Leo's Flight Simulator

Little flight simulator for PocketPC, Windows CE, Windows 9x and Windows NT,2000,XP

The main window

The main window of the Leo's Flight Simulator is the view of the pilot. It's divided horizontaly by a splitter in two areas. The upper area is de view screen of the pilot and the lower area is the instruments panel. These two areas can be resized moving the splitter between them.

Screen viewer

The screen view show a visual representation of the World. The screen view is interactive and it's used to set the view options, the mode of view (internal o external) and move the point of view or turn the head of the pilot.

Left <

Move the view point to the left or turn the pilots head to the left

Zoom +

Aproximate the view

Zoom -

Reduce the view

Ext

External view of the aircraft

Int

View the world from the pilot position in the cockpit

Map

Satellite view

Right >

Move the view point to the right

Panel of instruments

The panel of instruments shows the cockpit's main instruments.

ADF

Marks the relative position of the NDB navaid selected.

Altimeter

The altimeter marks the altitude over the sea

Attitude indicator

Artificial Horizont. Marks the current attitude of the aircraft.

Autopilot

Leo's Flight Simulator autopilot is able to maintain an altitude, heading, follow nav and follow an ILS approach

Compass

The compass marks your current heading. The button on the left side its used to move the bug that marks the heading on the Autopilot. To move the bug tap on the button on left side and drag up and down the stylus. The bug move and the autopilot turn the aircraft if it's engaged.

Indicated Air Speed IAS

This gauge marks the current speed. The instrument don't measures the real speed but the speed on the air.

Nav radios

Frequency selector of the Navigation Radio. Select the frecuency tapping on the number and draging up and down with the stylus. The radios can be selected easier in the view scenery window

OBS

These instruments works with the Navs radios. To use this instrument first select the correct frecuency of the radioaid in Nav1 or Nav2. The instrument marks the deviation from the selected heading on the OBS. To set the selected heading use the button on the left side

Turn coordinator

Show the current turn ratio and the turn coordination ball.

Variometer

The ascent or descent ratio.

Main options

Configurate many program options. The options are divided in pages that are accesible in the upper tabs.

Options window

General options of the program

Crash detection

The aircraft crashed and the situation is reseted when the user crash. If it's unchecked the aircraft no crash but bounce on the ground

Default situation

When the program starts the default situation is loaded. This situation can be saved using the Save default situation button.

Fast view transition

The aircraft crashed and the situation is reseted when the user crash. If it's unchecked the aircraft no crash but bounce on the ground

Last shutdown situation

The program starts just as the user exit of the program last time.

Show screen guides always

When the user taps on the screen viewer guides of the hot spots of this window are show. This option causes that this hotspots will be shown every time. It's useful when the user is learning to use the system.

Sound effects

Enable/Disable the sound

Aircraft

Use this window to select the aircraft you want to fly. The aircrafts has diferent flying characteristics. Use flaps to vector the thurst in the Harrier and osprey.

Quality

Screen rendering quality options

Compex all objects textured

All objects in the screen view are textured and high quality rendered.

Fast texture

Move the slider to the left to get more quality in the rendering. More quality means less refresh rate.

Ground not textured

The ground is flat coloured but the other objects are texturized. The rendering is faster than Complex detail level

Midmapping

The far objects are rendered lighter and better. This option has no impact on rendering speed so it's recomended use it.

No element textured

Every object and ground rendered in the screen is flat. This is the fastest rendering.

Texture quality

Move the slider to the left to get more quality in the rendering. More quality means less refresh rate.

View range

The range of earth that is visible in the screen viewer. Far means more ground to render and a slow refresh rate.

Winds config

Config of the wind and turbulences. There is two layers

Top/Bottom

Height where this wind is blowing

Heading

From where the wind is blowing

Speed

How much wind

Turbulence

How gusty this wind is.

Gliders

Configuration of the options related to Gliders.

Easy find thermals

Thermals are marked with birds and gliders that are flight arround then. Where the birds are flying you can get higher.

Thermals

Controls the termal activity

Tow aircraft

Select the aircraft that will compain you in your flights. The option Formation use this aircraft or this is the aircraft used to tow your glider to take off from ground. Choose an aircraft that matches your glider, don't try to tow a glider with a Harrier.

Use winch to launch glider

If you prefer a winch launch in place of towing aircraft check this option.

Keys configuration

Select the key configuration. You can set any function to any key. The hard buttons of the PDA are also implemented. To set a key asignament, push on the assigned part of the list and select the key on the combo. To assign a hard button on a PDA the easiest way is select the command and press the hard button.

Clouds config

Clouds config. There is posibility to define two layers of clouds.

Bottom

The bottom of the clouds layer.

Top

Top of the clouds. This top is only applicable to overcast layers.

