Free Republic

The biggest threat to American air superiority is not Russia selling high performance combat aircraft to countries like China, but the development of really inexpensive flight simulators. Over the last decade, computers have become a lot cheaper, and the graphics capability of these machines has skyrocketed. That's important in bringing the cost of realistic flight simulators down to a level that any country can afford. Until a decade ago, a realistic combat flight simulator cost about as much as the aircraft it was simulating. While that did reduce the cost (per "flying" hour) of pilots practicing, it was not enough...

The Category 6 hurricane’s howling winds accelerate to a startling 200 mph in Miami, mercilessly pummeling a two-story wood-frame house until the roof tears off and the rattling windows explode. And a towering 20-foot storm surge spawns battering waves, swamping the structure and shoving it off its foundation like a doomed dollhouse. Sounds like a scene from a sci-fi disaster movie. But with real-world Atlantic hurricanes pushing the limits of the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, Florida International University researchers envision a future mega-wind-water simulator that tests how building components would react under Cat 6 conditions. Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind ScaleStructural-damage details...

Lawn Mowing Simulator, a game about mowing and managing your landscaping business, is now out on PC and Xbox Series X|S. Lawn Mowing Simulator looks perfect for zen gamers who just want to take a moment and unwind by mowing virtual grass and attending to the growth of their business Lawn Mowing Simulator will feature: PHYSICALLY AUTHENTIC LAWN MOWING EXPERIENCE – Execute ground checks, set your blade height, and measure your engine load as you complete a variety of contracts across Career Mode, Free Mode or Challenge Mode. Take your mowing to further heights with several attachments from stripe rollers,...

SpaceEngine - a free space simulation program that lets you explore the universe in three dimensions, from planet Earth to the most distant galaxies. Areas of the known universe are represented using actual astronomical data, while regions uncharted by astronomy are generated procedurally. Millions of galaxies, trillions of stars, countless planets - all available for exploration. You can land any planet, moon or asteroid and watch alien landscapes and celestial phenomena. You can even pilot starships and atmospheric shuttles.

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This is one of the most interesting,complex of the Solar System Simulators by JPL. It lists all the planets with every one of its moons, plus many numerous missions including the Voyager I and II. You can program the simulator to view every object from any location. There are lots of ways to configure it and you can spend hours playing around with all its features, Lots of fun for the desktop astronomer. The graphics are somewhat dated but are still very good at providing the thrill of viewing Titan from Saturn or any one planetary body to another.

Iran Makes First Mobile Simulator for Home-Made Submarines TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian Navy unveiled the first sample of its newly produced mobile simulators for its Tareq class submarines. "For the first time in the country Iranian experts and scientists have been able to produce a mobile simulator for Tareq class submarine in a project called 'Shabahat' (Similarity)," Commander of the Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said at the ceremony to unveil the simulator. "The simulator has a 3 degree freedom of movement and is used for exercising diving and ascending as well as checking damage to the submarine," he...

Paul Miller has one of the world's coolest party toys: a flight simulator that is pretty much an exact replica of an F-16 fighter jet cockpit. And for a small fee -- well, $500 -- he'll bring it to your event and let the guests play Top Gun. But making a buck renting out party entertainment isn't Miller's mission in life. He believes, fervently and passionately, that he can convince the U.S. armed forces that he can help them train pilots cheaper, faster and better. Renting out the F-16 simulator for a party or corporate event is just a means...

In one of the many new age music albums, there is a song called "Fly Away" and the constant refrain is "Fly Away, Fly Away, Fly Away," and the refrain really describes what you can do with this new invention. The catch is of course with this, you can only fly away in your imagination. TFT INSTRUMENTS Company has designed a new flight simulator that can be used for entertainment (with both movie studio sets/movie productions), airports, and shopping centers.

flight simulator-Just follow your cursor... http://electricoyster.com/esp3d/

Some details of a US carrier running one of the crash cause scenarios through its Airbus A330 flight simulators are being circulated on several private airline forums and on the public Pprune or Professional Pilots Rumour network. It has been a long standing habit of airlines with a serious interest in flight standards to do flight simulations based on probable causes or using factual data as it comes to hand. This is what happening in what is believed to have been a US flight simulator. Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, The scenario was conducted several times and the results at the...

