68 AH SEPTEMBER 2019
REvIEWS
A competition always leaves
entrants that place behind
the top competitor. Consider
two competition losers, the
Northrop YF-17 Cobra and
F-20 Tigershark, which took
a back seat to the General
Dynamics F-16 Fighting
Falcon. These aircraft didn’t
win big government contracts
but were still respectable.
So it is with )MZWÆa.;
IMZWÆaKWU\PM[MY]MT\W
)MZWÆa.;. I’d looked at
.;’s predecessor before
and thought it an admirable
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built by a company that
had previously focused on
radio-control aircraft simu-
lation, but it lacked many
of the features established
competition possessed and
the airplanes felt bouncy,
like radio-controlled models.
.; shares some of the same
weaknesses but also adds
some strengths..;Q[IKQ^QTQIVÆQOP\[QU
much like the classic 5QKZW[WN\
.TQOP\;QU]TI\WZ. There’s no
combat component and the
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around airports and terrain.
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the sim to be pleasant and the
aircraft renditions attractive,
IT\PW]OP\PMÆQOP\UWLMT
seemed rather forgiving.
.;’s stable includes a
nicely curated selection of
18 useful and memorable
airplanes. There are starter
planes in the Cessna 172
and the Aermacchi MB-339
jet trainer, classic prop war-birds (Vought F4U Corsair,
4WKSPMML8 4QOP\VQVO
big passenger jets (Boeing
IVL )QZJ][)
two military jets (McDonnell
Douglas F-15 Eagle, Boeing
.) 0WZVM\IXIQZWN
gliders and a few other aero-
batic and passenger planes.
Numerous liveries add
welcome color. Cockpits are
nicely represented, and the
A320’s workspace is an inter-
esting contrast to the 737-
500’s instrument panel.
Airports and cities mod-
eled in .; look nice too,
J]\\PM[MIZMKWVÅVML\W\PM
western United States. San
Francisco at dusk and Las
Vegas at night are worthy
ÆaJa[J]\\PMZM¼[VW\PQVO
to see in Chicago, Frankfurt,
Tokyo or London. .;’s
biggest draws are its smooth
performance and graphics,
JW\PJMVMÅKQIZQM[WNQ\[VM_MZ
engine. Experienced sim
ÆQMZ[_QTT]VNWZ\]VI\MTaUQ[[
a multitude of other features
WٺMZMLJaM^MV\PMLI\ML
competitors, such as air-
\ZIٻKKWV\ZWTIUJQMV\IQZ-
craft, more city and terrain
modeling, superior weathersupport and dozens of third-
party add-ons and aircraft. .;
also lacks .TQOP\;QU]TI\WZ’s
ability to practice adverse
scenarios such as operations
L]ZQVOMY]QXUMV\NIQT]ZM
.; is indeed like an
upstart runner-up in a com-
petition. It’s clear why it
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many gamers. Its intriguing
strengths need more accou-
terments to be competitive.
These may be forthcoming
since the developers claim
more aircraft, locales and
features are on the way.
The bold may still want to
consider .; for its virtual
reality support. Fliers with
a VR display will be treated
\WILQٺMZMV\IVLQUUMZ[Q^M
_Ia\WÆa[QU]TI\QWV[>:
is also available for older
simulations, but often only
via add-on patches and is
often less elegant than it is
in products designed with
>:QVUQVL1ÅVLK]ZZMV\
VR headsets expensive and
clunky, though future versions
WN\PM\MKPVWTWOa[PW]TLWٺMZ
improved comfort and acces-
sibility. Stay tuned.
Bernard DyAIRWARE
AEROFLY FS 2
18)+; !!!NWZ8+
!!5IK !!Q8PWVM
Q8IL !!)VLZWQLAlthough a great deal has
been written about Air Chief
Marshal Hugh Dowding,
so much of it has been
based upon the personal
recollections of individuals
who were prejudiced for
or against him that a new
reevaluation is welcome.
<PMZMQ[VWY]M[\QWV\PI\
Dowding was, and remains,
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history of World War II.
As chief of Royal Air Force
Fighter Command, Dowding
has been credited with saving
Britain. Yet only a few weeks
after the battle was declared
over, on November 24, 1940,
he was summarily relieved of
his command.
As John LaSaine’s newAIR OFFICER COMMANDING
Hugh Dowding, Architect of the
Battle of Britain
Ja2WPV<4I;IQVM2Z.WZM-LOM !! book shows, Dowding had a
lot more to do with winning
the Battle of Britain than
the part he played during
the summer of 1940. Before
\PM_IZ,W_LQVOTMLMٺWZ\[
to modernize the RAF’s
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including the development
of such new aircraft as the
Hawker Hur ri cane and
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the introduction of radar-
LQZMK\MLÅOP\MZQV\MZKMX\QWV
On the other hand,
Dowding did not play
politics well, either within
the RAF or with the British
government. For example,
PMLMÅML\PMOW^MZVUMV\
and Winston Churchill
by refusing to send theTI\M[\;XQ\ÅZM[\W.ZIVKM
insisting upon reserving
them for home defense.
History has since proven
that decision correct. With
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JMMV[Y]IVLMZMLQV.ZIVKM
Dowding was able to
defend the skies above the
Dunkirk beachhead and,[]J[MY]MV\TaW^MZ*ZQ\IQV
itself. Within the RAF
Dow ding opposed the use
of the “Big Wing” strategy
espoused by Air Vice-
5IZ[PITZIٺWZL4MQOP
Mallory during the Battle of
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strength to meet oncoming
German formations. In spite
of the fact that Dowding’s
more-conservative strategy
won the air battle, however,
the Big Wing proponents
won the political battle and
replaced him.
)QZ7ٻKMZ+WUUIVLQVO is
a compelling biography of
one of the few air force
WٻKMZ[_PWUIa\Z]TaJM
counted among history’s
great commanders. It will
certainly be of interest to
anyone fascinated by aviation
history, military history or
the history of WWII.
Robert Guttman