Has anyone tried ASA's Instrument IP or ON TOP Simulator ???

[PT Ball]

I saw this software for sale recently. By ASA 'ON TOP' IFR proficiency
simulator or 'Instrument IP' IFR instruction software. Has anyone
tried it? I would like some opinions before considering them.

I am looking for an affordable home PC simulator for keeping current
on IFR procedures and my scan. I don't need 3d graphics or to fly the
Concorde, I just want something that accurately simulates flying a
C172/Piper/or twin, including real world approaches and enroute
procedures.

Thanks in advance
Peter B

[William W. Plummer]

I have IP Trainer and wish I could spend more time with it. However; it
only runs on Win9x -- on Win2K the cursor is trapped in a little box about
1" square in the upper left. I no longer maintain a dual boot system so I
can't run it.

The program is infinitely picky, especially about where you pick to begin
your roll-out at the end of a turn. If you hesitate just a bit and then
resume, it thinks you began the roll out again and dings you for it.

You need a good yoke but not rudder pedals. Virtual Pilot works fine. Add
another $150 or so.

--Bill

"PT Ball" <ptbp...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:bb270ad.01070...@posting.google.com...

[Jerome Kaidor]

In article <QU707.528$tH1.3...@typhoon.ne.mediaone.net>,

William W. Plummer <wplu...@alum.mit.edu> wrote:
>I have IP Trainer and wish I could spend more time with it.

*** Ditto. I've almost finished the "basic flight maneuvers" section -
can't quite seem to pass the "descending turns" - damn the thing is fussy.

It's a very effective training aid for developing a scan. It also
seems to have really accurate simulations of:

* You turn the yoke to hook it into a turn, it holds the turn - or not,
depending on the bank, and then you turn the yoke the other way to get
out of the turn
* Standard rate turns take more bank at higher airspeeds
* The various inertias having to do with airspeed and trim are done
very well.

On the minus side:

* It doesn't work with rudder pedals. You can "install" them, but they
don't do anything: the ball stays in the middle no matter what you do.
* It doesn't work with USB yokes. I bought one by mistake - guess I'll
save it for the next version

A new version of IP trainer is said to be in early Alpha test. It will
be a native 32-bit app, and as such, will probably work OK with Win2K and
USB yokes. Hopefully, by the time that comes out, I'll be an Instrument
pilot, and will just buy a general purpose IFR sim.

- Jerry Kaidor ( je...@tr2.com )

[macho...@nosoup4u.com]

It will probably do the job for you.

[Ron Bell]

If your instrument rated or working with an instructor, go with On Top. It
will provide you with vacuum and gyro failures, comm failures, changing
weather, etc. You can download the demo of On Top from their website. The
newest version is a native windows program so you shouldn't have any
problems installing it. The newest version also supports USB peripheral.
The earlier versions were a little picky.

I hope that helps,
--
Ron Bell, PP-ASEL
C-172 N62530 based at KOFP
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"PT Ball" <ptbp...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:bb270ad.01070...@posting.google.com...

[William W. Plummer]

"Jerome Kaidor" <jer...@best.com> wrote in message
news:_u807.10291$Up.3...@sea-read.news.verio.net...
> ---<snip> ----

> A new version of IP trainer is said to be in early Alpha test. It will
> be a native 32-bit app, and as such, will probably work OK with Win2K and
> USB yokes.

I hate to say it, but they were saying this more than 4 years ago! Someone
else said that they were trying to sell the company and would just continue
to limp along with the existing code. But it was about then that ASA bought
it, so maybe they plan to upgrade the program. (I wish I could get a
contract to rewrite a sim like that -- more fun than work, and I would have
had it in production long ago!) --Bill

[Ron Natalie]

"William W. Plummer" wrote:
>
> I have IP Trainer and wish I could spend more time with it. However; it
> only runs on Win9x -- on Win2K the cursor is trapped in a little box about
> 1" square in the upper left. I no longer maintain a dual boot system so I
> can't run it.

Gee...I didn't get even that. It looked like bad horizontal hold on my
Win2k system. THere's no excuse for this inane programming interface.
Microsoft has published API's that are portable across their OS's for years
(we implement to them ourselves for our HIGH PERFORMANCE graphics software).

[William W. Plummer]

I doubt that the IPTrainer can even be compiled and loaded under current
Win2K/VC++ 6. It's an old, old DOS program that uses a memory extender.
So the APIs maybe constant across all systems now days, but they weren't
back then. --Bill

"Ron Natalie" <r...@sensor.com> wrote in message
news:3B41C52F...@sensor.com...

[Jerome Kaidor]

In article <woF07.5904$tH1.1...@typhoon.ne.mediaone.net>,

William W. Plummer <wplu...@alum.mit.edu> wrote:

>I doubt that the IPTrainer can even be compiled and loaded under current
>Win2K/VC++ 6. It's an old, old DOS program that uses a memory extender.
>So the APIs maybe constant across all systems now days, but they weren't
>back then. --Bill
>

*** Mighty impressive for a DOS program. Today was a good day - I spent
three hours flying. Two hours "flying" IP trainer, and one hour FLYING
my Sundowner. Ahh. Passed "descending turns", "steep turns", and both
"unusual attitudes" today.

[Ron Natalie]

"William W. Plummer" wrote:
>
> I doubt that the IPTrainer can even be compiled and loaded under current
> Win2K/VC++ 6. It's an old, old DOS program that uses a memory extender.
> So the APIs maybe constant across all systems now days, but they weren't
> back then. --Bill
>

I repeat myself. There's no excuse for that.