It's Your Plane

Computers and the Evolution of Sound

Voice control of a computer is certainly not new. In fact, while researching it, I was able to go back in time to the early 80s when "Sam" was introduced to the Commodore 64. It may date back even further, but suffice to say that's well over 20 years of humans and computers using voice as a method of communication and interaction between each other. In the beginning it was a very primitive form of communication since computers needed phonetically written words to distinguish one word from another. This was a very awkward method to use since the computer could speak to you, but you were unable to speak to it. It received its input via the keyboard and the user had to use a phonetic spelling of words in order for the computer to understand. From what I've been able to gather, the computer didn't actually do anything specific, except speak. It was unable to duplicate key presses or to launch programs and was more a form of entertainment than a serious form of interaction.

In the intervening years, voice recognition software has matured to the point where it is now being used in the business sector as well as its increasing popularity with the home user. It's still far from perfect, but it boasts an uncanny accuracy where it's now possible to obtain approximately 90 to 95% voice-recognition accuracy. Despite the impressive advances of voice recognition software, it still isn't the de facto standard either in business or home use. For now at least, the keyboard and mouse are still the tools of choice.

As simmers we rely on three senses; sight, sound and touch. Sight and sound are both required for an enjoyable flight simming experience whereas touch is a matter of personal choice as it requires mechanical devices to be attached to the computer in the form of force feedback joysticks, attachments to your chair, special caps that you wear and so on.

Sound is generally underutilized. A simmer will easily pay $500 for a video card, but how many simmers would pay $500 for a sound card and speakers? Yet sound is just as important to a good flight experience. Try turning your sound off the next time you go flying and you'll soon realize how much of the magic disappears.

Sound is more than just ambient noise, listening to ATC or the roar of an engine coming from your speakers. Good-quality sound can be used to enhance the simulator experience immensely. For the bush pilot it can mean listening to the sounds of the forest while he's getting his aircraft ready for departure, for the heavy flyer it can mean listening to music and the muffled voices of passengers coming from the pax area. Obviously the only limitation to adding various sound effects to flight simulator is the developers' imaginations.

A few innovative developers have created specific programs to exploit the use of sound in flight simulators, which goes way beyond what we normally experience in a scenery program for example. While these are still few and far between, they are slowly increasing in numbers as more and more simmers strive to get the most out of their flight simulator experience.

Earlier this year a new program was released called It's Your Plane (IYP) and that's the program that I wish to talk about in this review. Being one of the beta testers for the program excludes me from writing from a neutral point of view. Rather than attempt to put myself into the position of a reviewer who just received a copy for evaluation purposes, I'll openly express my opinions of its strengths and weaknesses based upon months of continued use of the program. The program has a 15-day, no limitations trial period and that can be used by the potential buyer in tandem with this review to help you to decide if IYP is the type of program that you'd find useful.

So What Is "It's Your Plane"?

I'm not going to reinvent the wheel; it's much easier to quote an overview from its web site.

It's Your Plane (IYP) is the most comprehensive and powerful voice control application for FS2004 and FSX ever created! With either of your trusty Co-Pilots (Michelle or Mike), you can now fly all of your favorite aircraft with only the sound of your voice. In fact, IYP is so powerful; you can even fly from gate-to-gate from outside the aircraft in the Spot View mode.

Gain total control over virtually all of the aircraft's functionality... instantly with no setup required. Your Co-Pilot will call out ALL of the necessary checklists from Pre-Flight to Shut Down. What does this mean? If you can fly a Cessna C172, you can just as easily fly a Boeing 747-400 jetliner! The latest version of IYP also offers you the ability to create your own customized commands, letting you easily control your FS Add-Ons as well. So, sit back in your chair, and through spoken commands, gain the realism and excitement of TOTAL IMMERSION with It's Your Plane!

