Flight Sim 2002 and xtreme Air Racing

Flight Journal, Apr 2002 by Marks, Bob

Variety is a good thing, right? Right! Most flight simulation fans don't like getting stuck in a rut, flying the same old airplanes over the same old digital landscapes. This is, after all, one of the beautiful things about flight simula

tions. Don't like the ride you're on? Just hit , and choose another bird! This month, we take a glance at a couple of flight sims that offer a decent array of choices. One is from Microsoft-a company that needs no introduction-and the other is from Victory Simulations-a team that wants to break into the genre with something very different: an unlimited-class, air-racing simulation.

In early November 2001, Microsoft released the newest version of the Queen of All Flight Sims, and it's definitely a crown jewel. This is a relief. The trend didn't look promising for Microsoft's sims over the last couple of years, as the codesmiths up in Redmond kept adding new features to an old base. This practice resulted in the last two versions suffering from an increasingly bloated code that required unrealistically high system requirements to deal with the processing overhead. Roughly translated, this means that you needed a cutting-edge machine to run Flight Sim 2000 so it didn't resemble a slide show.

With the release of Flight Simulator 2002 (FS2002), it's evident that Microsoft has heard our cries of protest. It has taken the old, flabby Microsoft Flight Sim 2000 to the gym for a serious Jack LaLanne-style workout. The result is FS2002, a truly great sim that runs nicely, even on a midlevel machine. Though the above-noted system requirements are hopelessly optimistic (as manufacturer-provided specs usually are), you won't require a nitrogen-cooled desktop brain-in-a-box to run this thing. With a now decidedly midrange 700MHz Pentium III, you'll actually be able to run FS2002 pretty well. To get the most out of this sim, however, your choice of video card is crucial. If you have at least a GeForce2-class card and probably 256MB of RAM, the joys of the ultimate desktop-civilian flight simulation can be yours.

As was its predecessor, FS2002 is offered in two versions: Standard and Professional. For just $20 more, the Pro version gives you four extra, gorgeously rendered airplanes (complete with IFR panels), a remote Instructor module and a 3D modeling program called gmax. The Pro version is also more compatible with the myriad freeware addon airplanes that are just starting to appear. If you are a very casual flightsim user, the cheaper Standard version may be just the ticket, but if you consider yourself a hobbyist, or you plan on using FS2002 as an instructional or proficiency tool, buy the Professional version.

Whichever version you choose, you'll find a choice of flyable aircraft that spans the spectrum and history of heavier-than-air flight. If a simple flight around the old patch or VFR crosscountry cruising is your pleasure, the Sopwith Camel is yours to fly, as is the ubiquitous Cessna 172 and 182RG. Hot-rodders can take the Extra 300 or F4U Corsair and bum up the sky. Pilots who crave more complex fare can take the Mooney Bravo or Raytheon Baron 58 for some IFR practice. Those who pine for the smell of burnt kerosene will appreciate the single turboprop Caravan, Learjet 45 and a trio of Boeing heavy iron that includes the 747-400. Even rotary-wing aircraft are represented, with the Bell 206B JetRanger III performing an encore in FS2002. The flight models of these aircraft have a very authentic "feel" to them. Indeed, after listening to an aerobatics instructor explain how a real Extra 300 enters the wicked-looking Lomcevak maneuver, I tried the procedure in FS2002. I'll be darned if the virtual Extra didn't tumble like its carbon-fiber-and-steel counterpart! I recently got some stick time in an Extra 300, and I can vouch for the dynamics Microsoft has imparted to this German thoroughbred.

FS2002's many improvements over its predecessors range from the subtle to the obvious, but they are all definite movements in the proper direction. The inclusion of an interactive airtraffic control (ATC) environment is perhaps the greatest addition to the immersion element. Virtual pilots who choose to use the ATC system during their flights are given a transparent pop-up window that displays the possible responses to a controller's instructions. The extent of other radio chatter depends on the number of "dynamic aircraft" the user has selected in FS2002's preferences. More airplanes aloft translates into higher levels of communications traffic, and thus, an increased workload on any virtual pilot who flies into Class A or B airspace. A part of modem aviation, such as trying to get your clearance while dozens of other aircraft are on the same frequency, adds to the immersion. A few minor technical flaws in the implantation of the ATC system exist in FS2002, but to dwell on these would border on being picky.

This dynamic air traffic is not randomly spread about the country. FS2002 uses an artificial intelligence subroutine to give these aircraft routes between cities, mostly concentrated around the world's busiest airports. No need to worry about a 767 turning final on your little dirt strip! These dynamic aircraft are more than mere window dressing, as a midair will ruin your flight prematurely. The auto-generated static scenery on the ground, such as homes, farms and trees, are likewise "real." That stand of trees at the end of your local strip is now an obstacle. Can you clear them on this hot day with all that fuel on board?