What my senior colleague was trying to express is the bitter truth that in this simulation, there are parts of your field of view that are going to be occupied by the floor, the instrumental panel, that flask of whiskey, and so on, and no amount of craning your neck will get you around them.
So, scan. Practice. Roll around every now and then so you can look below you, and try not to let anyone sneak up on you.
When they do, try to figure out how they did it, then go do it to someone else.
When you park at 50 yards behind and below someone, pause to light a cigarette before nosing up and filling their fuselage with cannons, and watch as the plane explodes into tiny pieces that flutter past your canopy on their lazy way home, that's when you really get to love the no-pad, no-outside view system.
until then, be prepared to swear a lot.
Another thing, the first time I try out a new plane, I sit on the runway and optimize all 27 or so views, finding the place in the cockpit where you get minimum obstruction (from the fuselage or cockpit canopy). For six views, it's generally a good idea to back the head up all the way until it would be resting on the forward canopy.
[This message has been edited by Dinger (edited 03-05-2000).]
