Basic flight sim for Apple mac

[tmmorris]

Our CCF unit has been using a very old version of MS Flight Sim for Mac for many years for some very basic sim work - you can fly it with the mouse quite convincingly and it does help reinforce some of the principles of flight stuff. Sadly this (not entirely legal) arrangement will have to cease with the advent of OS X on our network (finally!).

Can anyone recommend a basic Mac flight sim which can be flown with mouse/keyboard? The fewer frills the better - the advantage of the MS version was that it was so basic, the cadets didn't waste time fiddling with it. Not too pricey, either, as we'd have to buy around 8 copies just to allow one flight to 'play' in pairs in a session.

Tim

[High Wing Drifter]

www.x-plane.com. It is brilliant. Much better than that stodgy MS thing. Graphics not as nice but generally...better.

There is something called "Flight Gear". Don a pair of Google goggles and do a search. It is freeware so is probably worth a download but is probably a little rough around the edges.

[tmmorris]

Actually Flight Gear is quite tempting - it's simpler than X-Plane and may be as a result more cadet-proof. I've asked for an OS X test machine from our IT dept. so I can give it a go and report back.

Usefully it has the 'controls position indicator' that old versions of MSFS had.

Tim

[tinsparrow]

May I suggest the old game 'flight unlimited' its fairly raelistic and you can play it using a mouse and a keyboard. Nice

tinsparrow.

[High Wing Drifter]

tmmorris,

How have you found Flight Gear?

[AppleMacster]

tmmorris,

If demonstrating the physics of flight is something you need to do, then with X-Plane, one has opportunity to "experience" flight on Mars, whereby the user can instantly change to Martian atmospheric conditions. This is a perhaps a more fun way of demonstrating the effects of density and temperature. Landing at 400kts is also quite an interesting exercise...

Moreover, the simpler aircraft on X-Plane are quite easy to fly, so long as the mouse is "damped" in the setttings. A key each for throttle up/down and flap up/down, "b" for brake. Stay below 3000ft in a 152 and you don't need to touch the mixture (at least, that's what my club says). I would say it's pretty cadet-proof. Buy it from the states and it's pretty cheap, even with the full global and martian "scenery". There is photo-realistic scenery now available for SE England, and soon the rest of the UK, which might be a bonus for your cadets.

AppleMacster

[SpannerInTheWerks]

Some Applemac sims/games I have tracked down over the years:

X-Plane (OS X) (simulator/game)
Warbirds (OS X) (game)
FA-18 Hornet (OS 9 and X) (game)
Virtual Wings Professional (4 min demo) (OX 9.x runs as 'classic' on OS X)

This Virtual Wings demo works on arrow keys with mouse for all cockpit controls. As a procedure trainer at home it is great because you can run the whole flight from a normal checklist - any PPL would, I am sure, find it useful revision. The idea is not to benefit from great scenery or slick control, but to learn procedures. Even though the free download quits after 4 mins, if you re-load it picks up from where you left off. A bit of a bind, but it is free after all. I think it costs around £150 to buy the software.

Of course the Rolls Royce of AppleMac simulation is Elite Simulations software. This is available by mail-order in PC format only. It is however available from the manufacturer for AppleMac. I obtained a free demo CD a few years ago. Very expensive though and more a 'professional' learning tool.

Hope this helps.

Reading this through again makes it look as though my wife was right - I have spent an inordinate amount of time 'playing' on my computers over the years. How else would flying instructors and airline pilots get the opportunity to land a Seafire on a carrier!? or do an inverted low pass at 100ft at 550kts in a Hornet!

Sad but fun!

:D

[tmmorris]

Not had a chance to try FlightGear yet - still waiting to find a machine running OS X 10.3, which is a minimum, and my internet connection at home is too slow to download the PC version. Hoping to have a go soon. XPlane is definitely a possibility if the school will shell out for it.

Thanks for comments, anyway.

Tim