[Jeroen]

Introduction:
You might think Flight Simulation is for little boys, wannabe pilots and nerds. These days it is a very serious hobby for just about all ages. Even if you are not necessarily interested in simulators, have a look at some of these images of what this hobby is about. Trust me, you will be amazed!

I have been interested in aviation all my life. I wanted to become a pilot or a sailor. I have poor eyesight, so the pilot career was out for me. In those days, pilots would not be allowed to wear glasses at all.

I have been visiting airshows all over Europe since I was about 14-15 years old. I was out there with the very first versions of Microsoft Flight Simulator. We are talking late 80s! Pretty soon I discovered a more amazing Flight Simulation package; Precision Simulator. It simulates only a 747-400, with no scenery. Completely different price from Microsoft, but then again it is an amazing piece of software. These days certified by the FAA as a system simulator.

https://aerowinx.com

In 2006, a bunch of PS enthusiasts were part of this very Flight Sim Weekend. Have a look, and see if you can spot an almost twenty years younger version of me!

http://www.hoppie.nl/galleries/fs-we...006/index.html

Through my PS friends, I also got to spend numerous hours on the real full-motion 747-400 Simulator of Cargolux and Lufthansa. For a non-commercial rated pilot, I have a surprising amount of 747-400 training hours on the real McCoy!

Finally, I did get my Private Pilot License and various other ratings and endorsements during the four years we lived in Kansas City.

I don't fly anymore. Neither as a real pilot nor behind the simulator. It's way too complicated for my garbled mind these days. But I do enjoy reading about it and going to these sorts of events and talking to some of the current flight sim enthusiasts

The event:

Last weekend saw the Flight Simulator Weekend at the Aviadrome in Lelystad, the Netherlands.

With world-class exhibitors and nearly 5,000 visitors each year, FlightSimWeekend is the largest flight simulation event in the world. Explore flight simulation innovations, connect with fellow enthusiasts, and embark on an unparalleled aviation adventure!

Source: https://flightsimweekend.com

As you will see, the event is held in the Aviodrome in Lelystad. The Aviodrome is the Dutch National Aviation Museum. It used to be housed at Schiphol Amsterdam Airport but moved to this much larger location at the Lelystad Airport a couple of decades ago. https://www.aviodrome.nl/en

So here we go, get ready for a Simulation world that comes pretty close to the real one.

As you will see there is a huge community catering to all the needs of the true flight SIM enthusiast. There are clubs all around the world, and as you will see, the simulation is done online as well as stand-alone.





In the early days, the Flight simulator of various brands was just software on your computer. I you had the money you might an joystick. These days just about all the components from various cockpits can be bought separately and hooked up to whatever flight simulation you use.

This is a Flight Management Computer (FMC) part of the Flight Management System (FMS). At least that is how it is often referred to. Technically, It is actually a CDU so the interface unit on which the pilots provide input to the FMC. Irrespective, it is a complex bit of kit. This looks as good as the real one does,



You will see all kinds of flight SIM setups. VR is very much a part of flight simulation these days. This guy looks to be enjoying himself.



As I mentioned earlier, these days "flying" is often done online. So the airspace is simulated as well. VAT-SIM is one of these organisations that does this. To join them, you need to sit a formal exam. The whole idea is to make the whole experience as real as possible. So when you fly online, the communication with various controllers is done according to the same protocols as in real life!



Whereas there are folks who like to simulate being a pilot, there are also folks who like to simulate being a controller. Organisations like VATSIM bring all these folks together in the virtual air.

A VATSIM controller working his airspace, talking to the pilots as ATC would in real life.



I used to be a member of VATSIM. They used to organise special events. A famous one was called "Across the Pond". Dozens if not hundreds of virtual pilots would virtually cross the Atlantic Ocean. The idea was always to have as many planes in the air and in the airports to create and simulate a true hectic environment that would test everybody's capabilities to the max,

Here is a ground controller at work:



These days, this would probably be about the minum external hardware to fly. A yoke, throttle stand and rudder pedals



Notice all the different ages? This is a hobby for young and old folks. Mostly males though?



Running this flight simulation software requires more and more powerful computers. In particular, running these days, incredibly accurate scenery. There is a whole world of dedicated flight SIM desktop computer builders out there.



And any self-respecting pilot could not do without some of these of course. The mustache is not optional!



