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Flight Simulator 2002 With 13 Monitors And 9 PCs
Ant points to Steve Ferris' site demonstrating what Ferris has done "using Wideview software, Multi Monitors and Fs2002 Panel Interior view Bitmaps. 9 PC's & 13 monitors. Server PC is a 2.0ghz AMD and has 1 Asus 4800se G4 AGP and when Motor flying 4 PCI graphic cards for the instrument panels.. All 8 Clients have AGP cards and are AMD 800 to 1.5ghz... My Ask21 Glider with 3 Asus 4800se G4 cards on the front 6 monitors, giving great downward landing view. When you sit in front, all screens line up reasonably well ... Windows XP on the 3 front PC's and 98se on the rest."
expecting this to get slashdotted,
here's my mirror.
contains large images, please don't kill me needlessly
My father's a pilot, I've seen him go plane shopping. For a 30 year old 4-seater it usually costs a bit more than a new luxury car, so they'd have to all be HD plasma displays before they'd even approach the cost of a new plane. Oh, and before you ask... A 30 year old plane is quite flyable. Heck, we have military planes that are over 50 years old and still flying into enemy air. Pilots pay much more attention to aircraft maintenance than most drivers, 'cause when your engine goes out at 7,500 feet, it's a little bit more serious than when it goes out at 0.
Make me a friend and I'll mod you up
Try here? :)
What time is it/will be over there? Check with my iPhone app!
...I can tell you, that all flight simulators are missing two most important instruments - a piece of string and your butt. No, seriously. You don't look at instruments at all, you just check the piece of string stuck to the outside of the canopy to see if you are not flying slightly sideways. And when you find lifting air currents, you feel you're being pushed into the seat, even before instruments register anything. Other that that, you just enjoy the view (and fly in circles a lot :) ).
most PCs come with bundled windows at a cost of 60 bucks to the OEM
Rough guess
CRTs: 10 x $250 = 2500
TFTs: 3 x $650 = 1950
Vid cards: 13 x $250 = 3250
PCs: 9 x $500 = 4500
So about $15K altogether, give or take a couple K.
Compared to the multi-screen Air Traffic Control systems that are commercially available. Screens
Assembled
Some of the smaller models such as what are used at the FAA Academy use 3 27" displays. Of course the resolution is different. The big screens use $15,000 projectors and custom mounting hardware. And commercially available 3D image generation systems. But you can scale it down to a p4 and a Geforce card per screen.
Eh... not a single machine in my house has a valid Windows licence. Hell, even the ProLiant the school unloaded on me had netware on it.
Real geeks build their computers. And parts alone rarely come with copies of Windows.
X-plane does this sort of thing natively using TCP/IP,
costs less, and has a more accurate flight model.
Other info at theX-plane UDP networking information site.
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A pilot's license will run you, on average, about $5,000.00. That can vary depending on how many hours you need before you're cleared for your checkride, but $5k is a pretty decent round estimate. That leaves $10k. Most places charge (again on average), about $80 - $85 per hour for a rental Cessna 172. Even using the $85 number that equals about 118 hours of pilot-in-command time. Figure abot 40 hrs to get the license and that means $15k will get you a real life pilot's license and about 160 hours of flight time. That's a far better value, with some tangible returns for the money invested, than a bunch of PCs that will be obsolete in 3 years and just simulated stick time.
There are three ways to get aloft:
Without the experience gained while earning a license, and no matter how much sim time you have, your first landing will probably be spectacular enough to have someone asking to see your license. And refusal to produce your license is like refusal to take an breath-alcohol exam; automatic guilty.
Smart mouth works right up to the point of endangering the lives of others. Past that point, there are real, not simulated, consequences.
The average length of time taken to get a PPSEL (Private Pilot Single Engine Land) is around 70 hours. I got mine in 72. The FAA requires at least 40 hours of training. Most beginner pilots focus on the number 40, but soon realise that 40 is a pipe dream. If you're lucky you will solo in about 15 hours. At 40 hours you will have good allround experience and will be ready to plan the require 2 short and 1 long cross-country flights. If you're really good you will be ready for the check-ride at 60.
The ASK-21 (1) sailplane shown in the sim photos is a fiberglass younger brother of the Schleicher Ka-7 (2) (proven steel tube & fabric technology).
Although prices fluctuate during the summer soaring season, there was a Ka-7 for sale this spring (in England) with an asking price of GBP2500. Less than a third the cost of simulation.
Both birds can be found in the USA. Price and availability vary according to present owner's situation.
Notes:
1. Schleicher ASK-21
2. Schleicher Ka-7
The link is from the Netherlands (Holland).
I somehow doubt it would be anywhere near those prices to fly a real airplane anywhere in Europe, or the rest of the world for that matter. We actually pay the asking price for our oil, instead of invading and taking!
The setup just looks "plane" fantastic.
You mean Flightgear?
Analogies don't equal equalities, they are merely somewhat analogous.