From: jerrys@btree.uucp (Jerry Samsen)
Newsgroups: rec.aviation
Subject: Re: flight report f-14d simulator. fightertown miramar...
Date: 16 Apr 92 21:01:09 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Brooktree Corporation, San Diego

yea Dennis -- so how many times did you you spin it?  I had a similar
experience with a little over 1 hr in an FA-18D simulator at El Toro.  I
took off from El Toro, hit the coast at 400' and 600k and headed for
sandyeggo.  Had a chase plane flown by the sim operator (which I latter
engaged in ACM with).   

You're right, the control responsiveness is unlike anything I've ever
flown.  These things are designed to the point of neutral stability. 
Push that stick and your going to ROLL!!.  I was able to fly around
sandyeggo bay, between a couple buildings downtown and try to fly under
the Coronodo bridge (chickened out -- pulled up at the last minute). 

Did you have "bitchin Betty"?  (The female annunciator voice) who says
neat things like "Altitude, Altidute" or "Warning, Fuel".  Also also
alot of caution horns in the headset.  One I remember clearly is the
stall warning (sharp piercing tone) as I encountered it just before one
of my two accidental spins.  Was actually able to recover from the
spins.  As the earth revolved round and round I said, well maybe GA spin
recovery technique would work -- so applied full opposite rudder and
snapped the stick forward,  power at idle - NOTHING.  So, I advanced the
throttle to full (not to the AB indent however), and the rotation
stopped and I was able to pull out (propably technically pulled the
wings off or went to sleep with mega G's).

HUD was a kick as were the three CRT's in which you could call up
weapons status, attitude, moving maps, HUD display, etc.  Was not
allowed to use the radar modes (apparently off limits to civilians due
to security).  

Did an ACM exercise with the chase plane.  Pulled off a couple of FOX
2's and it was neat seeing them come off the rails and track toward
(sort of) the target - all misses.  Got into second spin when I lost
situational (positional) awareness, stalled it out and spun.  Pulling
hard in a climb to inverted even with full AB the thing runs out of
energy (read airspeed).  

Carrier landings - foreget it!  Don't know how Dennis did it.  When set
up on the glide slope several miles out the ship looked like a white
spek on the horizon.  The sims graphics are pretty good -- set for dusk
so they don't have to render too much detail, but there was no visual
way to make the landing.  I tried to use the HUD for an instrument
approach (it changed format -- approach mode?) but did not know how to
read it so crashed into the fantail.

Did do what I've always wanted to do -- overhead approach to Miramar. 
1500' 350k,  cleared to break by the tower midfield - about a 4G turn to
the left - power to idle - speed dropping through 200k on rollout to
downwind, gear down, 1/2 flaps, and fly the pattern.  
Learned what getting "behind the power curve is all about.  At high 
alpha, with gear and flaps at low airspeed -- got too low.  With full AB
the thing was still sinking.  Recovered in time to make a lousy landing
at Miramar.  

Jerry Samsen, CFII
Brooktree Corporation