This shows the flight currently underway from this very flight SIM weekend only. As you can see, busy skies. 24/7 there are thousands of Flight SIM enthusiasts, pilots and controllers online, enjoying their hobbies!



A large part of the various stands are set up inside the museum, which gives the perfect background and atmosphere for this event!



Let's look at some more serious hardware:

You can buy these sorts of panels ready-made. There are two approaches in the flight SIM world. One is to buy these panels that are made specifically to interface with your home computer. Or to buy the real panels, taken from the real plane and modify them in such a way they can interface with your computer.



Anything is available to discerning flight SIM enthusiasts. Knobs, levers, chips, PCB, you name it.



I must say, these days all the panels made specifically are of an incredible quality. At face value, they look identical to the original real ones.



Part of being a Flight sM pilot also means studying and reading all the manuals. Luckily, most aircraft manuals can still be bought relatively easily.

Here is a so-called QRH (Quick Reference Handbook) of a Boeing 737. A QRH gives the pilot easy access to most of the relevant planning tables and data and all normal and non-normal checklists. These days papers have mostly been replaced by digital versions. Pilots carry an iPad these days, not a pilot case full of binders with papers.





This is a full-scale mock-up of the cockpit of a single-engine plane, A Diamond. I have flown the real one for a good number of hours. A gorgeous plane with, full glass cockpit.



Some enjoy being Fighter pilots. By and large a very different scene from the Commerical Pilots. In real and simulated life! I have never been particularly interested in fighters, but it is interesting to see. These guys in real and simulated life, live to dogfight. This guy was wearing a VR helmet/glasses and was constantly scanning his head around to see where his opponents where. You could see on a screen what he saw in his VR goggles. Very impressive, and very detailed.



These are some of the most elaborate cockpits you can find.

[Jeroen]

There is of course always the debate whether being a flight SIM pilot prepares you to be a real pilot. There is this myth (or perhaps it is real) that every flight SIM pilot who flies on a real aircraft as a passenger is called into the cockpit during an emergency and saves the day and everybody on board.

I am not an expert, although I am a real pilot. I found that having spent a lot of time reading and studying all kinds of aviation stuff did help me get my pilot license.

Irrespective, being able to fly a 747 on a desk computer is not the same as doing it in real life. There is also another matter. Microsoft or any of the other simulation software has a lot of limitations in how they simulate the flight model and the various systems. They all claim to be 100% accurate, but they are not. If it is not certified by an independent aviation authority it simply isn't accurate enough.

The first time my good friend Ton and I rented the full motion 747-400 Simulator from Cargolux in Luxembourg, the instructor could not believe how much we knew. Because both Ton and I are complete nerds we knew more about certain systems and system interactions than the instructor. There was some error/alarm that the instructor could not clear, but we knew how to do. Simply because we had access to Boeing 747 engineering manuals that most pilots never even see.

And we could start her up, take off and land. But that still doesn't make one a pilot. When the instructor dialled in some crosswind on our landing we crashed badly! Also, there is far more to being a pilot than stick and rudder skills. As I have mentioned many times on the various aviation threads, aircraft accidents rarely happen due to lack of stick and rudder skills.

During my real flying days, I used Microsoft Flight Simulator mostly for orientation. So I used it to familiarise myself with the airport and procedures. A very useful tool in that respect. One of the most daunting aspects for many new student pilots is talking to ATC on the radio. Again, flying in a virtual world will introduce you to all the correct phraseology and so on. Very useful, but nothing can simulate a true busy VHF radio environment, whilst flying a real plane in the pattern or a difficult approach.

Back to the event:

It might be difficult to imagine seeing all this marvellous kit, but in the early days, people used to build their own hardware, such as this yoke for instance! Including force feedback!



Check out the difference with some of the hardware on offer these days!



This Yoke is very close to the original.



This is what is known as the tiller. It controls the nose wheels of most large aeroplanes. Some planes have only one fitted, left seat for the captain, most I believe have two, one on each side.



Anorak fact: the single-engine planes I fly don't have a tiller. On most Cessna planes the rudder pedals also control the front steering mechanism. But on more advanced aircraft such for instance the Cirrus SR20/22 the nose wheel is free castoring (yes. like a supermarket trolly) and the pilot steers by applying left or right braking. The steering pedals control the rudder, you push left/right but they can also dip, like a normal brake pedal. So if you want to turn left you push the top of the left rudder pedal. Takes some getting used to.


