Virtual Wings Professional
I was at 7,500 feet headed north, far from an airport and about to enter clouds where there was known icing. There was massive turbulence as the last drops of fuel were consumed by the Cessna 172. The prop stopped. Wind noise. Time for a dead-stick landing in mountainous terrain. As the altimeter unwound I actually experienced anxiety.
None of this was really happening, of course. I was pushing the limits of the Virtual Wings Professional flight simulator on my desktop computer. Made by Cat III Systems, of Munich, Germany, the new version 1.5 was recently approved by the FAA as a personal computer-based aviation training device (PCATD). Used with the proper controls and in the company of a flight instructor, instrument students can log up to 10 hours toward an instrument rating.
Looking at a flat screen requires a little imagination, but you soon fall into a world where it's just as easy to miss an item on the checklist. While sitting at the end of the runway, try starting the engine without sliding the mixture to full rich. It dryly coughs and sputters. Every switch on the instrument panel works with a "click" sound. Even the tires screech on touchdown. Such details may be nothing new on the simulator scene, but this one feels like it's a serious learning machine for real pilots, not just a toy for wannabes.
You can program exercises that may be too dangerous to perform in the real world such as instrument, vacuum pump, electrical, and engine failures. The ability to customize the weather conditions allows you to experience wind shear, turbulence, and icing. You can even select the types of clouds and their heights, and whether it is day or night.
The simulator gives you a choice of two aircraft on the same disk, the Cessna 172 or the Socata Trinidad TB20. It also operates on Macintosh or IBM-compatible personal computers. After slipping the disk into my laptop Macintosh iBook, I was up and flying within minutes. After using the arrow keys and the trackpad, essentially a laptop mouse, I tried the shortcut method with keystrokes, but I ran into problems because most of them wouldn't work. I suspect that it had to do with the smaller keyboard on the laptop, where some keys were eliminated to save space. To get it to function I had to spend a few minutes reconfiguring the keys.
I also tried the simulator on IBM-compatible PCs with larger screens. As with most modern simulators, the Windows or Macintosh versions require 32 MB of RAM, graphic cards, and Windows 95 or Mac System 7.5 or later. As I found out by trying it on newer and older computers, be well above the minimum requirements or face more than one kind of crash.
Pretending to be a test pilot, I took the 172 through a rigorous test flight to see if the programmers paid attention to performance details. I did things I'd never do in a 172. If you put the nose down and get at least 140 knots, you'll have just enough momentum to carry you through a loop. Anything less and it will stall out on top. As the airspeed increases you can almost feel the G forces as you pull inverted. Even the attitude indicator topples. Of course, the simulator was not designed as an aerobatic trainer. One thing that was forgotten, it appears, was service ceiling. The 172 kept climbing sprightly through 18,000 feet and beyond.
It comes with functional ILS, VOR, DME, ADF, and marker beacon receivers, audio panel, and chronometer for shooting IFR approaches at a number of airports including Oakland, California. A major difference in this virtual world, though, is not having to deal with the heavy Bay Area traffic.
Although it is dubbed as an instrument trainer, it's also handy for VFR pilots wanting to practice normal and emergency procedures over realistic European or North American terrain. With checklists and a reference manual, the simulator could also be used to make a checkout go a lot more smoothly once the routine stuff is out of the way.
I didn't try the simulator with the PCATD controls that, along with the computer hardware, can easily put your investment into the thousands of dollars — but also can substantially increase realism. This route, however, could be good for flight schools that can justify the expense and is mandatory if the time is going to be logged. (You can use regular computer game controls to enhance the simulator, but the time can't be logged.) For more information on PCATD controls, contact Precision Flight Controls ( www.flypfc.com).
The Virtual Wings Professional 1.5 can be upgraded for free for all registered users of version 1.x and can be downloaded from the company's Web site ( www.cat3.com). For new users, it retails for $249. For more information, write CAT III Systems, Turkenstrasse 10, Munich, Germany; telephone +49 89 28675200; or e-mail [email protected]. — Nathan A. Ferguson
DuPont Sontara AC aircraft wipes
The folks at DuPont have applied a new technology to aircraft wipes. It's called spunlaced fabric, and it combines wood pulp and polyester fibers to create a strong, clean, reusable cloth that can be used for several in-hangar duties. The trade name for the new product is Sontara AC, and it was codeveloped by Bombardier Aerospace to be the one product used on its assembly and flight test line. Now, Sontara AC is available to individual owners in smaller packages.
We put a few samples of Sontara AC wipes to the test during an owner-assisted annual inspection. We used the wipes for everything from wiping excess grease off of wheel bearings to removing greasy fingerprints from the airplane when the annual was over. All surfaces were left clean and free of lint. Durability was also very good, as we were able to use one sheet for several light-duty jobs without its falling apart or disintegrating when soaked with avgas, varsol, or other strong solvents. The product claims to be launderable, but we didn't put that claim to the test.
