AUTO GAUGES
Are gauges that do not exist in real world aviation realistic or unrealistic?
By its very nature, flight simulation operates with many handicaps and limitations. Compromise and simulation go hand in hand. Restrictions have to be accepted as part of the simulation experience. In order to maximize enjoyment of our hobby, a suspension of disbelief must be imposed during simulator flights in much the same manner as when we watch a Schwarzenegger movie. Instead of Arnold getting the glory, we get to be the hero, we are the fighter ace; we are the airline captain awash in the right stuff. No matter if we sometimes miss the runway while landing resulting in rearranged airport terminals and smashed neighborhoods, we live to fly tomorrow. We brushed off the experience as if nothing happened and kept right on going.
Flying certain types of aircraft such as a Boeing 777 single-handedly would be unrealistic in the real world. For such aircraft, an auto gauge that operates landing gear or flaps is performing the function of a copilot. It lends assistance on takeoffs and landings just as the copilot would do if one were aboard.
If MS would make sound more readily available to xml gauges, the copilot comparison would be increased enormously because spoken commands and instructions could then be used to enhance the reality of simulated interaction between crew members.
Glenn
