The Good Flight Simmer's Guide Mk II

* Modern PC flight sims like Microsft's Flight Simulator are excellent tools for learning about different aircraft types, or for simply reviewing current types. Unfortunately, PC flight sims are written by computer geeks who often know very little about flying, but they do have sense enough to consult with experienced pilots when assembling flight sim packages. As a result, modern PC flight sims are very complete and accurate in configuration and in flight behaviour. This is good. But, on the other hand, the manuals sometimes read as if they were written by less intelligent forms of life. This is not so good. However, sifting through the chaff, we can find a lot of really useful material for real aviators in modern flight sims (i.e. sims produced since 2002, and designed to run on fast hardware with bags of fast video memory).

The Good Flight Simmer's Guide takes an advanced look at developing PC based flight simulation. This is a very useful manual for setting up flight sims (mostly MS Flight Sim versions), and adding/modifying/extrending its various components. Just remember that the book was written for flight sim geeks, and go for the good stuff:

Advanced Hardware
What do you want out of flight simulation? Modern PC's are very fast and powerful, and they have amazing graphic capabilities. The aircraft are very realistic. This book offers advice on advanced hardware and the latest technological advancements. From the very latest types of processors, ports, monitors to peripheral devices. Some flight sims can be rigged with instructor stations, or with a dozen monitors. This book considers how all these gadgets can be implemented into a desktop environment and still give you a smooth, lifelike performance.

Fluid Frame Rates
 While having most advanced hardware is great, getting your software to behave is another head scratching concern. Therefore, the author committed a chapter to optimizing and matching your hardware to Flight Simulator to obtain jitter-free, fluid, frame rates.

Learning to Land
Anyone can crash-land a small Cessna but wouldn't you love to place an Airbus exactly where you want it and accomplish a text book airliner landing? The author explains the step-by-step practical instructions needed to bring off a smooth landing, and you'll guide your aircraft in for that perfect approach to touchdown.

Guide to Flying Online
Often a subject that is ignored or turns a pilot's blood, we take a look at multiplayer and flying online. What software is required? Where do you get it? How do you install it? What are the various methods of communicating with ATC? How do you maximize your connection for realistic results?

The Big Challenge
Just like the first edition of this book, the author includes a challenge that starts easy and gets a bit harder, harder again and then painfully challenging! We aim to utilize your skills learned in proceeding articles and send you off in various aircraft from airfields in the UK and end up touching down in the Alps.

Build Aircraft, Scenery Using GMAX tools
Following our much praised tutorials about installing add-ons we now turn our attention to physically building them. According to our contributors it is surprisingly easy once you know how. In these very thorough lessons we provide the fundamentals of construction and advanced techniques direct from the developers of GMAX themselves.

The manual is stuffed with lots more material, from learning to fly, to cross-country IFR navigation in high winds, ice, and turbulence. The hardware setup info, the on-line gaming info, and the radio navigation techniques alone make this book worth the price.