Flight Simulating The Avro Lancaster 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 the way I want to keep it! It also means that I only saw Roy Chadwick's Avro Lancaster beautiful in peacetime fly-by's which is a scarce enough happening, considering that there are only two (!) flyable Lancs left in the whole wide world. There's very little airtime to be shared among the enthusiastic candidates, 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 flight simulation. I am dedicated to Microsofts Flight Simulator X, in which I fly "my own" version of the B1 Lancaster, 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 including the kitchen sink. Out of dozens of existing panels and gauges that I collected all over the place, I created a strictly personal panel version.

Panel redrawing required!

There are two reasons to design my own panels and gauges. Firstly, of course, because there's no existing 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 point of the cockpit, like straight behind the throttle and propeller levers. 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 family jewels shoved painfully into the throttle/propeller quadrants of their Avro Lancaster bomber!

My own panels show a more natural pilots position, and considerably enlarged instruments. Simulation, including flight simulation, is simply illusion - and I don't really care about the panel lay-out being realistic: I want it to look and feel realistic within the confines of a computer screen!!

The controls and such

To achieve a decent level of realism, flying your digital Avro bomber 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 strong but equally expensive, to somewhat wobbly but easily affordable for most of us.

Now, bashfully I have a confession to make. Some six years ago I got the cheapest yoke and pedals that I could find, and I still have and use them without a problem and to my complete satisfaction! In those years I must have acquired 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 will never say that a relatively simple computer simulation like MicroSoft Flight Simulator X can ever give you the joy of flying the real thing, but sometimes it comes surprisingly close. I've made quite a lot of sim landings under conditions that turned my face sweaty with concentration, and sweaty with almost physical 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 hours long flight with a healthy respect for flight simulation, and for the good old Lancaster. You won't see them looking down on "that game" or "that old bomber" anymore!

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