Longtime reader and blog supporter Kim of Houston, TX brought my attention to a story about a local pilot who was invited to fly and land in one of the Space Shuttle Simulators. This chap happens to be an ex-Air Force F-16 pilot who has also flown Boeing 737s... nice work if you can get it.
The fabulous first-person essay was featured by Flight Global, and a few other select news outlets who specialize in these sorts of chronicles. I emailed the web content editors, because I thought it was odd that the gentleman's NAME never appears anywhere – as a byline or in his narrative. The photographs that accompany the article are not of him, but of the astronauts training for the upcoming STS-133 mission.
![Shuttle Simulators](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbr207EWBVsnKyWRVVFSZxm7fgDIbRaBsqH32tiBJJ09daNIcbZDcEUgLPpW-YL0p1TGRA-uuGXC9mvAlGNfhbNaTJ9ZqJmAvmTUfhL031a5W_v45QTJYuTCOFerQklSIYB3egAcHj9X1G/s400/sim1.jpg)
Hmm, thinks I… why would this someone remain anonymous? I've been in and around Shuttle simulators – both the toy kind at Space Camp, and the real ones in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility (isn't that a great oxymoron? A "real simulator", LOL) … but if I had the requisite flight training and even the remote opportunity to pull off something that cool, I would want everyone to know it.
Alas, no one seemed to know his identity. Our mystery pilot takes us through the history of the Space Shuttle program, from Enterprise onward; the aerodynamics of the shuttles, including its capabilities in various maneuvers, and what makes them unique among modern aircraft.
![Space Shuttle Simulator](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2An2HF-W1A2u4sBJTbFiYZZHq2TUSxWSF0WOxdLK8SQlrsWmYqci8wKDTr4YQ5Hkl3y7x9CNIk97Ldk-fgAmqGzPwBbnM9gRQOSZcDn7_wiX6JqUtV-NNAF7z6eVig6bDiSWcpUyjZxQv/s400/sim2.jpg)
He then tells his own story of being allowed into the SVMF with famed Flight Director Paul Dye (who, for some reason, I always associate with that Shuttle-bat incident… it's weird, what sticks in your head).
His familiarity with different types of simulators was useful for his skillfully tactile descriptions – but it goes without saying he had never been inside one that was capable of rotating to a vertical launch position! (Even if they do still have a "vintage 1980s" vibe, with an "Apollo-type controller" LOL…)
From pre-launch checks to booster ignition, from roll maneuvers to sonic boom and up to Mach 23 in orbit, from flame-out to drag-chute, our narrator is an encyclopedic host of Space Shuttle technology and history. I always wondered… in a simulator, could you truly take the experience seriously, knowing that you were only in a simulator? Our mystery writer comes pretty close; and while it’s a lengthy piece, it’s quality writing, and very well worth the reading time.
![Home-made Shuttle Simulator](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7dUayOfutb335EftgEAooF4EhXQuWC58LhSPXbl6uvAYBcV7mt6AKjpqh8Fd9E-ZewE7u0TXe6uYcoontDpizH6-fcmedEbYNz0Tn31oXRZYF9dB5MzP6dx-aprC66cLm6woGyK1vIzkB/s400/sim3.jpg)
Or, you know, if you have some serious time on your hands, a huge basement, soldering experience, 6 wooden panels, five spare computers, 32 switches, 64 wires, and a really, really understanding wife, you can be as cool as Todd and build your own full Space Shuttle Flight Deck. Wow.
I have no idea who Todd is. But when I found this page, I wanted to be his friend. I'll bet he's a Firefly fan.