Basically, IYP puts a virtual co-pilot into the cockpit with you. Your co-pilot is more than just a button pusher; he or she will interact with you using voice control. Regardless of your level of expertise with flight simulator, IYP can assist you with your flights just like a co-pilot in the real world would do. If you're a newbie, then IYP will walk you through the entire flight from start-up to shut down. If you're a more experienced flyer you can decide how much or how little control your co-pilot exercises over the course of the flight. IYP is quite flexible in that regard. At no time are you required to follow a preplanned script or adhere to specific rules. If you do decide to fly by the book then IYP will follow every single rule as would be expected in the real world. If you decide to just go out and explore the countryside then you're free to ignore the checklists and safety rules and IYP will still be there to assist you in controlling the aircraft regardless of your preferred method of flying.

Flexibility is one of IYP's strong points. I'm a heavy flyer and at times I like to go through the entire phase of a flight with every 'I' dotted and every 'T' crossed. Other times though, I like to just load up my heavy, do a quick set-up and ram the throttles forward and enjoy a scenic flight. With IYP I can do both. I just tell Michelle or Mike (they're the MS default voices) what I want to do and they comply with my every wish.

Flying With IYP

Here's an example (slightly embarrassing, but true-to-life) of my first 'real' flight in a Beaver. Since I'm not an avid GA flyer, I decided to try the Beaver from a cold and dark scenario and do a short flight in Alaska. To be honest, I didn't have a clue how to start the Beaver and I had no idea how I should fly the aircraft and still remain within its operational parameters. IYP held my hand and did everything for me. In short order I had the aircraft running (I was using the amphibian version), began the take-off phase and was airborne. Mike took care of all of the details for me and flew the plane while I admired the scenery. Without IYP I would have simply started the flight with the engines running, rammed the throttle full forward and forced the aircraft into the air. In fact (being a heavy flyer) when Mike mentioned the autopilot, I frantically started looking for an MCP in a Beaver! Naturally I didn't find one and at first was perplexed since Mike was asking for something that I couldn't see in the 2D cockpit and I wasn't positive that a Beaver was fitted with an autopilot as part of its basic instrument package. I assumed that Mike knew what he was doing so I said, 'AUTOPILOT ON' and it was immediately engaged. Since Mike was flying the plane for me I took the time to look around the cockpit for this elusive autopilot! Then it dawned on me... it's probably on the radio stack! Yes I should have known that, but I'd simply forgotten about it since I rarely use or fly GA type aircraft and when I do fly them, it's more for recreation than serious flying.

One of my favorite heavy destinations is CYVR. I've grown to love that area since installing Vancouver+ both in FS2004 and FSX. I generally pick a starting location in Canada or one of the western-most states and file a flight plan. I try to pick a starting location depending upon how much free time I have so that I can complete the flight from start-up to a complete shut down. I start from a cold and dark and use IYP to its fullest. My co-pilot Mike and I run through all of the checklists, do a pushback, engine start-up, take-off and then fly under the guidance of ATC. Along the way Mike ensures that we do the in-flight checklists and he also keeps the passengers entertained by pointing out various locations of interest as we fly over them. Yes, Mike really knows where we are geographically and since I use FSDiscover, I can confirm that Mike is totally accurate when he makes his 'flight following' announcements. He'll even offer to turn on cabin music or you can tell him to turn it on if you feel that your passengers are getting bored with the flight.

As we approach CYVR, Mike asks me whether I'd like to land the aircraft or if I'd prefer that he do the landing for me. Well... I've become slightly lazy of late and more often than not, I pass the duties to him. Now I'll admit, I am being rather nonchalant about my flying habits and position as captain of the ship, but since I'm the captain, my word in the air is LAW! Mike never objects (since Mike is my first officer, I think it's good practice for him to do a few solo landings because one day he'll be the captain of his own ship) and as we capture the localizer and then the glideslope, Mike sets the appropriate speeds, handles the flaps, lowers the gear, counts down the altitudes, 1000, 500, 400, 300, etc., deploys the spoilers, applies reverse thrust, and when we've dropped below 50 knots, pulls up the flaps and turns on the cabin music for the passengers! Yes, Mike takes care of everything for me. We successfully executed a picture-perfect autoland at CYVR. As far as my virtual passengers are concerned, I get the credit for the smooth landing (you can hear them applaud and cheer), but truth be told, I guess I should give Mike a wee bit of credit too.

