Commercial Use of PC Flight Simulators

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Administrator

PC flight simulator programs have come a long way since Bruce Artwick published some magazine articles in 1979.

In fact, they have been adopted by several aerospace companies!

Year Program Platform Licensee
1990s-Present Elite WM FAA-approved, used by flight schools world-wide
2000 Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 W Evans & Sutherland Flight Simulators (rumor – their full-page ads resembled FS2000.) This division was sold to Rockwell Collins in 2006
2000s-Present X-Plane WML Level 2 is FAA-approved, used by flight schools world-wide, also Garmin Avionics for ground laboratory
2000s-Present FlightGear WML Open Source project, so used by many organizations and research departments. Rumored to be used by ATC.
2009-Present Microsoft Flight Simulator 2006 (FSX) SP2 ESP W Lockheed Prepar3D available for $499 for non-entertainment use only.

FSX is controversial in requiring the most powerful hardware to run with reasonable framerates due to using DX9 Shader 2. Also, all versions of FS200x exhibit minor stuttering in turns because of chronic bugs in loading and displaying scenery.

Meet Microsoft ESP: the engine behind Flight Simulator X
Performance Issues in FSX
wikipedia: Microsoft Flight Simulator

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San Jose Car Collectors Celebrate Early Spring Weather

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Administrator

Car collectors are celebrating the beautiful spring-like weather in San Jose by driving around town in style.

In the past 2 weeks I’ve seen:

  • a black Ford Model T (it climbed the grade on Hamilton Ave. just fine.)
  • a new red Ferrari 599
  • a late 1990s Rolls Royce Silver Spur (can’t miss the Flying Lady hood ornament)
  • a late 1960s Corvette Sting Ray hard-top in orange. (sexiest car I’ve ever seen, but a few scratches on the hood.)

Bay Area streets are salt-free, thus occasionally I see the original 1970s Japanese invasion cars. A while ago I saw an early Datsun, and last month an early yellow Civic. You can tell because of their clunky design and incredibly thick body panel metal stamping. :)

wikipedia: Ford Model T, Ferarri 599 GTO

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SVLUG: The Story of Gluster

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Administrator

Gluster LogoAt Silicon Valley Users’ Group (SVLUG) tonite, Anand Babu (AB) Periasamy, CTO Gluster, Inc. gave a great talk on “The Story of Gluster.”

The name “Gluster” was derived from the words “GNU” and “Cluster.” No relation to the Luster filesystem, and actually they have opposite overall architectures.

GlusterFS is a GPL3 distributed network filesystem that runs as a service in user mode on Linux on a network of servers (conceptually like Google GFS.) Redhat bought Gluster, Inc. in 2011 and calls it “Redhat Storage.” By running in user mode and reusing existing linux features and modules, GlusterFS gained reliability in months instead of the usual 10 years for other filesystems.

gluster.org is the community website for GlusterFS.

Previously, AB was CTO at California Digital Corporation (CDC). One of his projects was the 1024-node linux “Thunder” HPC supercomputer for LLNL, the most powerful in the USA at the time.

- after that, he still wanted to do Open Source projects, preferably without bureaucratic encumbrances
- got some angel funding, but also a seismic data company paid $500,000 to adapt HPC code in 3 months to replace IBM Regatta system, then a follow-on storage contract for 1.2 PB in a 6 months project
- audience member: “In 10 years 1 PB will fit on a SD card.”
- GlusterFS is in some ways architecturally the opposite of VMware. GlusterFS is userland code.
- in 2006 large companies like Lehman, etc. started appearing on mailing list, to some surprise and awe
- originally the company was called Z Research, renamed to Gluster, Inc. to have clearer brand name
- no in-house test storage hardware, so developed on customer hardware!
- was still doing other paying work such as embedded kernel stuff, web dev, etc to reduce burn rate initially. Too distracting.

Traditional complex method Newer, simpler method
FC HTTP, sockets
modified BSD OS linux/user space/C, python, Java
appliance-based application-based

- Google mixes app and GFS, app generates 64 MB chunks, GFS manages metadata. Too complicated for general use.
- GlusterFS is a distributed storage OS in user-space
- create container without knowledge of filesystem (Posix, ACL, etc. ) because no known common user pattern for storage
- lots of general C programmers available to recruit, but no filesystem developers without baggage about kernel
- in 2008-2009 added too many features to actually test
- VCs contacted them and invested A and B series total of $15 million, despite their storage “experts” saying it was crazy, users said it was awesome
- lowest layer is native filesystem like EXT3 or XFS, thus idiot-proof
- use extended attributes for metadata
- block, replication, striping, elastic hashing algorithm
- striping support by cleverly using sparse files with different offset on each server
- read server choice based on fastest response
- every directory has its own hash space
- good default behavior when adding servers (no thundering herd)
- striping is good for hotspot files or files too big for 1 volume, like saving HPC results
- will be unified file and object protocol for object storage
- there is a pathinfo command can query extended attribute, could be used with ssh for a fake MapReduce
- GET and PUT at command line
- GlusterFS is most heavily used for lots of files containing unstructured data
- 3.3 will have faster healing operations, better granularity for 100 VMs, KVM support, etc.
- currently shared-nothing, but with a little sharing healing can be faster
- will be HDFS clone mode

Data Storage models:

  • objects
  • file
  • block
  • structured data
  • NoSQL
  • semi-structured data.

