The moment I write this I am 64 years old and so is the peace that followed World War II. This means that I'm from "after the war", and that's the way I want to keep it! It also means that I only saw Roy Chadwick's Avro Lancaster beautiful in peaceful fly-by's which is a scarce enough happening, considering that there are only two (!) airworthy 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 lowly earth dwellers can come to flying a real Lancaster, is via simulation. 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 dynamics, and for the panel on just about everything including not only the kitchen sink but also the bath tub, the toilet bowl and the hot water boiler (grin)!. From dozens of existing panels and gauges that I collected in years of flight simming, I created a strictly individual panel version.

Panel redrawing required!

There are several reasons for me to design my own panels. Firstly, of course, because there's no out of the box Avro Lancaster panel available that's even remotely to my liking "looks-wise". Secondly because existing panels put the pilots position somewhere in the lateral center of the cockpit, like straight behind the throttle and propeller levers. That's truly bad because 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 valuable parts shoved painfully into the throttle quadrant of their Avro Lancaster bomber!

My own panels deliver a more natural pilots position, and considerably enlarged gauges. Simulation, including flight simulation, is simply illusion - and I don't give a fig 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

To produce a sufficient level of realism, flying your simulated Lanc 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 strong but equally expensive, to somewhat wobbly but easily in the affordability sector of most of us.

Now, bashfully I have a confession to make. Some six years ago I got the cheapest yoke and pedals I could get, and I'm still using them without a problem and to my complete satisfaction! In those years I must have bought 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 will never say that a relatively simple computer simulation like MS Flight Simulator X can ever give you the joy of flying the real thing, but sometimes it comes astonishingly close. I've made many a simulated landing under conditions that turned my face sweaty with concentration, and sweaty with almost real 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 Dam Busters raid. Those jet pilots and "Anything, Anywhere, Anytime" types left their simulator after their final flight with a healthy respect for flight simulation, and for the good old Avro Lancaster bomber. You won't see them looking down on "that game" or "that old bomber" anymore!

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