Fighting Lock-Down With A Flight Simulator
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by Seán G. Dwyer
verybody has experienced a moody computer. Nothing you do will get it to work, and then -suddenly -- it is working. Keep in mind, computers can’t sweat. When they work too hard, they overheat, and that is when a flight simulator crashes. This was one of the attractions for me of Apple’s new M1 chips. They are very cool, in all senses of the word. Why was I interested? Lockdown was taking a toll and I wanted to build my own flight simulator. Being limited by frugality, I ordered an M1 Mac Mini, at Apple’s low-end of the market, with arrival expected just before Christmas. Did I succeed in building a flight simulator?
Are we talking big bucks here? The answer is no, but that is, of course, relative. Like any frugal person, I believe that a penny saved is a penny earned. (Thank you, Ben Franklin.) I also believe in junk drawers. For some people, they are evidence of untidiness. For others, they are a place to stash stuff they know/think/suspect might be useful someday. My junk drawers include things like Atari computers from the Dark Ages, back in the day when the computer games, Pac Man and Flight Simulator, were big hits. The Flight Simulator yoke from Atari days defies any connection with a modern computer, but old monitors and other stuff filled a need. Relative to “noises your creative process can’t help overhearing,” early reports of the M1 Mac Mini and M1 MacBooks, which were released in November 2020, cited the absence of fan noise when running CPU intensive applications, particularly when compared to Intel-based predecessors. Fan noise increases when CPUs are being stressed. CPU means “central processing unit,” basically recognizing that computers started out as extremely fast adding machines. Like the origin of math itself, their original purpose was to count stuff, in order to tax it. 50 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021 MIDWEST FLYER MAGAZINE
CPU intensiveness was not my only concern, as flight simulators are also very GPU intensive. GPU stands for “graphics processing unit.” In a flight simulator, readings on dials and controls inside the plane and the scenery outside must all simultaneously depict what is being simulated. Realism would suffer if the windsock was limp when transiting from a crab to wing-low/opposite rudder while landing with a 15-knot crosswind. I learned about CPUs and GPUs from my son, Malcolm, a legitimate computer guru. He showed me Microsoft Flight Simulator on his homebuilt computer. Knowing I prefer Macs, he told me about X-Plane and Apple’s M1 chip. An M1-based Mac would definitely be an improvement over what I started using (X-Plane on a MacBook Air), but would it be able to deliver the required graphics and physics? As for the X-Plane program, it drives many FAA-certified simulators, and is better suited to Macs than Microsoft Flight Simulator. One can download a free demo copy of X-Plane to test it on a computer. While the demo is limited to 15-minute sessions, all it takes to have access to the unlimited version is to purchase a key to unlock it. Basically, one already has the full program on the computer. If the demo works, the program will work. One can then add scenery and other aircraft. I liked what I saw in the demo, and bought discs for the program ($60), along with a pay-ware version of a 1965 Cherokee ($23), just like my own. So, what was wrong with X-Plane on my MacBook Air? While the simulation was smooth, the plane floated too much when landing. A non-pilot might not have noticed, but I did. Something was wrong. An aircraft’s wings don’t flap, so it was more subtle than the slow motion of the Six Million Dollar Man, but it was not going to help my crosswind landing skills. The 16 GB M1 Mac Mini ($899) arrived, along with a Logitech Yoke, Power Quadrant, and Rudder Pedals ($350). A TV from downstairs worked as a main monitor, and an old monitor served as a side window. My simulator was functioning with two screens, and Malcolm had given me a third monitor from his junk drawer. As a VFR-only pilot, I need to look out the side windows when in the landing pattern. Conversely, in a simulator intended strictly as an instrument trainer, the pilot is supposed to stay focused on the instruments, and only look up after breaking through the clouds on short final. If done correctly, the runway should be directly in front. Thus, while only one monitor is required for IFR work, my VFR needs were actually more demanding. But would the M1 Mac Mini be up to the challenge? Manage your expectations, and the answer is “Yes.” While extolling the speed of M1 chips, the gurus at Apple ruled out use of an eGPU (external graphics processing unit) with the new M1 based computers, and further maintained that an M1 Mac Mini could not support more than two monitors, one through an HDMI port and the other through
