Do you think your flightsim experience like in AH would be of any use whatsoever if somehow you ended up in a WW2 air battle (provided that you got basic WW2 pilot training).Absolutely.
It's the same reason why top Nascar drivers like Dale Jr. and a few others say playing NASCAR on their computers in fact was a benefit to them and they use it to acquire patience, learning tracks off season, and other such skills. I've read many articles where they praise racing simulations helping them. Of course they always say that it never "feels" like the real car, but there are many little lessons to be learned just the same.
As for combat sims, certainly formation flying, and wingmen tactics, ACM, BFM etc.. could be learned by getting into the situations over and over and over, ultimately gaining knowledge of tactics and fine tuning of skills. Had someone explained to me what "Boom and Zoom" was all about on paper, I would have not gotten it. My first time in a 190 that I barreled in and turned with a Spit, I was toast. The simulated environment taught a great lesson that paper could not have, or in real life would have been the end.
Another example- Although that stormy approach into O'hare in FlightSim 2000 isn't going to be pitching you up and down making you tense and sweat, scanning the gages, practicing your approach enhances skills for real life. The murderous fright and G force mayhem of a real fighter combat cant be simulated in all its physical and mental anguish, the general tactics can in fact be learned, such as a fighters strength and weakness, and learning the tactics to employ in a given situation and such.
Does this mean you could learn the flight model of say a Yak here, and then go jump in one and all the numbers line up like the sim? Naw, too many variables, but the general idea is there.
So yup, almost any advanced player here would be better off having learned a whole lot about combat tactics. Would they actual be good pilots?
Hell no! Half us fat bellybutton rutabagas drinking good cold beer and eating aged $7.99 per pound hot cow couldn't even get off the couch to mow the lawn without squeaking, let alone partake in something as horrible and brave as aerial combat. (OK, well Ripsnort will be OK, as he worked in AGAIN his feets of ultrahuman strength stuff inna a thread...lol)
Still, the rest of us that just play games, pursue money in a office, and are sacks 'O toejam, we'd be definatley the not ashamed tards we are.
Sheesh!
[In a related side note though, I always find it amusing that guys that are private pilots, or commercial pilots, are somehow look up upon more as if they have some greater knowledge of flying a combat flight sim. Lol, unless they are acrobatic pilots, flying VOR courses from LAX to PHX isn't exactly a daring fighter ace in the making.
Thats like saying I am a better Nascar driver than some 15 year old is cuz I drive a car 55 mph down a straight highway to work and he has no license. What the REAL difference is, these real pilots have the experience of knowing the theory of flight, and have a day to day experience of having to juggle the many complex tasks that can bombard you in real aircraft. IMHO, most AH pilots that think they are LW experts, would toejam their pants if they even had to start a real airplane and taxi to a runway at O'hare.
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Geez, what a Saw-sational post. Thank God 105 will be out in the morning.
[This message has been edited by Creamo (edited 12-21-2000).]
