Want the frustration of flying a remote controlled plane but don’t want to spend the money on buying one just to smash it into the dirt? Give the German ‘Flug Modell Simulator’ a spin. Don’t worry, there is an English version so your not going to be hopelessly lost. I tried to use it with a keyboard and discovered exactly why the joystick was invented. There were wooden pixel splinters all over the place. If I can find a better control option I might give it another try. It could be a very useful tool in learning how to do tricky things like turn the aircraft while it’s flying towards you or what to do when you can’t see your flying money sink anymore because your let it fly out of visual range. Looks as if there are options to attach a real R/C transmitter to your computer via the training port (if your rig has one) and use that as the controller. If you have the means I highly recommend it. I own an antique Graupner transmitter so I’m SOL, but if you happen to have on go for it, you might be able to get some stick time in even on IFR days.
