The moment I write this I am 64 years old and so is the peace that followed the Second World War. This means that I'm "post war", and that's the way I want to keep it! It also means that I only saw the Avro Lancaster WW-2bomber in peacetime fly-by's which is a scarce enough happening, considering that there are only two (!) airworthy Lancasters left in the whole wide world. There's very little airtime to be shared among the enthusiastic candidates, so there are probably less than a dozen people who get to fly a real Lancaster from the left seat every once in a while.
The closest us sorry ground hogs can come to flying Lancasters, is via 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 model, and for the 2-D instrument panel on just about everything including the kitchen sink. From dozens of available panels that I collected during the years, I created a strictly individual panel version.
Panel rearranging required!
I've got two reasons to design my own panels and gauges. Firstly because there's no existing Avro Lancaster panel available that's even remotely to my liking "looks-wise". Secondly because available panels put the simulated captains eyepoint somewhere in the lateral center of the cockpit, like straight behind the throttles. That's no good: it takes away much of the illusion or immersion. Although my real world flying experiences are sadly confined to single engines like Cessna 172 and Piper Cherokee, I know that Lancaster pilots did not sit with their family jewels shoved painfully into the throttle/propeller quadrants of their Avro Lancaster bomber!
My own panels deliver a more natural pilots position, and considerably enlarged gauges. Simulation, including flight simulation, is simply illusion - and I don't give a fig 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
In order to achieve a decent level of realism, flying your simulated bomber 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 as a perfect second. Fortunately these things are available in a wide price range, from very strong 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 available, and I still have and use them without a problem and to my great satisfaction! In those years I must have acquired a couple of thousand dollars worth of other simulator expansions, 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 I'm not holding my breath in either hope or despair.
A very flustered face!
I will never 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 pretty darn close. I've made quite a lot of sim landings under conditions that turned my face red with concentration, and sweaty with almost physical fear! Nor am I the only one with such experiences. I think it was around 2004 that an RAF flight crew performed an MS-simulated Raid of the Dam Busters. Those jet pilots and "Anything, Anywhere, Anytime" types left their specifically constructed after their last more or less successful flight with a healthy respect for Microsofts simulation software, and for the good old Avro Lancaster. You won't see them looking down on "that game" or "that old bomber" anymore!
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