Gizmodo: flight sim

Saitek Shows Awesome LCD Displays for Realistic Flight Sim Instrumentation

Charlie White — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 13:10:48 EDT

Thinking of putting together a realistic F/A-18 Hornet or Boeing 747 cockpit for your flight simulation rig? Wait, you might want to check out Saitek's latest dedicated flight simulation peripheral that's looking like the next best thing. The company gave a sneak preview of this trio of convincing-looking screens at E3 this month, and says the unit will be rolling out for sale this fall.

Add a driver to your Microsoft Flight Simulator X setup, and then you can have three flight gauges right there in front of you. The company says more flight-sim games will be supported by the time this $99.95 device hits the market. It looks like you could also use it as an auxiliary SideShow display for Windows Vista, showing you your favorite widgets when you're not doing that fantasy flying thing. [IGN]

$230k Flight Simulator Took 10 Years in the Making

Louis Ramirez — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 19:51:43 EST

It might have taken 10 years to complete, but Matthew Sheil's 747 flight simulator is without a doubt the most elaborate set up out there. And it should be considering he shelled out $230k to build it. Sheil, who is an amateur pilot living in Sydney, uses 13 quad-core Voodoo PCs to power his rig. For video, he relies on a 42-inch Philips Ambilight LCD, and for the controls he's got Saitek's X52 joystick and toggle. He's even got crappy airline food to go with this 2-ton set up. Props to Sheil for his attention to detail, though for that kinda cash I'd just charter my own plane. – Louis Ramirez

Guy makes his own $230,000 Boeing 747 Flight Simulator [Ministry of Tech via Pop Sci]

Goggles: Flight Sim and Google Maps Mash Up

Brian Lam — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 16:22:18 EDT

Goggles takes map data from Google Maps, overlaying a little biplane over it. It's not really a mapping tool, as much as it is a game. Pull back to zoom out, divebomb to zoom in, being careful not to crash into the ground. Hitting the spacebar makes your plane fire, but there's nothing to shoot at, yet. Alright, so that means its not really a game. But it's a nice way to explore a city from your desk. TGIF!– Brian Lam
Goggles [via Ashkan]