Flight Simulator 2002 Soars Into Oshkosh For EAA AirVenture 2001

Flight Simulator 2002 Soars Into Oshkosh For EAA AirVenture 2001

Flight enthusiasts will take off for the virtual skies with "Flight Simulator 2002" at this year's EAA AirVenture Oshkosh air show. Fans in attendance will receive a sneak preview of the game, scheduled for release this holiday season. The newest edition of Microsoft's best-selling PC simulation series, "Flight Simulator 2002" offers players exciting new features including a complete interactive Air Traffic Control (ATC) system, highly-detailed auto-generated scenery and popular new planes to fly, including the Cessna Caravan float plane and the Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet. AirVenture Oshkosh will also mark the debut of the official "Flight Simulator 2002" web page, at: http://www.microsoft.com/games/fs2002/

"Flight Simulator 2002" will be on display in Microsoft's booth in Exhibit Hangar B from July 24 - July 30 at the annual air show. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is the world's premier recreational aviation event, drawing more than 800,000 people and 12,000 airplanes annually.

Microsoft Product Planner Bruce Williams will be in attendance at Oshkosh to showcase "Flight Simulator 2002." He has worked on the Flight Simulator team since Flight Simulator was released for the Windows® 95 operating system. A pilot since the early '70s, Williams holds a commercial certificate with single-engine, multi-engine and instrument ratings. He is also a certified flight instructor and teaches part-time at a flight school in Seattle. An outline of Williams' activities and appearances at Oshkosh are noted below:

July 24 - 29: First Flight with EAA Young Eagles

Williams will take several EAA Young Eagles for their first airplane ride in a Cessna 172SP Skyhawk trainer, featured in "Flight Simulator 2002." The EAA's Young Eagles Program is dedicated to giving one million young people between the ages of 8-17 a free airplane flight by the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first powered flight. To date, the program has taken more than 700,000 young people on introductory flights.

July 24 - 30: Display at Aeroshell Plaza of Microsoft/King Schools Sweepstakes Aircraft

Microsoft and King Schools are offering registered owners of "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000," "Flight Simulator 2000 Professional Edition," "Combat Flight Simulator," "Combat Flight Simulator 2" and "Flight Simulator 2002" the opportunity to win a 2000 Cessna 172SP Millennium Edition Aircraft. One grand-prize winner will be chosen in January 2002. 

July 25 (4:00 - 5:15): "Flight Simulator as a Training Aid" in Sporty's Pavilion 6

Williams will show flight instructors, pilots and students how to use Microsoft "Flight Simulator" as a complement to formal flight instruction. This forum is part of an FAA-approved Flight Instructor Revalidation Clinic sponsored by the National Association of Flight Instructors at EAA AirVenture 2001.

July 26 (11:30 - 12:00): KidVenture's "Aviation Heroes"

Williams will appear on the "Aviation Heroes" stage at KidVenture, where he will speak about his career in the flight industry with younger event attendees. KidVenture, in association with Oshkosh AirVenture, offers supervised, hands-on activities for kids of all ages, each with an aviation theme. 

July 27 (9:00 -12:00): Wild Blue Wonders Competition

Williams will be a judge at the "Wild Blue Wonders" national competition in the EAA Museum. In association with EAA's Science, Math and Technology (S-M-T) leadership project, Bruce Williams will be on hand to discuss how teachers can utilize Flight Simulator products as educational tools in their classrooms. Through research, the overall goal of the S-M-T program is to implement a variety of effective programs and ideas into the science, math and technology curriculums of schools.

About "Flight Simulator 2002"

"Flight Simulator 2002" is the revolutionary new version of Microsoft's highly realistic aviation simulation - the best-selling PC flight simulation ever produced. "Flight Simulator 2002" introduces many exciting features, including interactive Air Traffic Control (ATC), auto-generated scenery, challenging new aircraft - even a floatplane - and stunning visual enhancements that truly make "Flight Simulator 2002" as real as it gets.

"FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2002" FEATURES THE FOLLOWING:

• Experience interactive Air Traffic Control (ATC). For the first time in the series, "Flight Simulator 2002" includes realistic, interactive air traffic control. Through pop-up menus and key commands, players ask for permission to taxi, take off and land, plus request en route clearances and vectors for instrument approaches. ATC responds with verbal instructions. 
• Marvel at auto-generated scenery. When flying above cities, towns, farmland and dramatic landscapes, "Flight Simulator 2002" automatically adds buildings and vegetation appropriate to the terrain below. Office buildings, factories, homes, farmhouses and trees smoothly blend in at the horizon and fill the areas with detail that adds unprecedented depth and reality to "Flight Simulator 2002." 
• Fly in crowded skies. While the auto-generated 3-D objects fill in details below, a new artificial intelligence system generates air traffic around and between airports. 
• Experience stunning aircraft models and special effects. The new aircraft lineup in "Flight Simulator 2002" includes amazing visual details, subtle shading and lighting effects. Many special effects that made "Combat Flight Simulator 2" so exciting are now in "Flight Simulator 2002." Players will see contrails from high-altitude jets, dramatic lighting effects and puffs of smoke from tires at touchdown. 
• Fly new aircraft. "Flight Simulator 2002" includes the aircraft users have requested most. Climb into the cockpit of a Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet and fly in real time across the ocean or fly a bush pilot adventure in the Cessna Caravan on amphibious floats. New players can begin flying careers in the world's most popular trainer, the Cessna 172S Skyhawk. 
• Enhanced virtual cockpits. With a 3-D graphics card, players can fly many "Flight Simulator 2002" aircraft from a new perspective - 3-D cockpits with working instruments. 
• Flight analysis. Pilots work to improve their skills and enthusiasts looking for new challenges and bragging rights can check the precision of their flying. Maps and graphs show how well virtual pilots maintained their course, altitude and speed. "Flight Simulator 2002 Professional Edition" also includes a multiplayer "instructor's station" for pilots who want to take on anything that a wily instructor can throw at them. 
• New lessons and challenging flights. The addition of a floatplane and other aircraft opens many possibilities for engaging activities. Players can be a bush pilot over Alaska, fly a 747 or earn an instrument rating in the Cessna Skyhawk. New and expanded lessons and flights help new players get into "Flight Simulator 2002" for the first time, while challenging experienced "Flight Simulator" pilots. 
• Included tools for add-on developers. "Flight Simulator 2002 Professional Edition" features gMax, a 3-D modeling tool from Discreet. Add-on developers can create scenery objects using an industry standard format. Also included is a vastly improved Flight Dynamics Editor that makes modifying and creating "Flight Simulator" aircraft much easier.

For more information:

Microsoft "Flight Simulator 2002": http://www.microsoft.com/games/fs2000/fs2002.asp
EAA: http://www.eaa.org
EAA Airventure Oshkosh 2001: http://www.airventure.org
EAA Young Eagles: http://www.youngeagles.org
EAA's Science, Math and Technology (S-M-T) Leadership Project: http://www.eaa-smt.org 
EAA's KidVenture: http://www.airventure.org/2001/events/kidventure.html 

"Flight Simulator as a Training Aid" forum:
http://www.airventure.org/forums/presenter.asp?EventID=12&PresenterID=1103

National Association of Flight Instructors: http://www.nafinet.org
King Schools: http://www.kingschools.com

Microsoft Flight Simulator Sweepstakes Airplane: http://www.microsoft.com/games/winacessna/

Article source FlightSim.com