F-15 Flight simulator

I got a chance to use one of these today at the base. My wife actually pulled some strings to get me a seat. It was a blast. They give you a mission brief beforehand of what the HUD looks like, and how to operate the stick, and then they sit you in the cockpit and a real pilot stands behind you and talks you through it. My "mission" consisted of identifying an SU-27 out of a 4 ship formation and shooting it down. Once that was done, I had to fly back to Langley and land. Before I got to Langley though, I did a low flyby of my house, LOL, then we did a loop...straight up in the air and back down. My landing was good, I almost had to touch and go but I got her down the first time.

I couldn't believe how sensitive the stick was. When I was flying it I could barely keep level and straight, but it was really cool to do it. I have a totally newfound respect for those pilots.

Sounds awesome.

I'd imagine seat time in those simulators wouldn't be cheap.

Kevin K said:

Sounds awesome.

I'd imagine seat time in those simulators wouldn't be cheap.

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Our tax dollars at work....

That's cool Dude, I got to fly the C-5 simulator up in Dover during engine-run class. All we really got to do is land it and taxi it though, your ride sounds much more exciting. When do you take a ride in the real thing?

todd_k said:

Our tax dollars at work....

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You have no idea how much the Gov't wastes.

You'll thank the Dude when he becomes President and leads the attack against the Alien motherships.

olllllo said:

You'll thank the Dude when he becomes President and leads the attack against the Alien motherships.

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Is that before or after he defeats Dark Helmet?

I'm so jealous. . Back in College, when I had the time, I loved to play combat flight simulators. The thicker the manual and the more realistic the better.

Kai

Man, I'm surprised you landed the thing. I could rarely land a C172 on MS Flight Sim, in the comfort of my own home!

todd_k said:

Our tax dollars at work....

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Hey, at least he was learning something he can apply to his job! You want to call someone out, bring it on! I spent at least an hour on the crapper at work today reading the comics and classified ads. And you paid me for it. :rockin:

It was funny, the sim controller knew I was a weather guy, so right after I shot down the SU-27 a thunderstorm magically popped up right in front of me. They had a good laugh when I got out of there. He was actually making lightning come out of the thing. I had beeps and whistles going on all over the cockpit.

SwAMi75 said:

I spent at least an hour on the crapper at work today reading the comics and classified ads. And you paid me for it.

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LMAO!!!!

Dude said:

It was funny, the sim controller knew I was a weather guy, so right after I shot down the SU-27 a thunderstorm magically popped up right in front of me. They had a good laugh when I got out of there. He was actually making lightning come out of the thing. I had beeps and whistles going on all over the cockpit.

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LOL.....sounds like a blast. Now invite them over and see how well they can forecast for a trans-Pacific mission with 10 air refueling tracks.

Dude,

Are you a pilot too? It is pretty impressive to manage a landing in a real flight simulator with no real-world experience.

Flyin' Lion said:

You have no idea how much the Gov't wastes.

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You don't even wanna know. I love my job...

SwAMi75 said:

Man, I'm surprised you landed the thing. I could rarely land a C172 on MS Flight Sim, in the comfort of my own home!

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Actually, depending on which sim he got into, Dude had at least 120 degrees field of view, if not a complete wraparound display. Landing is infinitely easier with more peripheral vision cues. Single pane displays (like your computer with MS Flight Sim) are almost always tough to land.

Dude...you should come to my neck of the woods - I'm not sure if the weather would ever be guessed correctly, but at least I'd have some company in homebrewing. Are you still active duty? I think you mentioned that somewhere...but I can't remember...

dantodd said:

Dude,

Are you a pilot too? It is pretty impressive to manage a landing in a real flight simulator with no real-world experience.

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Heck no. It wasn't a pretty landing by any means.

Yuri_Rage said:

Actually, depending on which sim he got into, Dude had at least 120 degrees field of view, if not a complete wraparound display. Landing is infinitely easier with more peripheral vision cues. Single pane displays (like your computer with MS Flight Sim) are almost always tough to land.

