Telex Communications Inc. has added a single-sided version of its Airman 750 headset to its line of products. The headset features a miniature amplified noise-canceling microphone for noise reduction, and the single receiver includes a replaceable cushion and weighs 2.4 ounces, according to the manufacturer. The headset retails for $232. For more information, contact Telex Communications, 12000 Portland Avenue South, Burnsville, Minnesota 55337; telephone 877/863-4168 or 952/884-4051; fax 952/884-0043; or visit the Web site ( www.telex.com/aircraft ).
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 and Professional Edition
Microsoft added Flight Simulator 2002 (Flight Sim 2002) and Flight Simulator 2002 Professional Edition to its lineup late last fall, with a number of instructional features that aim to turn desktop fliers into serious pilots - when used with the proper frame of mind.
Several new features take the professional edition, in particular, from a game to a real teaching tool. Microsoft made strides toward creating a more accurate flight environment in previous versions of Flight Sim with the inclusion of real-world weather, now provided by a transparent link to Jeppesen's weather service. In this edition the realism builds with air traffic control menus that pop on the screen with each segment of the flight. Take, for example, a flight that begins at Denver's Centennial Airport. The ATC screen asks whether you'd like to select ATIS or ground control. You select ATIS, and the current information is delivered via a banner across the top of the display. You then select Centennial Ground; the ATC function simulates the call to Ground, and you must choose the response you give with each interchange. You can also opt for conducting the flight without prompting from the on-screen ATC.
We downloaded weather for Centennial that included winds out of the northwest at 47 knots. Launching in a Cessna 172 Skyhawk in these conditions isn't advisable, but in this virtual world it proved an adequate test for the program's modeling of aircraft performance and weather. On liftoff, the performance was fairly anemic, typical of flying a 172 from a field with an elevation of 5,883 feet. We crawled down the length of Runway 35 Right and turned to the west into pockets of moderate to severe turbulence that tumbled the airplane.
One new feature of the 2002 professional edition (as opposed to the regular edition) is gMax, a three-dimensional modeling tool that armchair developers can use to create scenery. Though the stock backgrounds of Flight Sim 2002 are based on regional terrain, they fall short of what a pilot used to flying out of a particular airport might expect - say, flying west out of Centennial toward the Rockies - but with gMax, you can create Mount Evans and the surrounding peaks and plug them into your game.
For flight training, Flight Sim 2002 serves up practice flight planning, point-to-point navigation, and radio procedures. The professional edition includes an instructor's station so that a CFI can tweak conditions and fail systems during a student's flight. Flight Sim 2002 requires a Windows 98, Millennium, 2000, or XP operating system; a Pentium II or higher with a 300 Mhz or faster processor with eight megabyte (MB), 3D video hardware acceleration or better; a Super VGA monitor capable of 800 by 600 resolution or better; DirectX 8.0a or later video and sound cards; 650 MB available hard disk space with an additional 100 MB for swapped files; quad-speed CD-ROM drive; 64 MB of memory; a joystick; and a mouse. Flight Sim 2002 retails for $49.95; the professional edition runs $74.95. For more information, contact Microsoft at 800/426-9400; or visit the Web site ( www.microsoft.com/games/fs2002).
Sporty's Instrument DVD Course
Sporty's Pilot Shop adds to its new line of complete DVD courses with the Instrument Rating Course. The seven-volume series allows pilots to study instrument approaches, air traffic control, en route operations, and weather at their own pace, with questions in each segment to test knowledge.
We passed copies of the course to several testers, and they were impressed. One reviewer particularly enjoyed the segment highlighting Richard Collins' IFR flight from Batavia, Ohio, to Indianapolis. "I think they did a great job of showing what IFR flight with weather and a lot of interaction with approach controllers is like," observed the reviewer. "Compared to some video products I have seen, the quality and clarity of the footage were definitely superior and easier to view and listen to." Collins takes off into a cloud layer, then climbs out for an en-route segment above the clouds, and finishes the set with an instrument landing system approach into Indianapolis.
The kit comes with a syllabus and study guide, along with a DVD carrying case, for $199. For more information, contact Sporty's Pilot Shop, Clermont County Airport, Batavia, Ohio 45103-9747; telephone 800/543-8633 or 513/ 735-9000; fax 513/735-9200; or visit the Web site ( www.sportys.com ).
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