When I'm not sipping coffee or talking with the stewardesses, I'll tell Mike that I'll take control and do the landing myself. Mike is still there, but he's waiting for me to tell him what I want him to do. When I want to reduce the speed, set the flaps or drop the landing gear, I tell Mike and then he does it. On these types of landings we work as a team and I control the aircraft completely by voice and don't need or use the keyboard. If I get adventurous, I'll get Mike to kill the autopilot and then grab my CH Products Flight Sim Yoke and hand-fly the aircraft down to the runway. The flexibility to do what I want, whenever I want, is always available with IYP. There are times when I'm flying with Mike and I'll answer ATC via the keyboard. At other times I get Mike to do it. I personally don't like 'structured' programs that allow little or no flexibility. As the owner of a program I like to be able to exercise some control over its operation. I get that control with IYP and that allows me to structure my flights according to my needs and wants and not the designer's idea of how I should fly my aircraft. Despite the fact that I can fly without the keyboard and mouse, I still use them in conjunction with IYP. It's my preferred way of flying and IYP acquiesces to my concept of how I wish to fly and control the aircraft.

The Seasoned Flyer

For a seasoned heavy flyer, IYP fits the bill. You don't need to change any of the methods and/or procedures that you're now using in order to adapt to IYP. Just continue on as you'd normally do and pass whatever amount of control or duties to Mike as you see fit. If you're a serious flyer then you're already using a complete set of checklists. That still applies with IYP. Mike will read out each item and then you can either handle it yourself, or just tell Mike to do whatever action or check is required by the current checklist. Since Mike is following checklists and standard aircraft operational procedures, he'll ensure that you don't miss anything and that the aircraft is prepared for its flight. As you lift-off and prepare for your journey, Mike will even handle ATC for you if you so desire. You usually have your hands full as you begin your climb from the runway and ATC always seems to contact you just when you'd prefer to be left alone or at the very least, you'd like a few minutes during the climb before you have to contact them. As you receive vectors from ATC all you need to do is repeat them to Mike and he'll handle the airspeed, course setting, flap position, raising the landing gear and setting the MCP for you, to name but a few of the many things that he's capable of. Naturally you can do some or all of these duties yourself, Mike is there either to partially assist you, to be a second set of hands while you're flying, or at your discretion, you can just let him handle everything. The choice of what he does is entirely up to you. From my personal experience, I usually share the duties with Mike. I still like to get my hands 'dirty' and do some of the flying myself. I follow the checklists to a 'T', but once we're airborne, I take partial control of the aircraft and leave some of the more mundane duties to Mike to handle for me. If the weather is particularly brutal, I'll divert to my alternate airport and all I need to do is let Mike know that we're bound for a new destination. I also get Mike to retrieve the ILS frequency for me (regardless of whether I divert or not) and he automatically sets the NAV1 frequency. If I had time to properly prepare for the flight then I use charts and would get the ILS from them, but sometimes I'm rushed and don't have the time for that. Either way Mike is always there for me and I know that I can rely upon him to do the chart reading for me.

If you fly only one heavy, you soon get to know its V-speeds and flap settings from repetitious use. If you tend to jump from one heavy to another (as I tend to do), it's hard to remember all of that data and that's where Mike really comes in handy. He knows the speeds and settings so you can get on with your flight without having to dig into the manuals. If you're about to land and you spot an obstruction on the runway, or during inclement weather the runway is obscured, Mike will execute a go-around upon your command. I didn't mention it yet, but during the takeoff roll, Mike will also abort if you deem it necessary and he's quite capable of engaging TOGA or any of the other functions in the cockpit.

