Have a look at a couple more screens of DCS Black Shark (click for larger images).
Oh yeah, and I landed. Yes! I landed! Me, the best known living lander of all time. I have smacked a Viper into the runway more times than I care to admit. I have ramp-striked F/A 18’s, Tomcats, all kinds of naval variants. I have careened down a runway in a runaway Su-25T after screwing up a high crosswind landing. And I have crashed helicopters. In Janes Longbow, and more recently in EECH.
So I know what I am talking about, okay? So, while flying around avoiding high tension power lines, Matt looked at me and said, without a trace of irony, “Want to try a landing?” Actually, now that I think about it, he was smiling, but nah, no irony. And, I was feeling confident because before takeoff, Matt had turned on the flashing beacons. Wonderful things.
Without hesitation, I said “Hell yes!”
His reply, “OK, better put your gear down first”. Completely deadpan. Right, gear down.
And with gear in place, I proceeded to slow down, raised the nose and settled into a graceful yet gentle descent. Perfect. Right until about 30 meters above dirt. Things went a little screwy then, but the point is I made it! Well, sort of.
And here’s the proof I took myself as I walked around the aircraft following my landing…
Pictures do speak louder than words. Oh, and did you catch that I mentioned I was walking around the site of my landing? You can do that now. Let’s say you’re landing and things go wrong. You punch out and land on your own two feet at the end of a parachute.
Yes, it is too still a landing. But then, you can just walk around and take in the view. I walked all around the shattered remains of my Ka-50. Checked out the rotor blades laying here and there, the damage modeling on the remains. Incredible. And fun. Now, if I only had a Russian side arm I could punch some more holes into my now steaming wreckage.
Here is DCS Black Shark’s Mission Editor (click for larger image).
