---AMAZON MARKETPLACE: PAY MORE, WAIT LONGER AND GET A USED BOOK!--- In 1993, when Microsoft began using the tag 'as real as it gets' on its flight simulators it was with a degree of artistic licence. Twenty years on, Microsoft has left the party but its legacy remains in Flight Simulator X and its cousin Prepare3D, developed by Lockheed Martin. But while display technology and sophisticated flight controls make suspension of disbelief ever easier, a wall remains between the bedroom aviator and his virtual cockpit; nothing intrudes more than having to reach for the mouse to flip the switches.In the quest for true hardware control of their cockpits flight-sim enthusiasts walk an uneasy line between eye-wateringly expensive professional solutions and too-generic consumer units. The alternative is D.I.Y. This guide takes you end-to-end through - and beyond - the construction of scratch-built panels to control the FSX GPS and autopilot with no mouse or keyboard required. Using no more than basic DIY tools and a modicum of patience you can build professional-quality panels to navigate your default or payware aircraft on the GPS500 GPS or, for the more ambitious, on payware systems from Mindstar or Reality-XP. You can build a generic autopilot based on the Bendix King KFC 225 to hook into most of your default General Aviation aircraft and many payware add-ons.Based on the experience of developing a scratch-built cockpit from the ground up, this guide features step-by-step instructions, many photographs and invaluable background information that will help you make your cockpit as real as it gets.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Jurassic Park, Timeline, and Sphere comes this extraordinary thriller about airline safety, business intrigue, and a deadly cover-up. “The pacing is fast, the suspense nonstop.”—People Three passengers are dead. Fifty-six are injured. The interior cabin is virtually destroyed. But the pilot manages to land the plane. At a moment when the issue of safety and death in the skies is paramount in the public mind, a lethal midair disaster aboard a commercial twin-jet airliner flying from Hong Kong to Denver triggers a pressured and frantic investigation. Airframe is nonstop reading, full of the extraordinary mixture of super suspense and authentic information on a subject of compelling interest that are the hallmarks of Michael Crichton. “A one-sitting read that will cause a lifetime of white-knuckled nightmares.”—The Philaelphia Inquirer “The ultimate thriller . . . [Crichton’s] stories are always page-turners of the highest order. . . . [Airframe] moves like a firehouse dog chasing a red truck.”—The Denver Post “Dramatically vivid.”—The New York Times

No aircraft ever captured the curiosity & fascination of the public like the SR-71 Blackbird. Nicknamed "The Sled" by those few who flew it, the aircraft was shrouded in secrecy from its inception. Entering the U.S. Air Force inventory in 1966, the SR-71 was the fastest, highest flying jet aircraft in the world. Now for the first time, a Blackbird pilot shares his unique experience of what it was like to fly this legend of aviation history. Through the words & photographs of retired Major Brian Shul, we enter the world of the "Sled Driver." Major Shul gives us insight on all phases of flying, including the humbling experience of simulator training, the physiological stresses of wearing a space suit for long hours, & the intensity & magic of flying 80,000 feet above the Earth's surface at 2000 miles per hour. SLED DRIVER takes the reader through riveting accounts of the rigors of initial training, the gamut of emotions experienced while flying over hostile territory, & the sheer joy of displaying the jet at some of the world's largest airshows. Illustrated with rare photographs, seen here for the first time, SLED DRIVER captures the mystique & magnificence of this most unique of all aircraft.

Kerry McCauley has the job most pilots only dream of; delivering small used aircraft to locations around the world. In his 30 years an international ferry pilot, Kerry has delivered almost every kind of airplane you can name to almost every location you can think of. In his long career Kerry battled fuel system malfunctions over the Atlantic, a total electrical failure at night over the Sahara, getting lost over Africa and being struck by lightning off the coast of Portugal. Kerry's almost insatiable, reckless quest for danger and adventure also led to putting international smuggler and bank robber on his resume. Kerry found the answer to the question "what could possibly go wrong?" time and time again. But his skill, ingenuity and luck were what allowed him to survive the countless mishaps, catastrophes and close calls including a nearly fatal plane crash. While "Ferry Pilot" is an account of one man's crazy thirst for thrills and adventure, his coming to grips with the dangerous nature of his career and just how much he wants to test the depth of his luck bag. It's also a portrait of the perseverance and bravery of a devoted family man who lost many close friends and his first wife to the dangerous skies.

Transport is an essential element of tourism, providing the vital link between the tourist generating areas and destinations. Good accessibility, which is determined by the transport services provided, is a fundamental condition for the development of any tourist destination. Moreover the transport industry can be a major beneficiary of tourism because of the additional passenger demand that may be generated.Aviation is an increasingly important mode of transport for tourism markets. Whilst geography has meant that, in modern times, air travel has always been the dominant mode for long distance travel and much international tourism, moves towards deregulation, and in particular the emergence of the low cost carrier sector, have also increased aviation's significance for short and medium haul tourism trips. Thus, developments in aviation can have very major implications for many leisure and business tourism markets. However the characteristics and needs of leisure travellers are generally so very different from business travellers that this necessitates a separate consideration of these markets if a detailed understanding of the relationship with aviation is to be gained.In spite of the obvious closeness between the aviation and tourism industries, there are very few specialist texts on this subject. Most tourism focused books consider aviation as just one component of the tourism industry which needs to be discussed, whereas aviation specialist texts rarely concentrate on just leisure travel. In addition there is very little literature that gives a detailed appreciation of the complexities and potential conflicts associated with the development of coherent and effective aviation and tourism policies. Therefore it is the aim of this book to fill this important gap which exists with a comprehensive, in-depth study of the relationship between aviation and leisure travel.The book deals exclusively with issues related to the relationship between aviation and leisure travel. It does this with an analysis of the theoretical concepts relevant to the subject area combined with a detailed investigation of current practice within the aviation and tourism industries. Each chapter is illustrated with case study material that will reinforce the understanding of the issues that are being examined.