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A good example of this is the two big players in the remote control plane market, who both have their own PC based R/C flight sims: FS One and RealFlight; both of which were outsourced to actual developers.

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?id=5562 445&siteID=123112

"As of October 6, 2005, Autodesk will no longer offer Gmax® software as a stand-alone product. If you are interested in other 3D animation, modeling, and rendering applications from Autodesk please check out Autodesk® 3ds Max® software."

I've been trying to post a story on this for 2 days but the /. editors don't seem to think it's news.

This is already affecting people. Knife Edge Software makers of Realflight G3 have been promising a new custom aircraft editor based on GMax for some months now. They've had to announce that they'll be releasing it for 3ds Max instead due to "licensing issues"...issue being GMax is dead.

Finally, I can look forward to owning a real remote control aircraft! No more having to play with r/c flight sims like Realflight or Aerofly Pro. No more props that could decapitate someone if they hit them the wrong way, so I'm sure the local council won't object to me flying it at the park! I wonder how many channels for the remote!?

Please don't copy this game illegally.

I hope you're joking. That phrase is "acceptable" to everyone but the publisher; people who want to copy the game won't give a ham whether they're asked not to copy.

Microsoft puts something like `Please do not make illegal copies of this software' on their CDs. If it makes even one person realize that making a copy of this might be illegal (under certain conditions anyways) and decide against it, then it's a somewhat effective copy protection method, and one I do not find it offensive at all. (I'll also happily make copies of it anyways, but I also know that backup copies of my own software are generally legal.)

Actually, I've found Microsoft to be generally quite reasonable with their game copy protection -- yes, you need the CD in the drive while you play, but beyond that it's generally transparant. They're often demonized for their OSs and business practices (and rightfully so), but their games are generally quite good, and you almost never have problems with their copy protection.

The worst copy protection I've ever encountered? Real Flight G2 R/C Flight Simulator. Here is a list of all the things they do to protect their software -- and many are quite intrusive/inconvenient.

I gave up the smelly/expensive RC hobby a while ago though, and the last time I flew a plane it wasn't even real.

(*ARFs == Almost Ready to Fly kits)

--

Use a simulator. A simulator will pay for itself in three or four crashes.

-paul

There is excellent simulator software available, such as RealFlight Deluxe and CSM. If you learn to fly a helicopter in one of these, flying one in real life will be much easier and safer.

When first flying a real R/C heli, you use training gear which cushions landings. Initial learning should be done with the pitch of the rotors set so that the heli physically cannot lift off the ground, but the student can nevertheless experiment with the controls and learn to hover without getting far enough off the ground to do any damage to the heli.

Done properly, it can be learned without mishaps. I confess to having a couple of incidents early on with my heli - trashed rotor blades by hitting a tree, and separately got stuck in a tree due to a loose servo linkage (an oversight during maintenance). And certainly, as you become more advanced and are flying for real, accidents will happen. Depending on your heli, an average minor accident - such as trashed rotors and perhaps a few bent or cracked bits - might cost $50 - $100 to repair.

The problem that many people run into is not researching it or getting advice or training. They go into it with the attitude "how hard could it be?", and they soon find out! It takes knowledge which needs to be learned, and if you make little or no effort to learn, you will fail.

Compared to the "full size" Raptor helicopter I fly, with its 48" rotor diameter, the Piccolo is tiny. The smaller size and lighter weight of the Piccolo's rotors also means that they store less energy when spinning, so it's possible to crash a Piccolo without completely destroying the rotors every time (my Raptor's heavier rotors turn into toothpicks when it crashes...)

However, don't buy a model heli and expect to be able to fly it straight off, if you don't already know how - it's not as easy as it looks. One of the simulator software packages like RealFlight Deluxe will help you learn to fly and save lots of money in parts (ask me how I know).