At a local airshow a few years ago I paid for a 20 minute hop in a Harvard. Not a WW2 fighter, but not a modern-day Beechcraft either. The pilot was a former RCAF CF-18 pilot who flew these demos for the love of it - a real cool dude. I had a chance to chat with him a bit prior to the ride and told him about IL-2. He responded by snapping in the joystick (it had a spring-loaded button - just like a vacuum cleaner!) in the rear seat (my) position.
After getting us up in the air he demonstrated a few basic air maneuvers over rural Ontario, including a wing-over keeping a barn in sight through the canopy top. Cool!!! He then let me take over for a few coordinated turns. Make that "attempted" coordinated turns! LOL
It was all over much too soon. One lasting impression I got was the NOISE!!!!! Even with the modern insulated helmet I was wearing the noise was still almost overwhelming and almost visceral! Obviously, it was necessary to use the built-in intercom to communicate back & forth. I swear someone could've fired eight .303's beside my ears and I wouldn't have heard a thing! Dunno how a P&W Wasp air-cooled radial compares to a R/R Merlin V-12 glycol-jacketed behemoth from inside the cockpit (ie. Hearing passing nearby aircraft). Probably the best descriptor for either is "EH????"
__________________
|
09-29-2011, 06:33 PM
Threaded Mode