Dude...you should come to my neck of the woods - I'm not sure if the weather would ever be guessed correctly, but at least I'd have some company in homebrewing. Are you still active duty? I think you mentioned that somewhere...but I can't remember...

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Still active duty for 4 years 7 months. Not that I'm counting or anything.
I'm pretty much game to go anywhere they send me. I'd go out that way again--I spent the first 5 years of my career in Arizona at Luke AFB.

SwAMi75 said:

LOL.....sounds like a blast. Now invite them over and see how well they can forecast for a trans-Pacific mission with 10 air refueling tracks.

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It doesn't matter how well it's forecast. The damn tanker dudes will find the only cloud in the entire 2500 mile flight and obliviously drag everyone straight through it while drinking coffee and concentrating on not burning the pizza cooking downstairs.

I've never had a chance to fly a simulator but last year I did get an incentive flight in an F-16. That was the most awesome experience I've ever had (Other than the birth of my children).
We flew over the Rocky Mountains and did some tactical maneuvers. Then it was out onto the plains for aerobatics. We even did a 9G turn.
I gotta tell you- an F-16 will flat out accelerate!

Go ahead and call this a waste of tax payers money but I received the flight because I was a superior performer for a major inspection that my shop did quite well on.

Dude said:

Still active duty for 4 years 7 months. Not that I'm counting or anything.
I'm pretty much game to go anywhere they send me. I'd go out that way again--I spent the first 5 years of my career in Arizona at Luke AFB.

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That must have been tough forecasting in the desert. I was stationed at DM in Tucson for two years. That was back in 77-79.

By the way- Congrats on getting a chance to fly the simulator. I for one know it wasn't a waste of tax payer's dollars. The AF asks you to do a lot and this was just a small pay back.

RichBrewer said:

Go ahead and call this a waste of tax payers money but I received the flight because I was a superior performer for a major inspection that my shop did quite well on.

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From the perspective of someone capable of giving incentive flights, I think every airman should get one, regardless of his performance. It serves to further motivate the star-performers and re-invigorates the attitudes of those who have lost interest or enthusiasm for their jobs. Most importantly, it's a way of showing all of those "support agencies" who claim to be "mission essential" exactly what the mission they support really entails.

Congrats on your flight Rich!

Kaiser said:

I'm so jealous. . Back in College, when I had the time, I loved to play combat flight simulators. The thicker the manual and the more realistic the better.

Kai

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ditto, thought this was about a game i'd played 15 or so years ago...

Yuri_Rage said:

From the perspective of someone capable of giving incentive flights, I think every airman should get one, regardless of his performance. It serves to further motivate the star-performers and re-invigorates the attitudes of those who have lost interest or enthusiasm for their jobs. Most importantly, it's a way of showing all of those "support agencies" who claim to be "mission essential" exactly what the mission they support really entails.

Congrats on your flight Rich!

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Hear, hear! As a young airman I got a backseat hop in an old F-4G Phantom. You wanna talk kick ass! Like someone nailing you in the back with a 2 by 4 when he lit the burners. It did bring out a sense of pride and woke my lazy ass up. I still get jumpy when I hear those burners kick in. Now as a civilian, I get paid to "shoot them down". The best of both worlds.

RichBrewer said:

I've never had a chance to fly a simulator but last year I did get an incentive flight in an F-16. That was the most awesome experience I've ever had (Other than the birth of my children).
We flew over the Rocky Mountains and did some tactical maneuvers. Then it was out onto the plains for aerobatics. We even did a 9G turn.
I gotta tell you- an F-16 will flat out accelerate!

Go ahead and call this a waste of tax payers money but I received the flight because I was a superior performer for a major inspection that my shop did quite well on.

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Then you should get a ride in a 15, now that accelerates!

Yuri, you heard those songs by dos gringos? ****ing funny as hell.

z987k said:

Then you should get a ride in a 15, now that accelerates!

Yuri, you heard those songs by dos gringos? ****ing funny as hell.

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I know Dos Gringos. Good dudes. Buy their albums!!!

I have them both!!!