The Newbie and Heavies

Judging from various forum posts, it appears that many simmers are scared away from the heavies because of their complexity or a complete lack of knowledge in the cockpit. In this regard IYP really shines! Mike has an intimate knowledge of the aircraft and its characteristics. You virtually need to know nothing about the aircraft; in fact even if you've never set a virtual foot inside the cockpit, Mike will show you what to do. That's a tall order, but Mike literally can handle it.

You don't even need to know where the battery switch is located, just say to Mike, 'BATTERY MASTER SWITCH ON' and he'll do it for you. Didn't catch that? Just say the opposite command 'BATTERY MASTER SWITCH OFF' followed by 'BATTERY MASTER SWITCH ON' until you see the switch move. You can do this over and over again until you see where all of the switches are located. Obviously setting-up the aircraft for a planned flight can be quite daunting. You need to know all of the checklists, how to set the switches, how to set the MCP, how to read the gauges and so on. Well instead of pouring through technical manuals, just let Mike do it. He'll walk you through each checklist in the correct sequence, set-up the aircraft for its flight and even take control of the aircraft for you once you leave the runway. If you're unsure of what to do in the air, Mike will fly the plane for you and even execute a perfect autoland at your destination. So how will you learn from that? Well just watch what Mike does and how he controls the aircraft during its flight and imitate him. Since Mike is doing the flying, you'll have the luxury of not having to worry about how to set-up the systems or how to do a proper descent or how to line-up with the runway and land. As Mike sets the flaps, lowers the speed, captures the ILS and so on, you'll quickly see what needs to be done and you can slowly take over some of those functions in easy stages as you gain familiarity with them.

With IYP there's no reason to not try your hand at flying the heavies. They aren't simple by any means, but they're not impossible either. All you need is a little patience and Mike's help. Before too long you'll get the 'feel' for what you should and shouldn't do and as you gain familiarity with each procedure, you can use Mike to your advantage. For the first few flights let him autoland for you. As you gain in confidence, tell Mike you'd like to do the landing. It may be less than gracious the first time you try it, but it's a sim and you can't hurt anything except perhaps your pride. If you watch Mike closely, you'll see the speed and flap settings he uses, how he captures the ILS, when he lowers the landing gear and all of the necessary procedures that are required to execute a perfect autoland. Pretty soon you'll be able to do that yourself and then you and Mike can begin sharing the cockpit duties.

For The Complete Newbie

I fondly remember when I first began simming. I didn't know the first thing about aircraft and in order to fly a heavy, I'd slew it high up into the air, ram the throttles forward and take the sim out of slew mode. I simply couldn't get a heavy into the air. When I tried some of the smaller planes like the Cessna 172, I was able to get airborne, but didn't know how to navigate and simply couldn't land regardless of the size of the runway. I'd crash every time and had quickly become discouraged with my limited abilities. Time passed and I learned and progressed. At that time there simply weren't any programs that would 'hold your hand' and teach you even the most rudimentary flying skills. If IYP had been around then my life would have been much easier.

If you're a newbie to flight simulation, then IYP will teach you to fly almost any aircraft. I can't think of an easier way to learn. You'll have a virtual co-pilot in the cockpit with you and he'll show you how to control and fly the aircraft. The checklists for each aircraft that IYP can control are freely downloadable from the IYP web site as are the list of commands that are used. All you need is a print-out of the checklists for the aircraft that you wish to fly, a list of the most common commands that are used and you're ready to go. Now technically you don't need to do that. Mike already knows all of that information and (as explained below) he'll respond to 'HELP'. But from experience I've found that having print-outs of the checklists and many of the commands makes the learning process much smoother and easier since you won't be stopping and wondering what you should be doing next and you won't have to nag Mike incessantly!

Mike also understands the phrase 'HELP ME PLEASE' so if you're really stuck, just tell him and he's there to assist you. Mike may say something to you and you'll be thinking, 'What? I haven't got a clue what you're talking about Mike!' By saying 'HELP ME PLEASE' Mike will list your available options and what course of action you should be taking.

