Retro Dogfight, a New Podcast Focusing on Classic Flight Sim, Launches Today

[bobarossa]

My first job out of college (electrical engineer) in late 70's was to help design a digital flight simulator for the FAA. They wanted something to help them understand the digital cockpit that was coming out in the Boeing 747. I designed and programmed the displays (HP oscilloscope tubes, Smith Industries graphics generator and DEC minicomputer).  Based it on NASA documents about advanced flight displays (path in the sky).  Was a ton of fun.  A few months after delivering it to FAA, NASA swooped in and confiscated it because it wasn't the FAA's job to investigate advanced flight controls!   

[SpaceGameJunkie]

My first job out of college (electrical engineer) in late 70's was to help design a digital flight simulator for the FAA. They wanted something to help them understand the digital cockpit that was coming out in the Boeing 747. I designed and programmed the displays (HP oscilloscope tubes, Smith Industries graphics generator and DEC minicomputer).  Based it on NASA documents about advanced flight displays (path in the sky).  Was a ton of fun.  A few months after delivering it to FAA, NASA swooped in and confiscated it because it wasn't the FAA's job to investigate advanced flight controls!   

Holy shit, that's amazing!!! What a career!

[bobarossa]

Holy shit, that's amazing!!! What a career!

It was all downhill from there 

Side note: The FAA's manager was married to a woman who's family owned strip clubs.  Every place we went on that project the FAA boss ended up taking us to a strip club!

[SpaceGameJunkie]

Holy shit, that's amazing!!! What a career!

It was all downhill from there 

Side note: The FAA's manager was married to a woman who's family owned strip clubs.  Every place we went on that project the FAA boss ended up taking us to a strip club!

*tugs at collar* Yeeeeeeee

[Sigwolf]

As a retired FAA controller, all I can say is... sounds about right.   

[SpaceGameJunkie]

Friends, episode four of Retro Dogfight is out today, in which we talk about some of the earliest MicroProse games like Hellcat Ace and Spitfire Ace!

https://www.retrodogfight.com/04-early-microprose-sims-the-ace-series/

[SpaceGameJunkie]

Friends, the latest episode of Retro Dogfight is out! This time, we're looking at some of MicroProse's earliest hits, including F-15 Strike Eagle, Gunship and Project Stealth Fighter! Yay!

https://www.retrodogfight.com/05-microprose-takes-off/

[SpaceGameJunkie]

Friends, the latest episode of Retro Dogfight is out, and this time we discuss F-19 and F-117A!

https://www.retrodogfight.com/06-f-19-stealth-fighter-and-f-117a-nighthawk-stealth-fighter-2-0/

[mbar]

Played as much F-19 as I could back then. And the LHX demo.

[SpaceGameJunkie]

Played as much F-19 as I could back then. And the LHX demo.

You should revisit the full LHX game, it holds up.

[SpaceGameJunkie]

Friends, the latest episode of Retro Dogfight is out, in which we take a deep dive into not only F/A-18 Interceptor, but also the Amiga itself.

https://www.retrodogfight.com/07-f-a-18-interceptor-and-an-education-on-the-amiga/

[SpaceGameJunkie]

Friends, the latest episode of Retro Dogfight, in which we look at the Air Warrior series, is now out for your podcatching pleasure. Thank you so much for listening, and happy New Year!

https://www.retrodogfight.com/09-the-air-warrior-series/

[Bardolph]

Glad y'all finally got around to Air Warrior!

I first ran across it when they had a booth at Origins in Baltimore in 1987, still have the "disc" they were giving away:



We played it some on GEnie, but it wasn't till it came on AOL that I could afford to play as much as I wanted. My expendable income was going towards attending all the 125th ACW events anyway.
When it showed up on AOL I got hooked. Still miss it, and MPBT Solaris and the Aliens game and the other stuff from Kesmai.

Found this just now while listening to the podcast:
https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_67.pdf

<S!> BZ forever!

[bobarossa]

I remember getting a disk from Genie that let me play 40 hours for free on their service.  Played Air Warrior 2 and loved it.  When the free hours ran out it switched to I think $2/hr.  My first credit card bill shocked me and I had to start watching my hours.  They came out with Air Warrior 3 and my video card wouldn't run it.  I was hooked on flight sims by then and switched to Warbirds (done by same company that developed Air Warrior).  Warbirds was much more of a sim as I learned when I tried to turn my plane by yanking the stick and promptly spun into the ground.

[SpaceGameJunkie]

Lovely memories of Air Warrior y'all, thanks for sharing! I had no idea it was so formative for so many people. I hope the upcoming Steam releases do well.