Type

Select the type of the clouds. None, 1/5,..,4/5, overcast. The clouds produce thermals. If you want a good soaring day, define 4/5 clouds.

Dynamic scenery configuration dialog

This dialog controls the dynamic scenery configuration. The dynamic scenery are other aircraft that are flying with you. These aircrafts use ATC like you and it's posible to see it landing and requesting permision to land like you.

Comm config dialog

It's posible to fly the Leo's Flight Simulator with other user.

Connect (Slave computer)

Host

Configura the IP address of your partner

Use the infrared port to connect the other player.

Use the infrared port to connect the other player.

Listen (master computer)

The master computer waits to other computer connect. To conect via IrDA put the ports in direct view and put a PDA in listen mode and then use the connect button on the other PDA to complete the process.

TCPIP WinSock

Use a standard socket to connect other player. Please, read about your configuration to see if this option is available.

Select ATC Service

Select an ATC service in the airport

Frequency selector

Select an ATC service of an airport

Load a situation previously saved

Save the current situation on disk

Select a name and a description

Aerodynamics

Flaps

Flaps have two functions. They are used to increase the lift generated by the wing. 15º can be used to assist take off. But when the flaps are fully down, they cause a lot of drag which can be used to make final approach and touch down. The trade-off is that the stall speed decreases when the flaps are down.

The four forces

n a plane there are 4 forces:

The wing

An aircraft wing is curved in cross section. It is more curved on the upper surface than on the lower. This means that air flowing over the wing must travel faster over the upper surface than over the bottom surface. Therefore the air pressure is higher below the wing than above it and this produces lift.

If the angle of curvature of the wing is increased more lift are generated.

But if the angle is too great, the air cannot flow over the wing quickly enough and lift rapidly decreases.

The plane stalls and the descends quickly and out of control. This situation is dangerous especially at low altitude. If you stall, apply full power and nose down

Gliders

The flight simulator has a complete glider package including tow or winch launch. Ridge or thermal soaring.

Ridge soaring

The mountains defects the wind upwards. Look the correct ridge and you will get higher. Note you must config winds to ridge soaring

Thermal soaring

Thermal is a hot air flow upwards. You will find thermals mainly under clouds. Select Clouds 4/5 for more choices of find a thermal. If there is no clouds there are few thermals.

Tow launch

This launch method for gliders is a tow from an sport light airplane. A rope ties the propeller and the glider and the propeller pulls of glider until desaired height

Winch launch

A rope is tied to the glider and a winch pull form it.

Air Traffic Control

The air traffic control is responsible of the security of the flight. The ATC is divided in several types of controllers. The controller is responsable of a phase of the flight

ATC logic sequence on controlled airports

Authorizations->ATIS->Ground->Tower->Departure->Center1->Center2->Approach->Tower->Ground

ATC logic sequence on uncontrolled airports

Authorizations->ATIS->Multicom->Departure->Center1->...->Approach->multicom

Approach controller

Controller responsable of the descent and get you near the airport.

Multicom

Multicom is not a controller. It's a frecuency where the pilots are listening and talking about their maneuvers. It's not enforced to listen this frecuency but it's extensively used

Tower controller

The tower controller is responsable of lands and take offs. When the taxi to active runway is completed the tower controller give the permission for takeoff

Departure controller

Controller responsable from just after takeoff to the cruise altitude. Usually is the same as the approach controller

ATC Center

Cruise stage controller

Glossary

ADF

Instrument used to navigate. Mark the relative position to the NDB Radioaid selected.

ATC

The Air Controllers are responsable of the air traffic. There is several types of controllers depending of the part of the flight they control

Autopilot

Leo's Flight Simulator implements a full Autopilot feature. This autopilot features

Communication radio

To talk ATC. Traffic control is composed by several services.

DME

Measure the distance to a VOR station

Tap and drag

A user input technique. The user must down the stylus in the screen and without up the stylus move the stylus to other location

Glider

A glider is an aircraft that has no engine at all. The glider is launched generally by towing by an engined airplane or by a winch

Helicopter

A helicopter is a machine heavier than air that gets lift from the movement of one or several rotors

ILS

Instrument landing system

NAV

Navigation radio. Select a VOR frecuency

NDB

It's an obsolete type of radioaid

OBS

Working with the Nav radio it's used to find your position

Osprey

The osprey is a tilt rotor. A convertible. It can fly like a helicopter or an aircraft.

Situation

The status of the simulator, aircraft, altitude,attitude, etc. The situations can be saved on disk

Tap

This is the equivalent of the Mouse click. Touch the screen with the stylus to tap.

Engine vectoring

Few aircrafts like the harrier are able to change the direction of the exhaust gases to perform a vertical takeoff