There's also an excellent sample flight using a Cessna 172 on the IYP site and I'd suggest that you get that and begin your training. The Cessna 172 is actually an excellent aircraft to begin learning the "in's and out's" of flying. You can also learn how to autoland using it. We're really breaking aviation rules here because you'd never do that in real life, but you can autoland a Cessna 172 in the simulator. The landing will be a tiny bit rough... but the Cessna 172 will follow the ILS right down to the runway. Once you see how it's done, then you can disengage the autopilot prior to landing and hand fly from that point until touchdown. Throughout the flight Mike will be there; assisting you and he'll even prevent you from trying to fly at an airspeed that exceeds the aircraft's specifications. In fact Mike has quite the sense of humor. Ask him to take your Cessna up to Flight Level 180 and see what his response will be!

Mike and Michelle's Voices

IYP uses Microsoft's default voices. They're freely downloadable and are a prerequisite to using IYP. I used them for many months, but to be perfectly honest with you, they do sound a little robotic. That's not to say that you won't become accustomed to them. I did and after a short time I didn't give them a second thought. Eventually though, as I progressed and became more and more reliant upon IYP during my flights, I looked for more natural sounding voices. I purchased two voices from AT&T Natural Voices named Mike and Crystal for under $35. IYP works perfectly with additional voices and information on how to use them with IYP can be found on the IYP forum. They're 100% optional and aren't required if you'd like to use the free Microsoft voices instead. It may appear to be a negative that IYP doesn't include additional voices with your initial purchase, but in my opinion it's a positive. Some simmers may already have voices in their computer installed by other programs and the cost of IYP would have to be increased if payware voices were added by default. For anyone that already owns additional voices, you'd be paying twice for them, and I should also mention, many of IYP's customers are quite happy with the default Microsoft voices.

Interfacing with Flight Simulator

IYP is really so unique that it can literally change the way you interact with FS2004/FSX. Unlike an airport or a scenery enhancement add-on which you may or may not use on any given day, IYP is like an indispensable utility that you call upon time and time again. It interfaces with the simulator using FSUIPC, so any aircraft that uses FSUIPC can be controlled via IYP. The list of useable aircraft is on the IYP site and is continually being updated as more and more aircraft are added. Regardless of whether you're using FS2004, FSX, or both simulators for that matter, IYP will work seamlessly with them in addition to its seamless integration with Windows XP or Windows Vista. Unfortunately any aircraft that uses its own module to interface with the simulator and effectively bypasses FSUIPC can't be used. Sorry, but you'll have to fly a few of the favorite payware heavies on your own without Mike or Michelle's assistance. The good news is that IYP has teamed with the respected aircraft developer Carenado and as of this writing, two of their aircraft have been brought online. The developer of IYP is continually adding more and more aircraft to the IYP list. So, check there periodically to keep your list up-to-date by going to

Aviation Vocabulary

IYP's vocabulary is quite extensive and has been designed to allow a great deal of flexibility in how you say a particular phrase or the choice of words you can use with your co-pilot. Many of the words are superfluous and are simply added to allow you to say phrases naturally. If you truncate the phrase Mike will still understand. Here's an example of how to ask for the 'Cruise Checklist'. All of these methods produce the same result.

• (Let's do the) cruise checklist
• (Let's run down the) cruise checklist
• (Let's run through the) cruise checklist
• (Let's do the) cruising checklist
• (Let's run down the) cruising checklist
• (Let's run through the) cruising checklist

The words in parenthesis are completely optional. IYP's vocabulary is structured in this manner to allow as many combinations and variations of a command when speaking to Mike as possible. As you use the program you'll find this feature invaluable. There are so many commands that it would be hard to remember them all. This flexibility allows you to remember just a few basic ones and as you gain in proficiency, you can begin to use additional words and speak in a more natural fashion.