- Redhat bought Gluster, Inc. for about $136 million in October, 2011. It was about 60 employees at the time. Now there’s about 40 engineers working on GlusterFS at Redhat. AB chose Redhat over other suitors because of its commitment to Open Source and linux.

A dozen people attended dinner afterwards:

- it was tough hiring people for Gluster Inc. since the concept of doing file systems in userland confused a lot of developers and managers.
- AB’s philosophy is that the Open Core model doesn’t serve end-users well, as all users need “extras” like user-friendly mgmt. programs, not just licensees
- companies seem to be happy to pay for GlusterFS support, one of the reasons being lack of in-house storage engineers
- lots of discussion about Illumos (OpenSolaris fork), ZFS and containers
- take a look at Nexenta
- An efficient WAN replication method with GlusterFS is to use the marker framework / queue using extended attributes to feed rsync a list of changed files, scales better than inotify
- no storage tiering yet for incoming/outgoing hotspot files
- Redhat is pushing xfs heavily internally, and has hired the available ex-SGI xfs developers
- some checksumming is done in GlusterFS, but no end-end checksumming. Need to look at performance and demand.
- historicaly, linux has had slower adoption and community interest in India than Western countries due to lagging Internet performance (often more practical to install linux from a magazine CD-ROM than attempting large downloads) and relatively higher cost of computers compared to local salaries
- AB got started in programming on a Spectrum microcomputer, and progressed over time to fixing minor bugs in the linux network drivers, culminating in GlusterFS.

Thanks again to Symantec for hosting this event.

GlusterFS Downloads
Chip’s Rant: Why GlusterFS is Glusterfsck’d Too
wikipedia: Extended file attributes

Posted in BSD, Business, Cloud, Linux, Open Source, Storage, Tech, Toys, User Groups | Leave a comment

Personal Flight Simulator Notes

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Administrator

There was an unusually large number of flight simulator setups for sale on eBay this January, with about 5 available ranging from $600 to $4,250 for a fairly new Precision Flight Controls (PFC) C2 setup. I guess it was spring cleaning time. :)




Above: the PFC C2 with enhanced avionics stack, PFC 430W and pedals for $4,250 on eBay.

All of them were good deals, typically 75% off retail.

I set a budget of $1,000 to buy a basic setup and learn more about sim gear. The plan is to use it 30 minutes per day.

My requirements were:

  1. compatible with Microsoft Flight Simulator (FS) and Elite. X-Plane support optional.
  2. primarily for piston, steam-gauge IFR procedure training practice (I have a commercial/IFR licence)
  3. all radio settings in hardware, no need for magnetos or circuit breakers in hardware
  4. no particular need for GPS or MFDs as they are rapidly-changing technology, though a Garmin 530W would be a plus
  5. able to add multi-engine controls
  6. I’ve never used any PC yoke or rudder pedals that I liked, so not expecting much here.

(For those not familiar with Elite flight simulator software, it was the first to gain FAA approval with hardware as a PCATD, is ideally suited for the business of flight schools, and has an invaluable map display with ground track/profile view and user-updatable navaids, and allows failure simulation by the instructor.)

I ended up buying an Elite setup for $600 as-is, including:

  • PFC Cirrus yoke with throttle
  • PFC rudder pedals
  • Elite AP-2000 (serial interface) avionics stack
  • King Air B200 multi-engine throttle quadrant (serial interface)
  • Elite UCI 5 DRM box.




Above: My Elite flightsim. This was the first FAA-approved PCATD setup under AC61-126 in 1997!

Luckily for me, everything functioned. Even the cables were complete.

My evaluation of this equipment so far is that it’s cheap, compact and pretty useful. The next step up in hardware would be much more expensive and require a lot more space at home, like a dedicated table.

