Subject: PC flight simulators
From: "Paul J. Adam"
Date: 11/21/03 6:32 AM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

In message , ArtKramr
writes
Subject: PC flight simulators
From: Andreas Maurer
Could you tell more about that simulator, Art?
How were the visuals done? What computed the flight model?

As I stated before, it was a real B-26 truncated behind the radio/Nav
compartment and mounted on a swive-l tilt base in a hanger.

large snip - good stuff

The run was over, We got out of the plane sweating and shaken. Note that I
call it a plane, not a simulator because to us it was a plane,not a
simiulator.
And we were almost surprised to find that when we got out of the plane we
were
in a hanger. Reality rushed back. That night we went to the officers club
and
over a few Scotches we drank and kept saying. "holy ****. holy ****"

Adreas that is as I remember it. If you have any questions I will be glad to
answer them.

The key question, I suppose, is "was it useful to you"? Sounds like it
successfully scared the hell out of you and your crew, but also forced
you to deal with too much happening too fast, often with the "aircraft"
bouncing around and filling with smoke (the smoke generator, fans and
vents sound very effective).

Looking back on it after having done in combat what it was trying to
simulate, was it useful in training you or just preparing you?

--

It was very useful. In fact just last night I was thinking about it and came to
some realisations that I haven't thought about in 60 years. It occured to me
that every time I started a bomb run, locked in the head and went on course
and, uncaged the gryo, flak concussions hit. This ended up in a tumbled
vertical flight gyro, Now to a Norden bombardier a tumbled guro is a nightmare
that requires a go around, a very dangerous procedure. And every time that
damned gyro tumbled I would have to frantically erect it by pressuring the
gumbal rings to get it erect and caged. I don't know how many, if anyone on
this NG has ever fought a tumbled gyro, but it is a dread experience. And that
hanger trainer gave me a lot of practice erecting and caging gyros. every time
we flew the trainer I became a bit faster and more proficient at getting that
gyro up and running again., It occured to me last night that those *******s
did it ail on purpose. The flak hiting once the gyro was uncaged was no
coincidence, it was programmed that way. And I guess it was a good thing in
the end because it sure built proficiency especially in B-26's. Why B-26's?
Well B-26's used to tear autopilots apart in short order. Therefore every
bomb run was done via PDI (PIlots directinal indicator). In other words the
pilot kept a needle centered as I operated the bombsight. If he did one
skidding uncordinated turn, he would tumble my gyro. That is much less of a
problen on other planes where the bomb runs were done on autopilot. So I can
see why the hanger trainer was set up to tumble gyros. Yup. I sure learned a
lot. And fast.Very fast..

Regards,




Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer