During SUN ‘n FUN I had an opportunity “fly” ALSIM’s AL250 flight simulator.
Stepping into the cockpit of the AL250 brought me back to the 1980s when I attended the University of North Dakota and flew countless hours in Frasca simulators.
The AL250, as I flew it, had a glass cockpit, a twin engine throttle quadrant, and an immersive 250° wrap around view. But it also has the ability to be a steam gauge paneled, single engine piston in mere moments.
My short flight – from/to KOSH – demonstrated you don’t need motion to feel movement. Thanks to three high-resolution projectors operating at 60 frames per second, my eyes/brain did the rest. The AL250, which is designed as a generic flight simulator, can be configured as a primary or high performance single or light twin.
The simulator fits in a tidy space, just 8.5 feet wide by 11.2 feet long and 8.1 feet tall. As outfit at SUN ‘n FUN – which had all the bells and whistles – the AL250 is priced around $200,000.
ALSIM was founded in France in 1994 and customers operate the company’s sims in 48 countries around the globe.
