati. There are also two ILS approaches -- a straight-in on Runaway 36 at Space Executive Center, and one with a procedure turn {reverse-course} on Runaway 6 at MacArthur Airport. By the time you make your way through a few flights, then, you'll have become at least somewhat familiar with more than simply the basics of flight. But the really in-depth material is covered in MSFS's extensive help system.
Microsoft
Flight Simulator's Help System ... First off, there's the Flight School. Comprised of several sections, the first, the Ground School, includes sections on Aeronautical Knowledge {terminology, concepts of aerodynamics, etc.}, and info on FlightSafety International. This info isn't intended to get you up to speed for the real thing, as Microsoft acknowledges in a Note:
But in addition to the Ground School's short course, there's plenty of other info to be found. The Private Pilot Course focuses on the Cessna Skylane, with sections on Aerodynamics, Aircraft Controls, an overview of the different types of aeronautic Engines, and Flight Instruments {both static and gyroscopic}, as well as sections on Weather, the Flight Environment, Human Factors, and Rules and Regulations, including sections of the FARs {Federal Aviation Regulations}. There's also an Instrument Rating course for the Cessna, as well as a course for Aerobatics, and the Airline Transport Pilot Course, which focuses on the Boeing 737-400. In addition, there are also Preflight Briefings for each of the Lessons and Adventures contained in MSFS. For each craft, too, there is also comprehensive information -- ranging from an Introduction, as well as a brief History and Performance Specifications, to the nitty-gritty, need-to-know material. By way of example, the following list shows what's covered for the Boeing 737-400, forming the core of the Airline Transport Pilot Course.
In addition to the various checklists, you can also find more detailed info on Setting Flaps, Power, and Trim, Takeoffs, Climbs, Cruising, Descending, Approaches, Initial Approach, and Final Approach and Landing. Again, there's a considerable difference between learning to fly in the virtual world of Microsoft's Flight Simulator environment and the real world. But there's also no question that MSFS can take you a long way toward mastering the routines and requirements. In a recent article on flightsim.com entitled "The Real World," author Karl Gjertsen -- who is both a FlightSim enthusiast and a real-world pilot -- has this to say:
If you add to that the availability of more sophisticated hardware -- like one of the better steering controls with rudder pedals, and maybe even a 'force feedback' system, e.g., the Microsoft Sidewinder series or Logitech's Wingman series -- you can also add to the realism. {Another article at flightsim.com provides detailed info on building your own rudder pedal system.} ... So, can you really learn to fly with MSFS or a similar FlightSim program? After the attacks, out of what I confess to be a morbid curiosity, I opened up MSFS and took off in the Boeing 737 from JFK and headed for lower Manhattan. It was eerie, but I wanted to see if I could manage a maneuver similar to the ones that destroyed the Twin Towers, including striking them at roughly the same level as the actual planes of the attack did. All I used were the program and an old MS Sidewinder joystick -- no wheels or rudder pedals. For their functionality, I had to resort to keyboard controls. On the first pass at about 3/4th's cruising speed, I hit the South Tower high with the starboard wing of the craft. I read a bit more in the Boeing 737-400 Aircraft Handbook. On the second pass, I hit the South Tower almost square on, but still high. On the third pass, I struck the Tower squarely at around the 75th story. ... Now, after having gone to the City and seen, or more accurately, not seen the Twin Towers, it's hard to imagine flying that route again, even for the sheer pleasure of seeing the island and environs. And I've heard that MS is coming out with their new Flight Simulator without the Twin Towers in the scenery. ... Somehow, that's even harder to imagine.
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There
was a lot of discussion about just that in the early hours and days after the
attacks. Experts were called upon on TV news to comment, and, as you might
expect, some said it was possible, some said it wasn't. When they got more
specific, some said that the size of the planes used in the attacks -- 757's and
767's, the largest of the Boeing fleet -- were too complicated to have the
software be of much use. Others disagreed. Still others pointed out
that the most difficult parts of flying are taking off and landing, neither of
which the hijackers had to do. So it was conceivable that a FlightSim
program could have provided enough information to make steering the planes
practicable.
