The day I write this I am 64 years old and so is the peace that followed World War II. This means that I'm "post war", which is the way I want to keep it! It also means that I only saw the Avro Lancaster impressive in peaceful fly-by's which is a scarce enough happening, considering that there are only two (!) airworthy Lancs left in the whole wide world. There's very little airtime to be shared among the eager crowd, so there are probably not even a dozen people who get to fly a real Lancaster from the left seat every once in a while.
The closest us lowly earth dwellers can come to flying an airborn Lancaster, is via flight simulation. I am dedicated to Microsofts Flight Simulator X, in which I fly "my own" version of the Lancaster B1, a hybrid based on the "Wings of Power" version for exterior and flight dynamics, and for the panel on just about everything including not only the kitchen sink but also the bath tub, the toilet bowl and the hot water boiler (grin)!. From lots of existing panels that I collected in years of flight simming, I conceived a completely individual panel.
Panel rearranging required!
There are several reasons for me to design my own panels. Firstly, of course, because there's no out of the box Lancaster bomber panel available that is to my liking. Secondly because existing panels put the simulated eyepoint somewhere in the middle of the cockpit, like straight behind the engine controls. That's truly bad because it takes away much of the illusion or immersion. Although my real world flying experiences are sadly confined to single engined pipsqueeks like Cessna 172 and Piper Cherokee, I know that Lancaster pilots did not sit with their family jewels shoved painfully into the throttle quadrant of their Avro Lancaster bomber!
My own panels show a much more natural pilots position, and considerably enlarged instruments and gauges. Simulation, including flight simulation, is make-believe - and I don't really care about the panel lay-out being realistic: I want it to look and feel realistic within the confines of a computer screen!!
The physical controls
To produce a decent level of realism, flying your simulated Lanc with the keyboard or mouse won't do. If you can even remotely afford it, a steering yoke is an absolute must, with a set of pedals right on its heels. Fortunately these additions are available in a wide price range, from pleasantly indestructible but equally expensive, to somewhat wobbly but easily in the affordability sector of most of us.
Concerning this subject I have a confession to make. Some six years ago I got the cheapest yoke and pedals I could get, and I'm still using them without a problem and to my complete satisfaction! In those years I must have bought a couple of thousand dollars worth of other flight simulator hardware and software, but I never saw any reason for discarding my old and faithful pedals/yoke set! Sure, eventually I'll replace them, even if it is only on account of normal wear and tear from almost daily use, but it is far from necessary yet.
A red and flustered face!
I won't say that a relatively simple computer simulation like MS Flight Simulator can ever give you the joy of flying the real thing, but sometimes it comes astonishingly close. I've made many a simulated landing under conditions that turned my face sweaty with concentration, and sweaty with almost real fear! Nor am I the only one with such experiences. I think it was around 2004 that an RAF flight crew flew an MS-simulated historic Raid of the Dam Busters. Those fighter pilots and "Anything, Anywhere, Anytime" types left their unique simulator after their hours long flight with a healthy respect for Microsofts simulation software, and for the good old Avro Lancaster bomber. You won't see them looking down on "that game" or "that old bomber" anymore!
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