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Flight Simulator For The Avro Lancaster Four Engined Bomber On Your Very Own Computer Desk
The moment I write this I am 64 years old and so is the peace that followed the Second World War. This means that I'm "post war", and that's the way I want to keep it! It also means that I only saw Roy Chadwick's Avro Lancaster WW-2bomber in post-war fly-by's which is a scarce enough happening anyway, considering that there are only two (!) airworthy 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 sorry ground hogs can come to flying Lancasters, is via 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 model, and for the 2-D panel on just about everything up to and including the kitchen sink. From lots of available panels that I collected during the years, I created a strictly individual panel version.
Panel redrawing required!
I've got two reasons to design my own flightsim panels. Mainly because there's no existing Lancaster panel available that's even remotely to my liking "looks-wise". Secondly because available panels put the simulated captains eyepoint somewhere in the lateral center of the cockpit, like straight behind the throttle and propeller levers. That's no good: it takes away much of the illusion or immersion. Although my real world flying experiences are sadly confined to light single engine aircraft like Cessna 172 and Piper Cherokee, I know that Lancaster pilots did not sit with their valuable parts shoved painfully into the throttle/propeller quadrants of their Avro Lancaster bomber!
My panel redesigns produce a more natural pilots position, and considerably enlarged instruments. Simulation, including flight simulation, is simply illusion - and I don't give a fig 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
In order to realize a sufficient level of realism, flying your simulated 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 coming in a close second. Fortunately these things are available in a wide price range, from remarkably strong but equally expensive, to somewhat wobbly but easily in the affordability sector of most of us.
Now, bashfully I have a confession to make. Some six years ago I got the cheapest yoke and pedals available, and I still use them without a problem and to my continuing joy! In those years I must have acquired a couple of thousand dollars worth of other flight sim equipment, 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 MS Flight Simulator X can ever give you the joy of flying the real thing, but sometimes it comes pretty darn close. I've made lots of simulated landings under conditions that turned my whole head red 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 trained for, and eventually flew, an MS-simulated Raid of the Dam Busters. Those fighter jocks and "Anything, Anywhere, Anytime" types left their specifically constructed after their final flight with a healthy respect for flight simulation, and for the good old Avro Lancaster. You won't see them looking down on "that game" or "that old bomber" anymore!
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