40 Great Flight Simulator Adventures

by Charles Gulick

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North Position: 17299	Rudder: 32767
East Position: 20983	Ailerons: 32767
Altitude: 1300	Flaps: 0
Pitch: 0	Elevators: 36863 (except IBM)
Bank: 0	Elevators: 32767 (IBM only)
Heading: 181	Time: 8:15
Airspeed: 121	Season: 3-Summer
Throttle: 19455	Wind: 0 Kts, 0

	This majestic expanse of water is the Hudson River. You're just where the simulator picks it up, Peekskill, New York. About 5 miles behind you is the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, which is on the river. You are about 38 miles north of John F. Kennedy International Airport.
	Follow the river. It has just widened at this point, after flowing a few hundred miles from its source farther north in the Adirondack Mountains.
	For the best vistas, use radar and your out-the-windshield view to fly about midriver.
	Tune your NAV to JFK OMNI, 115.9, which will provide you with a check on distances. About 37 miles out, you should be able to spot Westchester County Airport ahead to your left. It's 7 or 8 miles east of the river.
	High altitude radar at about 32 to 33 nautical miles from JFK will show you Long Island Sound at the upper left of your screen, though it's about 25 miles away. The highway along the Sound is I-95.     Twenty miles from JFK you'll spot our old friend La Guardia on the east side of the river, and after another mile or so you'll see Manhattan beginning to take shape.     The first of three tall buildings you see is the Empire State Building, and the other two are the World Trade Center towers-all of which we've seen from other angles in earlier modes. And the gradually enlarging white dot in the river proper is, of course, the Statue of Liberty.     When your DME shows about 16.5 miles, zoom in with a radar view until the black shape of New York City appears. That patch of green in the center is Central Park-a green relief for city dwellers, with jogging and cycling paths, horse-drawn carriages for hire, and the famous Central Park Zoo.     About 14 or 15 miles from Kennedy, views out the left side will give you an excellent picture of downtown New York and the three featured buildings passing by.
	Keep your nose pointed straight at the Statue of Liberty. And why not start an approach right now: You're going to land this airplane on Ellis Island, right at the foot of the statue. (And while you're making your approach, see if you notice anything unusual about the Lady Liberty.)     So pull your carb heat on, get into slow flight, and put on a notch of flaps. Point at Liberty just as if it were a runway. Presently the disk will be accessed, and you'll see where you're going. Elevation of Ellis Island is 430 feet.     Make a full-flaps landing just to the right of the statue, as close to the near side of the island as you can manage. You probably won't use up even half the grass.
	You can't see the statue too well from inside the cockpit and up this close. So taxi to some edge of the island, as close to the water as is safe, turn around, apply your brakes, and you'll see at least a reasonable portion of the base. (Too bad you can't get out the door!)
	When you've enjoyed the view (and checked carb heat off, elevator centered), taxi the aircraft to what you feel is your best position for a short field takeoff, then execute the takeoff using your best information. (Note that there is no wind.) Keep your brakes on until you have maximum rpm. When you're safely airborne, be sure to look back at the statue. Beautiful.     See you at Kennedy.

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