Aviation Enthusiasts Ponder: How Good Are PC Simulators?

• Author: Erwin, Sandra I.
• Position: Brief Article

It has been by now widely reported that the hijackers who committed the deadliest terrorist act in U.S. history acquired some of their aviation skills in flight simulators.

To what degree the hijackers were able to only rely on simulators to learn how to steer multi-engine jets and how to operate the transponders still remains uncertain. But the fact that flight simulators became useful tools for terrorists has stirred debate within the industry as to how much flying can really be learned in computer-based trainers.

Major airlines own and operate sophisticated flight simulators, which cost millions of dollars. Professional flight schools also have simulators. At least two of the hijackers trained on a Boeing 727 simulator facility, in South Florida.

But PC-based simulators are so advanced today, experts contend, that it would not be unreasonable to expect that someone could learn how to operate the instrumentation of a large jet by using off-the-shelf technology, such as Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Microsoft Corp. announced in mid-September that it would delay the release of the 2002 version of its popular Flight Simulator, because it needed to remove the World Trade Center from the virtual New York landscape that was built into the program.

A veritable cottage industry has thrived around Microsoft Flight Simulator. Hundreds of utilities are available, which are used to customize the simulator so it replicates the instrumentation of whatever type of airplane one wants to fly--from a Cessna 172S single-engine trainer to the Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet.

The Microsoft Flight Simulator provides the "background material," said David Silbergeld, who frequently writes reviews of computer-based simulations. "Whatever utility you add on is used for the instrumentation."

Magazines such as PC Pilot and Computer Pilot have hundreds of product reviews and advertisements of simulators and utilities for the Microsoft program. For the most part, the largest markets for these products are in the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan. Software packages range from about $40 to $100.

The flight simulators for the Boeing 767 and 757 happen to be "very precise," said Silbergeld. "Pilots love them," he said. "They can familiarize themselves with the controls ... take a look and play around. The simulator is very accurate." More importantly, he added, "You can't crash your airplane when you make a mistake."

The PC simulators, however, are not good enough to reach someone...