Hal,

Mostly I am posting this because I don't want to see the subject area die for inattention.

a couple of things,

1. I don't aspire to any great near certifiable set up, but something more along the picture Jim Rosenow posted, using one monitor for the instrument panel and my overhead (home theater) projection screen in the basement for the outside world. Using an older CPU that I use for nothing else with Saitek controls (Cessna yoke) on a mobile cart. I don't fly real IFR often enough and I think that the use of FSX is a good procedures trainer. Gets me ready for an IPC or to make good use of actual flight time with a safety pilot. This works even better with the FSD O-2A, which by pure serendipity is supposed to be my very own airplane. (The power management instruments are in the wrong place, but I can open the right panel up as a separate windows and drag them where they are supposed to be.) For CAP flying I can use or X-Plane 10 with the G-1000 simulator running on my iPad. Right now, however, I only have CH yoke and rudder pedals. Nice, but not quite nice enough. Is there any advice to what I need to get where I want to go? The polar vortex has kept me on the ground much more than I would like, so I have at least the equivalent of what I would have spent flying to go into the set up.

2. Every year, we run a FS clinic for the CAP. We get several guys to bring their stuff in, set it up for the Cadets, pair them up with an IP, and give them a once around the pattern. Probably the most useful AE class they have all year. Definitely one of the most fun, according to exit polls. Once again, it seems to really help them to get ready for their next orientation ride. (Laptops are a plus here, for ease of set up and take-down)

3. X-plane says that their program is used by Scaled Composites. Interesting, but I do not know how true that is. Does anyone else know? I do know that X-plane does not model decrease in engine power with altitude. I had some email exchanges with the developer about that. It makes me wonder how useful the program is to real world airplane design. Has anyone on this forum ever modeled their EA-B airplane with X-Plane in the design phase?

Chris Mayer
www.o2cricket.org