Here’s some installation tips:

  • the Stancor 9VDC AC adapter for the Elite UCI 5 and AP-2000 can be purchased for $20 from flyelite.com. It has a negative polarity jack, the opposite from the usual 9VDC adapters I have around the house. You can use a splitter cable from one AC adapter to both devices.
  • the easiest way to test the 9VDC AC adapter is to try it with an Elite UCI box. There should be a steady green LED and a blinking amber LED. (Elite equipment seems to be fairly electrically tolerant when connecting the wrong jack polarity. Nothing has died yet.)
  • my PFC gear uses the joystick port, which Windows XP supports natively. Just use a 15-pin Y-cable, choose “4-button flight yoke w/throttle” and rudder pedals, and calibrate it, exactly like you would any game controller. I set the 2 yoke rocker switches to elevator trim and rudder trim.
  • to use Elite hardware with FS 2002/2004/X, download the FSELITE.EXE program and run it to install the correct drivers.
  • I already have an Elite USB key, so don’t need the UCI 5. To connect the AP-2000 serial, just use a straight-through 9-pin serial cable from the PC to the AP-2000. Connect the throttle quadrant to the AP-2000 with a straight-through 25-pin serial cable to the connectors marked “Extended.”
  • to add the new serial hardware to an existing Elite software install that is already using an Elite USB key, just delete the \ELITE\Core\Pref directory, start Elite and then scan for hardware again. (I had to choose COM1 for the serial AP-2000, and a dialog box appeared to calibrate the PFC gear.)
  • In Elite, to hide the GPS map and show the radio stack after installing the AP-2000, click on the “Back” button to the right of the GPS map view or toggle the “AUX 1″ button on the AP-2000.
  • the easiest way I found to test the hardware in FS and Elite is just use the flaps button or mixture levers on the throttle quadrant. If those work, then everything is connected and installed correctly.

Some general notes are:

  • I’m using an old PC (Pentium A 2.53 GHz/512 MB RAM/ATI X850XT). Elite is not CPU-intensive and works smoothly on any 1997+ PC or Mac, but this is the minimum for FS to refresh at 20 FPS.
  • it appears that Elite software supports all older Elite hardware, so buy used with confidence.
  • AP-100, AP-1000 and AP-2000 avionics stacks are “non-lighted” and show the radio settings on your computer monitor, while the newer AP-3000 and AP-4000 have LED readouts directly on the radios. The AP-2000 supports the Trimble 2000 GPS, while the newer ones also support the Apollo GX50/55/60/65 Series GPS. The AP-4000 also supports the Garmin 430W. Photos are available here.
  • FSELITE.EXE supports FS2002, FS2004 and FSX.
  • Elite hardware has been manufactured under a few labels, including Hapa, Initiative Computing AG (IC), Elite and no name.
  • I have seen two different AP-2000 avionics stacks with identical controls: 1 is the thin, narrow, quadrilateral-shaped unit labelled “ELITE Personal Simulator TM”, and the other is wider and taller with no mfg. or model label but black rocker switches and the GPS section is labelled “Trimble 2000 A.” They both function the same.
  • the Elite AP-2000 aka “On Top” AV-1 now.

Some notes about FAA Airplane Training Device (ATD) requirements:

  • PCATD is now a general-purpose term that refers to the concept of a PC-based flight training device.
  • Basic ATD (BATD) is the official term for a flight simulator that allows flying required maneuvers and procedures without a mouse, the installation is approved by the FAA, and only a CFII can sign-off hours logged using it.
  • Advanced ATD (AATD) starts with BATD requirements, adds a GPS, and provides an ergonomic and immersive environment along with a station for the instructor.

Elite 7 Software Review (a little pedantic)
Elite Software Drivers Page
AC 61-136 – FAA Approval of Basic Aviation Training Devices (BATD) and Advanced Aviation Training Devices (AATD)
Microsoft Flight Simulator as a Training Aid
AOPA: Meet the PCATD (1997)
Avsim Review: Elite G430 Home Cockpit Module
Lockheed Prepar3D (MS FS ESP)
MS Flight Site
Simulator-Based Recurrent Training for Piston Singles and Twins

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Movie Review: Red Tails

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Administrator

I saw “Red Tails” tonite, a movie by George Lucas about the Tuskegee Airmen in WW2, an African American fighter squadron.



It has some good air-ground attack, aerial combat and bomber formation scenes, including P-40s, P-51s and Me-262 jet fighter planes. (I believe they used a real or full-scale model of the Me-262, making this movie worth the price of admission for that one scene alone.)

The opening scene involves dogfights weaving around bombers, likely to highlight 3D effects in suitably-equipped theaters.

The script does a fairly good job of explaining the racial politics of black airmen in WW2, but the rest of the script is pretty light-weight. The German airmen are caricatures, called “prettyboys” by the black airmen.

The missions match my memory of history, so Lucas paid attention to accuracy in the script.

The stunt pilots do a mixture of good 3-point and wheel landings on the steel mat (Marsden Matting) runway, which are fun to watch and grade. :)

I’ll probably see it again for the airplane footage.

Note: MeTV is airing the excellent “12 O’clock High” M-F at 4 am. It’s a 1964-67 TV series about the fictitious American 918th Bomb Group based in UK, and used WW2 Allied and Luftwaffe footage and real bombers, which were still plentiful at that time.

Trailer: Red Tails
EW.com: Movie Review – Red Tails
IMDB: Red Tails
IMDB: Photos of Daniela Sofia Ruah

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