Flight Simulators

Updated: 1999/05/07 Fri

Note: Many images here related to computer sims were found on Jim "Red Beard" Knutson's home page (see link in the Squad page). Thanks Arbee!

I've always been interested in warplanes with much of the influence from relatives who served in the RCAF/RAF during WWII. Not surprisingly most of the flight simulators I like are WWII air combat sims. My particular favourite is Air Warrior, a sim with multi-player capabilities over a host of networks.

Air Warrior

Air Warrior is a multi-player flight sim produced by Kesmai that's been around for several years. If you'd like to visit Kesmai's web site click on the icon.

Click me to visit Kesmai

Air Warrior allows you to fly a variety of WWII fighters with and against other humans at the same time if you can connect to a service provider. Supposedly this is better than sex, although that could just be since there's a lot of old guys flying that find it's easier to get their plane up than anything else (not that I'd know either way...uh, let me rephrase that...).


The sweet spot in any air combat engagement, watching your opponent through your gun sights.
This picture is from one of Air Warrior's combat theatres, with the view out of a Spitfire's cockpit as the pilot pulls lead onto an enemy aircraft. Air combat is the only competition where it's not only desireable but honourable to stab your opponent in the back.

A better description of Air Warrior and the arenas that people fly in can be found at one of the sites below:

The Cactus AirWarrior Web Page

I also like to fly with a squadron while online: Internet Daemons



Dueling Ladder

Someone just lost their duel as a bloody mess of bone, hair and teeth--but no brains--is splattered through the air.

I used to manage a dueling ladder using the head to head option in Air Warrior as well as a nifty piece of Unix code called the Internet Head to Head Daemon.

The ladder was originally started back in 1993 by Bob "Limbo" Crane. I took over at the start of 1994. The IHHD software was written by Jim "Red Beard" Knutson and is great if you're looking to find H2H opponents throughout the Internet without paying long distance charges.

Unfortunately participation in the ladder is defunct and the ladder is officially retired. Like myself, people unfortunately just migrated onto other games, and Internet performance improved so that people could engage in games that offered multi-player (instead of just one-on-one) for free.

Equipment

So you wanna be a fighter pile-it eh? Or at least play one on the computer. If so then you need the good stuff. Cyclists pour their bucks out for brakes, shocks and frames, kayakers will spend it on paddles and even people who just walk will tell you a good set of shoes can make all the difference in the world. Simmers can take pride that their hobby has requirements that set them above the wennie Nintendo players.

There's really two manufacturers of sim equipment that have the quality and selection to meet a serious flight-sim player's requirements:

CH Products Thrust Master

R & R Electronics This is the bleeding edge of interfaces.


From controllers to throttles to rudders and interface cards these places have the tools to accomplish the job. Remember, it ain't called a "joystick" for nuthin'!



Go back to my Flight page.