Xref: utzoo comp.sys.next:948 rec.aviation:11207
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!allosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu!bob
From: bob@allosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu (Bob Sutterfield)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next,rec.aviation
Subject: NeXTStealth
Summary: (was Re: Next and the competition)
Keywords: it's here!
Message-ID: <29895@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Date: 21 Dec 88 19:17:58 GMT
References: <2405@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> <19728@ames.arc.nasa.gov> <29866@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Sender: news@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
Organization: The Ohio State University Dept of Computer & Information Science
Lines: 43

(To rec.aviation folks: this is a branch of an ongoing discussion of
the first few NeXT boxes that have made it into users' hands.)

In article <29866@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> jgreely@fish.cis.ohio-state.edu (J Greely) writes:
>In article <19728@ames.arc.nasa.gov> mike@ames.arc.nasa.gov.UUCP (Mike Smithwick) writes:
>>There is a flight simulator that comes with the box. It's called
>>"Stealth", and makes very nice use of NextStep. The performance
>>can't match Interceptor, or the other high-speed Amiga programs.

[btw, Mike, that ".UUCP" at the end of your address is very wrong.]

>Our licensed pilot played with it for a while, and I'm sure he'll be
>able to give a better impression of this than I can.  Bob?

I've never used any other micro-based flight simulators, so I can't
offer comparisons.  This is the result of about 20 minutes playing
with NeXT's when J would let me at it.

The primary flight instruments are in an odd, non-standard
arrangement.  There's no turn coordinator (which may be OK because
there are no rudder controls either :-), Nav 1's tuning controls are
jumpy and uncontrollable, and Nav2 tunes upward-only.  The facilities
and frequencies are available to make ILS and/or VOR approaches to
three different fields and an aircraft carrier, but I couldn't figure
out which little black speck on the terrain was which.  Also, I
couldn't find any documentation for the approach aids, so I'm not sure
where they were located relative to which airport.

The simulation of a Cherokee 180's performance is inaccurate - what
180 will climb indefinitely at 1800fpm, at 100kts and 2000rpm?  The
control responses were pretty grainy, with a considerable lag, so it
was hard to set up a level flight attitude, let alone a correct
descent down the glideslope.  I think I noticed a bit of left-turning
tendancy at liftoff rotation time, which would be good if it were
actually there, and even better if I had had rudder control to correct
for it.

I don't know if this is a standard feature of micro flight simulators,
but I got a kick out of the controllable weather.  I set "cloud
height" to 0, and the runway disappeared shortly after liftoff.  Then,
while cruising along looking for an ILS approach beam, I reached over
and "lifted the curtain" to see if I was in the right neighborhood.
Oh, if only it were so easy in real life :-)