Air Commander v1.3

by Bill Irvine (24 July 1998)

was pleased to get a tip on the latest air traffic control (ATC) program, ACSHARE.ZIP, at FlightSim.Com. The opening screens and the sound are worth the 20 bucks author Joseph Jaworski is asking for this fun filled training game/simulator. Like so many others today, I'm busy getting into flying online with live ATC in Squawk Box (for pilots) and its other half ProController (for controllers). What many of us want -- besides just having fun -- is to learn a bit about ATC and to keep our eyes and wits sharp. I think Air Command will fill the bill.

Firstly, it is a game and IS fun. The object is to categorize your traffic which randomly appears at a rate commensurate with the game play level selected (of course, I chose 'beginner' to start). My hands got very busy in short order. One type of plane is just tracking inbound to a named VOR and these must be given altitudes above 10000 feet (10k); also, they must be directed around other traffic. This is all accomplished with an easy-to-use and simple control panel in the right-hand corner of the visually stunning graphics of the Air Commander radar scope and associated flight plan register.

The second type of traffic is landing (surprise!), and these must be vectored to the airport (a/p) and given speeds, direction and altitudes to accomplish same. The third type of planes are take-offs, and controlling these can be done by simply selecting the plane (as in all of the above) and clicking the button next to the plane description in the panel or clicking directly on the airport. Then, click the EXECUTE button on the Control Panel and it's gone.

This is a very cool piece of software. I only used it for a while and was so excited I had to write about it. I hope, like me, you are looking for a visually stunning game upon which to learn ATC. This program should do it for most of us. Enjoy.

Version 1.3 Shareware

System Requirements:

Windows '95 or Windows 3.1
A VGA display and driver capable of at least 256 colors.
Approximately 6MB of free hard disk space.

To get the most out of AIR COMMAND, you should have:

A Windows-compatible sound card.
A video accelerator board.
8MB of system RAM
A 486DX-66 CPU or better.
Windows 3.1 users: Enhanced Mode, SmartDrive, Video for Windows.

To register and receive your manual and diskette, send $20 in US funds ($25 for Overseas Air Mail) to:

Joseph Jaworski
18627 Brookhurst Street
Suite 142
Fountain Valley CA 92708
U.S.A.

Bill Irvine
wji@bc.sympatico.ca

Download the trial version.

Visit the author's Web site.

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