Re: Re: Insteon now or wait?

["E. Lee Dickinson" <lee@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"BruceR" <br@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:5rOzg.6175$Ta6.5025@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> I'd have that van swept for bugs. ;-)
>
> BTW, once the plane is airborne flying it into a building wouldn't take a
> lot of skill. These guys had taken flying lessons. I have a Private Pilot
> license and some years ago had the opportunity to fly the Flying Tigers
> (now FedEx) 747 simulator, a 9 million dollar rig that is so realistic it
> actually had a tail number and was considered actual time in my logbook.
> With only the skills of a single engine Cessna pilot, I was able to
> perform all the basic flight operations, i.e. take-off, pattern work and
> landing with no more than a one hour pre-flight briefing. Admittedly, my
> landings weren't "greasers" (but I didn't blow any tires either according
> to the computer) but the WTC terrorists weren't particularly interested in
> that phase of flight.

Now we could talk for days. :-D

On my pre-solo checkride, the chief instructor took me up, did a bunch of
under-hood manuvers, followed by some turns around a point and finally a
good number of simulated emergency landings. When we were done, he flipped
off the nav radio and said, "Take us home."

I was lost in my own backyard, 5,000' agl.  I can not imagine navigating a
plane from 20k' agl based on dead reckoning, and I can't bring myself to
believe that the terrorists knew how to program the autopilot or set a VOR
or GPS course.

I believe they could have handled the planes. I got a 707 trimmed up for
hands-off inverted flight in MSFlightsim just now, because I got to
wondering if I could. Took full thrust, but hey. :)  I just don't think they
could have found their targets.

The last time I heard an official story from the airlines, part of it
included the fact that the pilots were killed as soon as the cockpit was
entered. I don't know how anyone would be sure of that, but that seems to be
the story that they're sticking to.

Seems more likely to me the real pilots got them close, then the hijackers
finished the job.

The one other thing that makes me a touch sceptical about novice pilots
flying large jets is the energy management and delay in control response
compared to a C152 or whatever they trained in.

Microsoft should use some of their famouse phone-home code to find out how
many times flightsim airplanes get flown into NYC buildings.

747 time in your logbook. That is awesome. I bet your instrutor at home gave
you an odd look when your next bianual came around!