Diseño del blog
How good are home simulators?
Steven Meyer • Sep 25, 2022
If you have ever been an avid Microsoft Flight Simulator fan, you probably have fantasized about having a home simulator. Multiple companies offer full ready-to-go simulators, as well as individual simulator parts. Opencockpits (https://es.opencockpits.com/en/) and NCInformatique (https://store.ncinformatique.ch/en/) are two companies from which I recently purchased simulator parts. I opted to go with a A320 Panel Desktop Captain, meaning just the captain side of controls. Ordering went smoothly; shipping was a little more complicated for the items coming from Switzerland due to import tax into Spain. The assembly of the structure took two days. A TV screen was mounted to the frame and the panels were attached by lots of cables to a powerful computer. I initially opted not to have the pedals or a chair but soon after changed my mind and ordered them sent. After I had connected everything and had obtained and installed all the necessary software with the corresponding licenses, such as PREPAR3D by Lockheed Martin (https://www.prepar3d.com/), one of the companies helped me set up the remaining configurations. Initially I had trouble with the moving throttle quadrant and needed two weeks to determine that the software and settings were not correct.
With everything now working correctly, I must say that the flying experience is almost as good as in a full motion simulator which I experienced at the Lufthansa Flight Training Centers in Frankfurt and Munich, but this is at home within your own four walls! Some of my pilot friends told me to try out some flights such as a real stall by turning off two ADRs and, I must say, the software was remarkably realistic. From time to time there are some bugs with the simulator but again, as some friends say, a real Airbus also has its own issues from time to time.
Recently I had the amazing opportunity and privilege of having a retired Cathay Pacific pilot go over standard operating procedures in the cockpit with me and we had some amazing short flights together. He then flew me around Hong Kong on some of his usual approaches. The retired Cathay Pacific pilot was amazed too with the simulator.
Even famous YouTube pilot Captain Joe recently flew in one of the simulators made by NCInformatique and he also was amazed by the simulator.
So is it possible to have a good flight simulator at home? Well, yes, if you have the space and the resources. It is cheaper than a full motion simulator which costs a couple million. So, whoever has a full motion simulator at home, please write me an email
;)
On May 2, 2024, a Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A321Neo that had just arrived from Kahului to San Francisco International Airport suffered damage to its left front door. The passengers had all disembarked before the jet bridge collapsed. No injuries were reported. The aircraft was taken out of service. Source: FlightMode Image: A Fly Guy's Cabin Crew Lounge
On April 26, 2024, a Delta Airlines Boeing 767-300 performing flight from JFK New York to Los Angeles encountered an issue and promptly decided to return to JFK due to reports of vibrations. The aircraft landed safely. An after-flight inspection revealed that the right-hand overwing emergency slide was missing. The crew, who responded swiftly and effectively, stated that they had received an indication about the emergency slide and that they had heard a sound from that side of the aircraft during the climb out. The location of where the overwing slide could be is still unknown. Source: Aviation Herald Images: JACDEC
On April 26, 2024, an Ethiopian Boeing 787-8 performing a flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Goma, DR Congo, became disabled after landing due to a hydraulic leak that caused the aircraft to lose nose-wheel steering. The aircraft was towed off the runway, and clean-up crews cleaned up the hydraulic fluid. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Source: AvHerald Images: Mafuta Kasongo & Flightradar24
On April 21, 2024, an American Airlines Airbus A321 was involved in an incident at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The aircraft, which was under tow and had no passengers on board, experienced substantial damage when the tug lost control and struck the underside of the fuselage behind the nose gear. No injuries were reported. Source: FlightMode Images: twitter/goodbadugly_ap
On April 24, 2024, an ANA All Nippon Airways Boeing 787-8 performing a flight from Tokyo Haneda to Sapporo Chitose, Japan, experienced a hydraulic fluid leak upon landing, causing its number two Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engine to emit smoke. The aircraft stopped on the runway and shut both engines down. Emergency services responded, and no injuries were reported. The runway was closed until the aircraft was towed off. What caused the hydraulic leak is still unknown. Source: JACDEC, FL360aero, Aviation Herald Images: JACDEC, FL360aero, Aviation Herald
On April 22, 2024, an Aeroflot Airbus A330-300 performing a flight from Yekaterinburg, Russia, to Phuket, Thailand, suffered a severe loss of hydraulic fluid while landing at Phuket International Airport. The aircraft stopped and blocked the runway for over an hour until a tug towed it away. A team cleaned up the hydraulic fluid from the runway, and operations then restarted on the runway. No injuries were reported. What caused the loss of hydraulic fluid is still unknown. Source: FlightMode Images: AOT Phuket
On April 21, 2024, a Safair Boeing 737-800, under the skilled command of its crew, performed a flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town. Despite the unexpected loss of its left-outboard main wheel on departure, the crew demonstrated their professionalism by leveling off at FL220 and burning off fuel before performing a low approach at Johannesburg. The aircraft then finally landed on runway 21R, sustaining damage to its left main landing gear. However, due to the crew's swift and decisive actions, no injuries were reported. Source: AvHerald Images: Twitter/MDN News
On April 17, 2024, an Air Algerie Boeing 737-800 performing a flight from Algiers, Algeria, to Lyon, France, decided to return to Algiers after reaching cruising altitude FL340 because of a cracked outer window pane. The aircraft landed without any incident, and no injuries were reported. Another aircraft was used to take the passengers to Lyon with a 7-hour delay. The cracked window pane aircraft was repaired and returned to service 19 hours later. Source: AvHerald Images: JACDEC
On April 15, 2024, a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A350-1000 received minor damage at New York JFK Airport when a vehicle from the Gategourment catering service struck the number 1 engine nacelle of the Rolls Royce Trent XWB aircraft which was parked at the time. The aircraft had no passengers and was subsequently taken out of service. No injuries were reported. Source: Aviation Safety Network Image: JACDEC