THIS AIN’T YOUR DAD’S LINK TRAINER
Or
Desk Flying
the Microsoft Flight Simulators
Last issue
we looked at the differences in scenery between FS2002 and FS2004. We also
looked
at several
of the “Add-on” aircraft that were being made by designers around the world.
This time,
were going to show you a few new aircraft, bring you up to date on Dave
Eckert’s HH-43 project and finally talk a little about video cards and
graphics.
Since we
are all of “Air Rescue” and/or “Firefighting” background, I’ve chosen a few
helos that
have
recently been designed or updated.
Many of
you may remember that the venerable HH-43 was somewhat replaced by the “Huey”.
I’m not
sure but I think the Air force actually tried to fight some fire with this bird
but were not very successful. (This is one of several variations of the UH1
originally done by Jordan Moore).
Here we have the updated version of the Grumman HU-16.
This airplane is a blast to fly and shoot water landings.
If you like “fixed wing” flying, this is a must!!!
Above is a
Done for FS2004 by Deane Baunton, you can actually “feel”
the bucket swing underneath.
These aircraft can be downloaded from www.hovercontrol.com or www.flightsim.com
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Now it’s time for a quick up-date on Dave Eckert’s HH-43B/F
project.
Dave has
captured the “Huskie” in all its glory. BUT!!! Look at how the inside is coming
along.
There are
still a number of gauges yet to come.
Note the detail on the interior panels.
This is about as real as it gets!!!!!!!
Clamshell and all side doors open and close.
Dave is
currently involved in several large projects for work but he has assured us
that as soon
as he has
some “breathing room”, he’ll finish this one for us. We are also looking to add
both camouflage and civilian variations.
This has
been a “labor of love” for Dave as his Dad (see photo below) was a “crew chief”
back in
the 60’s.
(Dave, your Dad would have been proud of what you’ve
accomplished)
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VIDEO CARDS
No matter how fast or
slow your computer may be (Many now exceed 2 GHz speed), one of the most
important items you
need for good flightsim flying is a good video card. Most video cards today
come
with a certain amount
of random access memory (RAM) built into the card. This is very different from
the
RAM in your computer
mother board. Video RAM allows the video signals to be processed faster and
it allows for a smooth
transition as you pass through the various scenery files. This tends to
eliminate the sometimes bothersome “slideshow” effect that some older video
cards produce.
Video cards usually
come with 64mb or 128mb of RAM which can be either SDRAM or DDRAM.
The difference between
the two is that DDRAM processes faster than SDRAM.
The least expensive
and slower card might be the 64mb SDRAM while the more expensive and faster
card would be the one
with 128MB DDRAM.
It is also important
that you get a video card that will properly fit into your computer. Your local
computer
store can help you
with this.
Two of the most
popular video cards used by PC Gamers are the NVidia and the Radeon cards.
If you are using FS
2004, make sure you buy a card that is DirectX9 compatible or you could have
some
serious “driver”
issues. I’m using an older NVidia card but when I last updated the video
drivers, it caused
my computer to crash.
After going back to the original drivers, everything was fine. I’ve not heard
of any real problems with the newer Radeon cards. I’m getting ready to do a
major upgrade so I’ll let you all know how
it turns out.
If any of you have
questions about setting up flightsim, please shoot me an Email.
Steve and I have been
BETA testing the HH-43 and for you pilots out there, I think you’re in for a
great
treat!!!
See you next time!!!!
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