From Childhood onwards, my twin brother and I are flight enthusiasts. Living near a major airport, whenever we were free we used to spend long hours on our terrace, watching planes taking off and landing. Our obsession with planes was such that it used to get us ‘grounded’ frequently. Alas, becoming professional Pilots was out of the question, as we both started wearing glasses from a young age. The fire within may have dimmed over the years, but it was never doused. One day my twin phoned me and started raving about a new flight simulator software he had purchased and due to his infectious prompting, I decided to go in for the Pro Flight Simulator for Mac systems, the system I normally use. Wow! I literally felt that I had been granted wings. It was so realistic that I spent hours flying on the Pro Flight Simulator, before my exasperated wife virtually yanked me from the computer.
It was easy to purchase the Pro Flight Simulator software from their website. The user friendly guide took me through the software installation process and in no time I was ready to fly. After installation, I found that you can fly almost all types of aircraft to any part of the world and to select the correct settings was just a click away. You could also choose the weather conditions you wish to fly in. All in all the designers of the Pro Flight Simulator software had looked at flying, using a Pilot’s perspective, and it was so real it felt as if you were in the Pilot’s seat, with all the controls at your command. The aircraft controls, from fuel gauges to altimeters were visible and laid out, as in a real aircraft.
I will never forget my first flight. I selected a Boeing 747 and decided to fly to Paris. I first went to the net and checked the weather on the route. Since it was good weather right through, I set it as such. I selected the Minneapolis airport since I live close by. I slowly taxied to the runway and gained speed. When the take off speed was attained, suddenly I was airborne and it was an exhilarating experience. The landmarks of Minneapolis slipped underneath the 747 and they looked so real, not only in looks, even their positioning was exact. With the speed settings and route I had selected, I was scheduled to arrive in Paris at dawn.
To my surprise, the computer showed dawn breaking over the night sky in a gradual realistic manner as I approached Paris. How did the software know it would be dawn in Paris? I found out it had a ‘time of day’ tracking system which is based on your computer clock and automatically positions the sun, moon and stars relative to that place. As I approached Paris, the headlights of the cars on the road were clearly visible. Now I have a confession to make. Though I would love to tell you I made a perfect take off and landing, it is not true.
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The Pro Flight Simulator has exacting demands and treats you like a professional Pilot, a mistake is a mistake and your errors will be rudely felt when all the warning alarms start going off. The take off was barely acceptable, the landing was a disaster. I crashed well short of the runway. It took repeated attempts to master the controls and this is what a realistic flight simulator is all about.
Once I felt confident with flying, I introduced difficult weather conditions. When flying through turbulent weather you literally get bounced around and at times I felt my stomach churning. Within a few weeks, I was slowly getting the hang of it and my mistakes were becoming fewer and fewer. The Pro Flight Simulator had converted me from a bumbling amateur to a professional Pilot. I had earned my ‘wings’ and that too on my own Mac within the comfort of my home.
My twin and I frequently discuss our exploits on the Pro Flight Simulator. We had suddenly become the youngsters, who many years ago sat on the terrace watching planes, and wanted nothing more on earth than to fly a plane. We felt thankful to the Pro Flight Simulator for giving us the opportunity. The Pro Flight Simulator for Mac system was one of the best investments I have ever made.
Filed under: Flight Simulator Games
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