-snip- Taking a page from the aviation industry-and, truth be told, video games-Honda has created what it calls the SMARTrainer (Safe Motorcycle Awareness and Recognition Trainer). -snip-

I apologize if this is the wrong place for this-- I'm in an online government simulation game, where you can play a Republican or a Democrat in Congress. We have upwards of 100 active members, however, most of these are - you guessed it - liberals! The in-game Republican Party is getting kicked around in elections and in order to compete, we need 'a few good men' (or women) who are, ideally, intelligent, dedicated, sportsmanlike and enjoy gaming. You would have the chance to argue with Democrats, alongside your Republican friends, about a variety of fascinating topics - write legislation,...

STOCKTON - James Dean has a mission to show people what it would be like to be an astronaut. A Stockton native, Dean never considered himself smart enough to grab control of a space shuttle and fly to outer space. He did the best he could, however, earning a master's degree in physics and even-tually landing a job working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's educational outreach division, where he set up space simulators to give people a glimpse of what it feels like to be an astronaut. On Wednesday, Dean returned to his hometown from his residence in...

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait (Army News Service, Jan. 26, 2006) – A new training device is being developed by Coalition Forces Land Component Command in Kuwait to reduce or eliminate injury or death suffered by troops involved in Humvee rollovers in theater. The device evolved from a comment by then-commander of U.S. Forces Command, Gen. Larry Ellis, following the deaths of three Soldiers Dec. 8, 2003, when their Stryker overturned into a canal, said Chief Warrant Officer Rik Cox, FORSCOM safety officer. HEAT based on `Dunker’ “The aviators train on the Dilbert Dunker, why can’t we do something like that for...

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Jan. 17, 2006) – A new virtual helicopter door-gunner simulator, used to train deploying Soldiers and capable of interacting with its ground-convoy counterpart, is now being demonstrated at military installations. The simulator -- which was on display Jan. 11-13 at the Institute of Land Warfare Aviation Symposium and Exhibition in Washington, D.C. – is providing the first door-gunner training since Vietnam, said Raydon Corporation reps who were demonstrating it. The simulator provides a safe, cost-effective environment to practice helicopter door-gunner training by engaging assorted targets in settings based on a “virtual Baghdad,” said Raydon’s director of...

January 17, 2006: The biggest threat to American air superiority is not Russia selling high performance combat aircraft to countries like China, but the development of really inexpensive flight simulators. Over the last decade, computers have become a lot cheaper, and the graphics capability of these machines has skyrocketed. That’s important in bringing the cost of realistic flight simulators down to a level that any country can afford. Until a decade ago, a realistic combat flight simulator cost about as much as the aircraft it was simulating. While that did reduce the cost (per “flying” hour) of pilots practicing, it...

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz.(July 21, 2005) -- People all over the world can get thrills from the video arcade flight simulators found in nearly any mall, and these games might be the closest these people will get to flying a multi-million dollar jet. The Marine Corps, however, has spent top dollar on flight simulators that people at the mall could not even imagine. The Radar Night Attack Weapons System Trainer is used to train station AV-8B Harrier pilots. It is a fully functional Harrier cockpit and canopy, which works the exact same as the actual aircraft, said Capt....

Cambridge firm designs combat simulator to help soldiers bound for IraqThe driver of the supply truck never saw the rocket-propelled grenade that hit him. But his escort, a heavily armed Humvee, spotted the insurgents almost as soon as they opened fire. The Humvee's gunner aimed his machine gun and fired, wiping out the bad guys with a click of his computer mouse. It's not Fallujah; it's Cambridge, home of BBN Technologies, the legendary firm that helped develop the Internet and electronic mail. Now BBN is designing realistic combat computer games designed to help save the lives of US troops patrolling...