Sontara also works well for everyday tasks such as cleaning windows and spot touch-ups of painted surfaces. The wipes come out of the pop-up dispenser box completely clean so you don't have to worry about trapped particles, as you would with shop rags that are used over and over for varying tasks.
Sontara AC wipes are available from individual dealers by calling 888/476-6827. A box of 100 will cost approximately $11, while a box of 250 lists for about $30. For more information, call 615/847-7656 or visit the Web site ( www.dupont.com/sontara). — Peter A. Bedell
Briefly Noted
Ultravisor Aircraft Sunvisors is offering a line of see-through tinted plexiglass sun visors for a variety of general aviation aircraft. Designed by an aerospace engineer, Jeff Johnson, AOPA 1196923, the visors are made of optically clear acrylic plexiglass and are attached to black anodized aluminum mounting brackets. The company has FAA supplemental type certificate and parts manufacturer authority approvals.
Johnson designed the visors when he was a student pilot after the Cessna 150 he was flying narrowly avoided a midair collision with a Learjet. Johnson also lost his father in a midair collision.
Ultravisor Aircraft Sunvisors are available for Cessnas, early and late-model Beeches, and 1964 through 1971 Piper airplanes for $129 per set. For more information or to order, call 909/734-1100 or visit the Web site ( www.ultravisor.com). — Michael P. Collins
The Belfort Instrument Company has developed DigiWx, an automated weather-sensing station designed for private use. The system includes instruments to detect and report atmospheric pressure, wind speed and direction, wind gust intensity, temperature, dew point, density altitude, and relative humidity.
Belfort's aim is to sell these $6,950 units (which include an instrument mast and a handheld receiver) to heliports, seaplane bases, resorts, crop-dusting outfits, balloon operations, and private airports. The handheld receiver lets you access a discrete frequency and display wind components on a runway image symbolic of the customer's runway orientation. Additional receivers are $595 apiece.
DigiWx comes with a one-year warranty, and Belfort says that the instruments are pilot-maintainable. For more information, contact Belfort at 800/937-2353 or visit the Web site ( www.digiwx.com). — Thomas A. Horne
Michael Fuenfer, AOPA 1379784, is designing and marketing detailed wooden aircraft demonstration models designed to assist flight instructors when demonstrating flight maneuvers. These high-quality models have fully movable control surfaces and are ruggedly built. FlightSafety International in Vero Beach, Florida, recently bought 80 models to assist its flight programs. A Piper Seminole/Beech Duchess twin, a Piper-type low-wing, and a Cessna-type high-wing model are currently available, with a Seneca/Baron/Aztec-type twin and a Cub-type tailwheel model soon to be available. Prices are $28 plus shipping and handling for the twin and $25 plus shipping and handling for the singles. For more information contact Michael Fuenfer, 2815 Airport Drive, Unit 3B, Vero Beach, Florida 32960; telephone 561/562-5930; or e-mail [email protected]. — Steven W. Ells
Sporty's Pilot Shop now offers an extremely simple but useful altitude reminder suitable for use in both VFR and IFR flight. Instead of writing down assigned altitudes or relying on memory, a pilot can dial in the desired altitude on the 3 5/8-by-1 1/2-inch device. It can be attached to the yoke, instrument panel, or lapboard with hook-and-loop or double-sided tape. The altitude reminder is available for $11.95 plus shipping by calling Sporty's at 800/SPORTYS or 513/735-9000. — MPC
Powerflow Systems Inc., of Daytona Beach, Florida, has received a supplemental type certificate for the installation of the Powerflow tuned exhaust system in Cessna 177 and 177B models; approval for the 177A is pending.
This system replaces the stock system, is built of heavier materials, and is designed to increase the breathing capability of the engine. The company says that this results in high-er power with no additional modifications. Powerflow says that installation of its exhaust system will increase the climb performance of a Cessna 177B by 200 feet per minute and reduce the takeoff distance by 10 percent.
A Powerflow system was STCed for Lycoming-powered Cessna 172s in January 1999, and more than 170 systems have been installed on 172s (see " Pilot Products: Power Flow Systems' Cessna 172 Exhaust," March Pilot). For more information, contact Power-flow Systems at 877/693-7356, or e-mail the company ( [email protected]). — SWE
Englewood, Colorado-based Jeppesen has updated its popular Flitestar flight planning and Flitemap moving-map programs. The fifth release of these updated programs, version 8.1, is available for IBM-compatible personal computers and will be sent free of charge to NavData revision customers. For more information in the Western Hemisphere, contact Matt Ruwe at 800/621-5377, extension 4779, or 303/328-4779; or visit the Web site ( www.jeppesen.com/prodserv). — SWE
Unless otherwise stated, products listed herein have not been evaluated by AOPA Pilot editors. AOPA assumes no responsibility for products or services listed or for claims or actions by manufacturers or vendors. However, members unable to get satisfaction regarding products listed should advise AOPA. To submit products for evaluation, contact: New Products Editor, AOPA Pilot , 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701; telephone 301/695-2350. Links to all Web sites referenced in this issue can be found on AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/pilot/links/links0008.shtml).
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