aberg@math.rutgers.edu (Hans Aberg) (06/14/89)
A long time ago somebody asked for Mac Flight simulators, but there was no reply to this question. Even though I do not have a pilots licence, I can give my opinions. From the point of view of flying characteristics (how the plane behaves in air), I would think that the Chuck Yeager's Advanced Flight Trainer is the best. This program also goes through those exercises you would have to do in order to get a pilots license. There is a certain technique, how to correctly lift the plane, that if you know, makes flying very easy; I would think that the Chuck Yeager's AFT fully supports this feature. So if you want to get a pilots licence, I would think that you can pick up tricks from this program. In this program, you have also the option to fly several different planes, some superficially similar, but amazingly different when you have tried them out. There are some exercises you can carry out too. One of my favourites used to be to fly the SR-71 at Mach 3 upside down 500 feet above the ground through the narrow streets 20 miles through South of the home base, and then land it at the home base through the gate, without jamming the flaps, of course, and without crashing into the pylon at the end of the runway. One problem with the program is that the landscape is too simplistic, so it quickly becomes boring. One strength, however, is that it works over the complete line of Mac's. On an SE/30, the program runs beautifully. If you want to get an idea of landscapes from the the air, and flying instruments, then you should try the Microsoft Flying Simulator. But once I learned this flying technique on the Chuck Yeager's AFT, I lost my interest in the Microsoft program. I also think the Microsoft program only works with MacPluses. There is also this sublogic jet, with flying characteristics similar to that one of Microsoft's program, wholly inferior those of Chuck Yeager's AFT, but I haven't flown it much. It is more of a shoot-'em-down game, which does not appeal so much to me. The Chuck Yeager's Advanced Flight Trainer gets my deep admiration, because it is so constructive, and I would like to see a more advanced version with more exiting landscapes. Hans Aberg, Mathematics aberg@math.rutgers.edu