 |
|
|
|
|
You know, sometimes it seems as though the wheels are falling off. I was saddened by the posting I saw this morning, advising of the hack of Avsim and their subsequent destruction. To what end? Somehow, I doubt the guilty are flight simmers. Being thoroughly ignorant of anything other than "Press Here And It Will Work", I don't know how one goes about performing a hack job. But I do know that were the culprits as enamored with creating and executing a flight plan with a myriad of add-ons as they seem to be with creating misery, their time would be spent at the very least hacking sites other than Avsim (or any other FS related site), and probably would rather be spending their time (and hard earned moolah) tooling around the digital ether with the rest of us.
But, I'm neither psychologist nor philosopher, and so am unqualified to comment, to say nothing of understand, the motives of the little booger(s) who took out my second - favorite flight sim web site. Who is next? I shudder to even contemplate that.
I suppose, like anything else, there is a lesson here somewhere. Certainly, we must take nothing for granted, and hold tight to that which we cherish as it could disappear without a moment's notice. And this may as well serve as a reminder of the "dark side" of our hobby: pirated software, key sharing and the like. We all suffer from the effects of software piracy, one way or another.
But enough of my soapbox proselytizing. Did you happen to catch the just-released transcript of the Colgan Air 3407 disaster in Buffalo, NY? Chilling. Disturbing on several levels. But at the same time, enlightening as to just how much flight simulation has taught me over the years.
I spoke with my friend Mark (Falcon711 for those who fly here: http://iflyonline.com/) about the accident. He has his PPL, and offered several insights after reading the transcript. Most of what we discussed, I had considered. But some were not, and worth repeating. Please note the following is based on my recollection (and we all know just how suspect in the dependability department that is) only, and is only opinion based on only limited knowledge of what has been released by the NTSB to date. We both agreed on the atmosphere of the flight deck. For those of you who ever fly with FS2Crew, you would pick up on this immediately. The exchange between the pilot/copilot was, to me, largely on non-flight related issues. Checklists seemed to be run in a nonchalant way (again, having never been on a flight deck during flight, this may be the norm. I have no way of knowing). The majority of the banter seemed to be of a personal nature. Sure, there was a discussion of icing, but while they both talked about it, neither pilot initiated (or even talked about) deicing procedures. Perhaps it was already enabled, but it was never discussed.
The way I read the transcript, it appears as though the aircraft went into a stall just after flaps were engaged. Mark was speaking with one of his friends who knows a lot about these issues, and opined perhaps the aircraft was actually slower than the crew believed it was, maybe due to ice on the wings. Could this explain the stick shaker on flap deployment?
We are advised the PIC applied back pressure to the stick once the shaker enabled. To me, when I get a stall warning in FS, I nose down to gain speed. Granted, they were on the localizer and at about 2,300 feet, but it looks like the aircraft went nose up and lost lift.
Don't get me wrong! I am not criticizing the flight crew! I am not a pilot, and outside of flight simulation, know nothing about flying in the true sense. I am only trying to learn as much as I can from what information has been released. And, of course, I wish only to honor those who lost their lives in this tragedy.
I also realized that I understood almost every exchange between the crew and the controllers. Truly enlightening and a testament to all those who contribute to our hobby.
As I said, reading the transcript was a moving experience. It was not unlike watching the aftermath of an automobile accident. One hates to do it, but is somehow oddly compelled to do so. Having been a paramedic for many years, I've dealt with more than my share of awfulness, but I guess the morbid fascination is a more or less generic human "thing". I'm glad I read it, as I now feel a sort of connection with the crew and passengers and have a degree of empathy I would not otherwise experience. I hope that makes sense.
Well, now I'm thoroughly depressed. There's only one thing to do: buy something.
Happily, it is almost time for the annual celebration of the birth of a mediocre American. Me. Now, the beautiful thing is, The Boss happens to have a birthday exactly one month prior to mine. Somewhere I think, there is an unwritten rule (or perhaps guideline, I am unsure) which encourages one to respond in kind with gift giving. The degree of reciprocity is directly proportional to the elapsed time between the exchange of gifts. I recommend one month as being just about right. See, I have found within The Boss a desire to reciprocate when it comes to birthday gift giving. I of course encourage her not to even consider this archaic and outdated rule (had my birthday come first, I would have denied knowledge of this exchange thing entirely). Sometimes, this approach backfires. But there are occasions in which I really go overboard for her birthday, and, well, let's just say that a little diamond goes a long way!
So, as I sit here pecking away, I am gleefully awaiting the "Wells Fargo Wagon" (cleverly disguised as a FedEx van). He holds in his little van something for which I've pined for ages... Yep, the GoFlight MCP Pro Panel! Is that romantic or what?! This, folks, is the benefit of 29 years of marital bliss! She knows me so well! I'll let you know how it goes. I won't get to really experience it until my birthday, but I think it only wise to give it a checkride upon receipt. Wouldn't that be prudent? I thought so ...
So listen, my friends. While there is much to lament relating to real and virtual aviation (and elsewhere, to be certain), life progresses. The best any of us may do is to remain focused, open and giving of our resources when and where possible. I believe that for every "bad" there is a corresponding "good" happening somewhere. Balance and all that stuff. I see no reason why I cannot be one source of that "good" if at all possible.
Of course, the balance of giving is receiving, and I also see no reason why I shouldn't offer my services as a "receiver of good(s)", so drop me a line if you feel the need to contribute to the overall good!
Three Green!
Chip Barber
rfbarber2@verizon.net
Previous Corners
[ Back
| Home
| Main Menu
| Logout
]
Copyright © 1996 - 2012 by FlightSim.Com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.