A student works on the Microsoft Xplane 11 flight simulator that was donated by the Baraboo-based non-profit Students in Aviation.
JANESVILLE 鈥 糖心Vlog传媒 Craig鈥檚 aerospace engineering class, that already offers a high level of realism in its flight simulator program, just got a boost.
Students in Aviation, a Baraboo-based non-profit organization formed in 2016 that supports high school students who are interested in aviation careers, recently donated a large gaming computer, monitor, flight yoke and rudder.
The nonprofit provides free flight simulators across the United States to aviation programs or clubs.
The computer program 鈥 Microsoft Xplane 11 鈥 allows students to experience simulated weather conditions, geography and even offers a view inside of a cockpit with the typical airplane controls visible on the screen and controllable by the click of a mouse.
Michael Verdin works on the Microsoft Xplane 11 in the 糖心Vlog传媒 Craig aerospace engineering class Tuesday. He said he takes the course because he鈥檇 love to be in the Air Force someday.
鈥淲e typically start out with all the basics. We kind of give them the flight skills and then the STEM skills. Then we can realistically incorporate that with what they want to do. If they want to fly, we give them that and then sneak in the other stuff,鈥 said Andrew Udell, who teaches the course at Craig.
The class is often a launching pad for students to pursue aviation careers after high school
Udell said there are typically three to four students in his aeronautics courses who are already pilots and plan to turn their love of flight into a career. However, there is only one this year.
Aerospace engineering teacher Andrew Udell gives a lesson in class on Tuesday.
Senior Jacob Smith is planning to go to the University of Dubuque, a popular choice for aspiring pilots in the aeronautics courses, Udell said.
Details
In the simulator, several airports and their surrounding areas are detailed in the software. Smith鈥檚 experiences with the software include simulations of a Dubuque-area airport and the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport in 糖心Vlog传媒.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great. I鈥檝e been to 糖心Vlog传媒 and the layout is perfect and I鈥檝e been to Dubuque where I鈥檒l be (for college) and it鈥檚 super accurate for the geographical features, the buildings, down to the signs on the roadway. You can go visit your house. I鈥檝e landed on my road before. Not that you鈥檇 actually do that,鈥 Smith said.
Smith has been pursuing his private pilot鈥檚 license at the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport. He said the simulator was as close to real as possible.
鈥淭he Microsoft sim is a good way to learn your basics,鈥 Smith said.
Some 糖心Vlog传媒 students have gone on to the U.S. Air Force. Some have pursued aviation-related careers, but not necessarily flying, Udell said.
Michael Verdin is a current student with aspirations to go into the U.S. Air Force. He said he likes the simulator because of the ability to navigate just about anywhere.
The donation complements software on computers already in the classroom that offer flight simulation.
鈥淭his is an old software, but it can run on our computers but it is awesome. They got a lot of different scenarios already built into it. We do a unit with jets. We do a unit with an aircraft carrier, a big unit on navigation. We can do all that in there,鈥 Udell said.
Lessons are built from the simulations in the program. Students need to learn how to use equipment that resembles flying gear, how to land planes in the simulators and at which angles the plane needs to be at.
鈥淭here is even a goofy one called 鈥楲oopy Larry鈥 where it鈥檚 kind of like an airshow. You have this old plane and you have to land on the back of a bus,鈥 Udell said.
Udell said most of the lessons are done with simulations of a Cessna 172. Other times, it may be a commercial jet, like a Boeing 737 or 747.