Two pilots pondering on what the hell is going on. In accident reports known as the famous last words, (what is it doing now?) when they don't understand what the Autopilot is doing!



A glider simulator including the thermal aural indicator. Very cool! I flew gliders for a short while when I was about 17-18 years of age.



I just thought I would share this model of what Schiphol Amsterdam's main terminal looked in the 1960s. I know it well, we lived close by. Me and my best friend from next door ErnstPaul, would ride over on our bicycle to look at planes.



Some more panels



Arguably one of the prettiest, if not the prettiest commercial airliner ever: The famous Connie (Constellation).



A few more fighter cockpits





The museum itself has several real simulators. It has two so-called Link Simulators. They are named after the inventor and were just about the first simulators used at large to train pilots. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_Trainer

It moves by air being blown in huge bellows. When the aviation museum was still located on the old original Schiphol Amsterdam, they had the link trainer up there as well. They always invited the birthday kid touring the museum to have go on this link simulator. I am proud to say, one year I was that birthday kid. I must have been 11-12 years or so. My dad took me to the aviation museum and for a ride in a Martinair Dakota. Sightseeing over Amsterdam and Amstelveen where we lived.



The Aviation Museum has quite an interesting collection of airplanes. I shot a few of them located mostly outside. Too busy inside the main museum with flight SIM enthusiasts.

One of my all-time favourites; the Gruman Tracker. The Dutch operated these from our only carrier many decades ago. We sold it to the Argentinians and we moved the Trackers to a land base. Not so cool, but still a remarkable plane.



This is the Dakota DC3 of the former Dutch Dakota Association (DDA). For several decades they operated this Dakota, just for sightseeing tours. They lost a Dakota in a horrible crash in 1996, and got another one. But the end of last year saw the end of their operation. It was becoming too complicated and to expensive to maintain and operate this "classic airline". They donated this one to the museum. Most likely it will never fly again.





The museum owns several Dakota's!



They have a special hangar dedicated to the speed of sound flight. One of the first jet-powered fighters: (not supersonic yet though)



They also have two of the old flight simulators on loan from the Dutch aviation Laboratory. Again, kids are still allowed to ride them! These were pretty high-tech for the time and were used in various research projects.



Every aviation museum in the world will have one of these. Because so many were made!



This one, the Saab Viggen, you would be hard pressed to find amonst museum collections!



This being a Dutch museum and the thread being written by a Dutch aviation enthusiast and real and sIM pilot, I had to end with a piece of Dutch aviation history; Fokker!



Jeroen

[GTO]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage today

[IAmGroot]

I used to have MS flight simulator with basic joystick. The hobby started to get costly, and now that I can afford it, time is something of a luxury to me.

Just last week I was exploring setting up a basic flight SIM at home and here comes a very informative thread. Thanks for sharing @Jeroen.

My Kid who is growing up has started asking a lot of questions on aviation. Might as well setup a small Flight SIM for him at home.

[venkat_partha]

Nice read. Have you heard about "Flight Gear" ?

https://www.flightgear.org/

Open source, world map, free to use.

Regards,
Venkat

[W.A.G.7]

You know what? I never knew flight simulation was a serious hobby until this thread popped up. With all these high-end computers running nowadays; I am amazed at how technology has evolved over the last decade. This is something that we couldn't have imagined say 20 years ago. For example, the screens, the control panels & the whole cockpit look so real. It's all very nicely summed up in the thread, thanks for sharing. All I knew was that once upon a time, there was a Microsoft Flight simulator. But this hobby is, totally next level and beyond my comprehension; I need to catch up a lot! Wasn't there a train simulator as well, once upon a time?

[fhdowntheline]

I was hooked on to Flight Sim since the launch of the original Flight Simulator and kept upgrading until FS 2004. And then other mundane priorities took over! Still remember being engrossed in my virtual journeys across the world, often resorting to Autopilot and 8X speed for the boring phases and switching back to 1X for approach and landing, with the world weather update adding to complexity. Downloaded a number of third party airplanes, tinkered around with the files for customization, added new airports in India( very rudimentary details at the time), but enjoyed it. Looks like I need to revive my lost hobby. Can anyone recommend a decent laptop configuration , especially the graphics card, for the latest post 2020 iteration?

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by venkat_partha

Nice read. Have you heard about "Flight Gear" ?