Planning Your Flight

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention this. IYP has an excellent (and free to use) airport information look-up service. If you're planning a flight and want to get the airport's frequencies, runway information and location information, just punch in the ICAO code and the information will be displayed on your screen. It's like a one-stop shopping center for the information you'll need to plan your flight. In addition there are over 500 water runways listed there. Simply go to:

The Future of IYP

Since its inception, IYP has undergone more revisions, added features, modifications and updates than any other program that I'm aware of. Is this damage control? No. In actual fact, IYP is continually being improved and updated for the benefit of the end-user. The program hasn't rested on its laurels. The developer is continually adding features to enhance the program and he has been very receptive to users' ideas of what they'd like to see as extra features. To put it mildly the program has undergone an enormous growth and realization of its potential over the past six months. There is one in particular that I'd like to address.

In its earlier release, IYP has required an active Internet connection in order to use it. The reason for that is two-fold. The first I mentioned above, its continued growth and the constant implementation of new ideas, which has helped to make IYP a top-notch, up-to-date program. The second reason is the database. The databases are quite huge and are stored on the main server. This allows those with dial-up connections to download a small file (around 2 MB in size) and still have access to 100s of MB's worth of data, which is streamed to them as they fly.

I have an 'ALWAYS ON' Internet connection so that was never a problem for me. In the eight months or so that I've been using IYP, I've always been able to connect to the IYP server. However, depending upon one's country and the reliability of the Internet, some simmers weren't too keen on this idea and rightly so. In addition, some simmers like to use flight sim offline. Well, IYP has addressed this issue. The current version is now downloadable and works both off-line and on-line.

In addition, the IYP price structure has being revamped and 'light' versions are offered for those that wish to use the program at a reduced cost. All in all, the new changes are very exciting and have extended the functionality of IYP immensely.

The Developer

IYP was conceived by Robert Cezar, (a fellow Canuck) and can be purchased by going to:

IYP has its own dedicated support site and your questions are always more than welcome.

Now I don't think that I can stress this next point enough.

Support for a product should be 'Job 1' and regardless of the type of question you might ask, you should receive a courteous and prompt reply. I can say with 100% confidence that Robert Cezar will guarantee that your experience on the forum will be a pleasant and helpful one. I've personally worked with him over the course of many months and he's strived to treat each and every customer with the respect and dignity that he or she deserves. He takes product support seriously (not so serious though that you can't have fun on the forum too) and he'll work with you to iron out any problems that you might encounter. Your opinions and/or questions are always welcomed and encouraged.

IYP is a complex program and as such it has a learning curve. We've all been in the position of purchasing a new program and perhaps getting stuck on some tiny detail and we're not sure where to turn for help. Sometimes the answer lies in the manual or it's already been addressed on the forum. I can assure you that when you visit the forum there won't be any question that you can ask that won't be met with a helpful reply. Robert and some of the beta team members are always there ready to help you. And what happens if you should ask a question that's already covered by the manual? That's okay; we're all there to help you to get acquainted with IYP and to get you up in the skies with IYP as soon as possible.

In Summation

Have I covered all of the It's Your Plane features and every little nuance of the program? Not by a long shot! There's just too much for me to cover in just one review. I did want to introduce you to a new and exciting program for flight sim and hopefully I've piqued your interest, at least enough to give the free demo a try. Since IYP is a voice-controlled application, you will have to do some voice training prior to using it for the first time. Yes I know... that's a dreadful thing to foster upon any simmer! In reality though, it doesn't take all that long and you can do it in easy phases. Do a few readings to get started and then when time permits, you can do the full training to get extremely high voice recognition.

As you've surmised by now, I haven't followed the usual 'review a new program' scenario. As I mentioned previously, being a beta tester prevented me from starting with IYP from square one, but in addition to that, the IYP site has an incredible amount of information that will lead you through the installation process and what you need to do prior to running IYP for the first time, so I'd suggest that you visit the site.

I can't rate IYP with a percentage or a star value. That wouldn't be fair or really valid because of my personal involvement with the program, but I can speak as an average simmer. I really enjoy using IYP and the freedom it's given me to be able to 'talk' to my aircraft and to have total control and mastery over them using my voice alone. It's revolutionized simming as I know it and now I wouldn't fly without IYP.

Larry Mudge

http://www.ItsYourPlane.com/

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