Simflying The Avro Lancaster Heavy Bomber Sitting Behind Your Own Computer
The moment I write this I am 64 years old and so is the peace that followed World War Two. This means that I'm "post war", which is exactly the way I want to keep it! It also means that I only saw the Avro Lancaster impressive in peacetime fly-by's which is a scarce enough happening anyway, considering that there are only two (!) flyable Lancasters left in the whole wide world. There's very little airtime to be shared among the eager crowd, so there are probably less than a dozen people who get to fly a real Lancaster from the left seat every once in a while.
The closest us mere mortals can come to flying Lancasters, is via a flight simulator. I am dedicated to Microsofts Flight Simulator X, in which I fly "my own" version of the Lancaster bomber, a hybrid based on the "Wings of Power" version for exterior and flight dynamics, and for the 2-D instrument panel on just about everything up to and including not only the kitchen sink but also the bath tub, the toilet bowl and the hot water boiler (grin)!. From lots of existing panels and gauges that I collected all over the place, I conceived a my personal panel.
Panel rearranging required!
There are several reasons for me to design my own panels and gauges. Mainly because there's no ready made Lancaster bomber panel available that's even remotely to my liking "looks-wise". Secondly because all available panels put the simulated captains eyepoint somewhere in the center of the cockpit, like straight behind the throttle controls. That's truly bad because it takes away much of the illusion or immersion. Although my real world flying experiences are sadly confined to single engines like Cessna 172 and Piper Cherokee, I know that Lancaster pilots did not sit with their valuable parts shoved painfully into the throttle quadrant of their Avro Lancaster bomber!
My own panels show a more natural pilots position, and considerably enlarged instruments. Simulation, including flight simulation, is make-believe - and I don't care much about the panel lay-out being realistic: I want it to look and feel realistic within the confines of a computer screen!!
The physical controls
To achieve a sufficient level of realism, flying your digital Lanc with the keyboard or mouse won't do. If you can even remotely afford it, a steering yoke is an absolute must, with a set of pedals right on its heels. Fortunately these things are available in a wide price range, from remarkably indestructible but equally expensive, to somewhat wobbly but easily affordable for most of us.
And now I have a confession to make. Some six years ago I got the cheapest yoke and pedals I could get, and I still have and use them without a problem and to my continuing joy! In those years I must have bought for more than a couple of thousand dollars worth of other flight simulator hardware and software, but I never saw any reason for discarding my old and faithful pedals/yoke set! Sure, eventually I'll replace them, even if it is only on account of normal wear and tear from almost daily use, but I'm not holding my breath in either hope or despair.
A red and sweaty face!
I won't say that a relatively simple computer simulation like MicroSoft Flight Sim can ever give you the joy of flying the real thing, but sometimes it comes astonishingly close. I've made quite a lot of sim landings under conditions that turned my whole head red with concentration, and sweaty with almost real fear! Nor am I the only one with such experiences. I think it was around 2004 that an RAF flight crew flew an MS-simulated Dam Busters raid. Those fighter jocks and "Anything, Anywhere, Anytime" types left their specifically constructed after their exhausting final flight with a healthy respect for MSFS-X, and for the good old Avro Lancaster bomber. You won't see them looking down on "that game" or "that old bomber" anymore!
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