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Simflying The Avro Lancaster Bomber Behind Your 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", which is exactly the way I want to keep it! It also means that I only saw Roy Chadwick's Avro Lancaster WW-2bomber in peaceful 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 sorry ground hogs can come to flying Lancasters, is via a flight simulator. 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 panel on just about everything including the kitchen sink. From dozens of available panels that I collected during the years, I conceived a strictly personal panel version.
Panel redrawing required!
I've got two reasons to design my own panels. Firstly because there's no existing Avro Lancaster panel available that's even remotely to my liking "looks-wise". Secondly because 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 no good: it takes away much of the illusion or immersion. Although my real world flying experiences are sadly confined to single engined pipsqueeks 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 deliver a more natural pilots position, and considerably enlarged gauges. Simulation, including flight simulation, is make-believe - and I don't care much 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 produce 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 as a perfect second. Fortunately these things are available in a wide price range, from very indestructible 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 available, and I'm still using them without a problem and to my great satisfaction! In those years I must have acquired a couple of thousand dollars worth of other simulator expansions, 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 very flustered face!
I won't 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 pretty darn close. I've made many a simulated landing under conditions that turned my face 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 performed an MS-simulated Raid of the Dam Busters. Those jet pilots and "Anything, Anywhere, Anytime" types left their specifically constructed after their tiring 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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