To the world of the Virtual Flying Corps. Most of us have had fantasies at one time or another of being Biggles or the Red Baron.
Most of us are also now resigned to being passengers, but we don't need to be. Using our computers we can take to the skies whenever we choose and relive our
dreams of battling the evil hordes and diving in and out of the clouds in our virtual fighter planes. Or perhaps the thrill of knocking out an important target as
you scream into a pin point bomb delivering dive might appeal to you best. Either way, once you fly in a combat flight sim you are hooked, it becomes highly immersive
and it will keep you coming back for more.
This web site is all about
YOU. You will soon find that there is no age barrier to joining our group of enthusiasts
and there are folk playing Flight Simulators ranging in age from 10 to their 70's. The only requirement is that you have fun!
There are many ways to get started in the virtual skies. One of my favourite ways is to fly WWI planes in a program called Aces High with a squad called the
Skeleton Crew. Aces High is a massive online subscription based game that enables you to pick from well over 80 planes to fly in well populated
arenas that ange from WWI to late WWII. The subscription is $14.95 per month or $74.95 USD for 6 months as at the time of writing (Jan 2011).
Skeleton squad members may be found online during the week on several nights but for me Sunday afternoon at about 1pm Central Australian Time is the best time.
Training is willingly provided by AH2 trainers on request. You just have to register an interest on the training forum.
There are voice and text comms available within the game but you might want to get some dedicated comms software to make it easier to communicate with your team
members in this or other games. Links to the most popular are also on the resources page.
You will need a microphone for this but it is easy to use. You will also need a joystick to control your airplane in the game. Tastes vary, but I have found the Saitek brand to be
pretty reliable. They seem to have grips that suit the larger hand and they are sturdy.