I know of it, but I have no experience with it. They were present at this event as well.

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Wasn't there a train simulator as well, once upon a time?

Yes there was. Not sure if it still around. There were also truck, bus, shipping and tugboat simulation software. Not much has survived I think. None of it came close as to the level of flight SIMs, even in those days.

Jeroen

[shankar.balan]

Quote:
I am not an expert, although I am a real pilot. I found that having spent a lot of time reading and studying all kinds of aviation stuff did help me get my pilot license.

Irrespective, being able to fly a 747 on a desk computer is not the same as doing it in real life. UnQuote.

This is one of the most responsible and humble statements coming from a highly accomplished person like yourself.
I’ve only done a few ‘flight experiences cum basic lessons’ in England and Australia and all. And enjoyed them absolutely. But have never had the ability to commit the time and effort to go for a PPL or even a microlight license.
But I ve always been fascinated by planes and flight and have been all my life an avid aficionado of the ‘Biggles Books’ by Capt. W E Johns. And what you said above is echoed constantly in different ways, in many of the Biggles books along with the fact that one is more or less defying gravity and in a sense, flying in the face of the laws of physics, every time one takes to the air.

[govindremesh]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Introduction:

The event:

Last weekend saw the Flight Simulator Weekend at the Aviadrome in Lelystad, the Netherlands.

Source: https://flightsimweekend.com

I had no idea that such events are held , would have loved to attend this one. Thank you for the details and the photos.

Could you please DM me when you know about the next aviation related event in the Netherlands?

Flight sim is a totally different ballgame indeed and while it's good for theoretical knowledge, it hardly prepares for practical training.
A sim pilot at best could program the autopilot and get an aircraft to land in clear weather conditions, hand flying is simply out of question , as I discovered the hard way

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by govindremesh

A sim pilot at best could program the autopilot and get an aircraft to land in clear weather conditions, hand flying is simply out of question , as I discovered the hard way

Autopilots are perfectly capable of landing a commercial airliner in the most challenging conditions, right up to the legal limits concerning, visibility, cross winds and gusts.

Jeroen

[govindremesh]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Autopilots are perfectly capable of landing a commercial airliner in the most challenging conditions, right up to the legal limits concerning, visibility, cross winds and gusts.

Jeroen

I see. Thank you for the info as I was under the impression that an autopilot has operating limitations for landing n crosswinds.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by govindremesh

I see. Thank you for the info as I was under the impression that an autopilot has operating limitations for landing n crosswinds.

Well, it does vary from airplane to airplane and in some cases there might be company specific rules as well. Let me check my 747 manual to see what it says.

I believe on the Boeing 777 the max manual cross wind is higher than the max autopilot cross wind. But irrespective these sort of autopilots can handle substantial cross wind situations. Whether pilots use it is another matter. Most pilots enjoy the landings and a cross wind landing is always had work, but perfectly safe when done by a competent pilot.

Interestingly on commercial airliners there will be a maximum crosswind component stated under various conditions.Pilots must adhere to these, legal, maximums.

On the planes I fly there is only a max demonstrated crosswind component mentioned. That is the crosswind component that was demonstrated by a test pilot to be able to still land the plane safely. It’s not a legal limit. In theory you are allowed to land with a higher crosswind. Not necessarily advisable.

Crosswind landing does take a lot of practice. The higher crosswind you feel comfortable with the safer it is. Because the last thing you want is to have your landing options reduced because of cross wind.

Whenever there were good crosswind conditions I would head out to our airport in Kansas City and spend an hour or so practicing touch and goes in crosswind conditions. In one hour of flight time, at a not too busy airport you can easily do 10-12 of them in an hour.

Jeroen

[Jeroen]

I found this is my old KLM AOM (Aircraft Operating Manual). This is for the Boeing 747-400

As you can see there is very little difference between the manual- and auto-land limits.



Jeroen

[14000rpm]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Last weekend saw the Flight Simulator Weekend at the Aviadrome in Lelystad, the Netherlands.

Seems like a very nice event Jeroen. Thanks for the report.
My first cousin used to spend a lot of time on Flight SIM's during his Engineering College days post which he got hooked on to becoming a Pilot for a career. he got a lot of flak at home for his 'SIM' time since we all called it a waste of time but cut to current times- he is a Captain in Air India.

Him and I keep talking about SIMs even today as they intrigue me with the level of detail and control dialled into them.