Excellent flight simulator, but no equipment to simulate the cockpit - Was: How to disable all "keyboard shortcuts"

[Bret Busby]

On 14/8/22 01:59, Ralf Mardorf via ubuntu-users wrote:
> On Sun, 2022-08-14 at 01:06 +0800, Bret Busby wrote:
>> On 13/8/22 23:55, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
>>
>> <snip>
>>
>>>
>>> Just imagine a plane in emergency and there would be the need to pilot
>>> the plane by a vi/m or emacs alike user interface.
>>>
>>
>>
>> Whilst it is a digression, I am not sure - it is some years since I
>> played with it, but, from memory, a free flight simulator that I played
>> with, operated something like that, I think. I think it might have been
>> Flightgear - I am not sure - it was a while ago. It was key
>> combinations, or, key presses, to do things, not ever having had a joystick.
> 
> Yes, you can use even a good flight simulator with the input devices an
> averaged desktop computer provides. Instead of appropriate controls to
> fly a pane you have to use freakish keyboard shortcuts. This is just a
> workaround for the missing controls required to pilot a plane.
> 
> If you use Nano or even better a GUI editor like Xed or Pluma or even an
> modern IDE, there's no need for special controls. Maybe vi/m and emacs
> are comfortable to use with the controls needed to pilot a plane. If so,
> I still consider the user interface design of vi/m and emacs as
> absolutely outdated.
> 

Depending on what I am editing, I use gedit (or, it is now renamed to 
Text Editor) - which I use for editing html for my web sites, and for 
other things that are not system things needing root privileges.

If I am editing files that need root privileges, such as 
/etc/apt/sources.list, and, the files in sources.list.d, I use sudo vi, 
with the very basic vi stuff; i for insert, a for append, <ESC> for 
exiting a mode such as insert mode, x for deleting a character, and, 
<SHIFT><Z><Z> for exit and save. When I first learnt some UNIX, about 30 
years ago, I was a bit more proficient (but, not proficient) with using 
vi, and, now, I use only the very basic stuff.

>> I have always wanted to fly, and, flight simulator software, is the
>> only legal way that I can fly a plane.
> 
> I'm playing the smallest violin in the world for you right now. I'm
> quite sure out there in Australia you have a chance to fly a plane
> without a license and a good chance to get away without bearing the
> consequences.
> 
> Here in the German Ruhrgebiet we might have the opportunity to fly a
> plane without a license, too, but there's absolutely no way to get away
> without bearing the consequences. Immediately after landing you will be
> greeted by a welcoming committee. Even if we could pay for a pilot's
> licence one time, it expires if we can't pay for enough flying hours,
> landing fees and all this expensive things.
> 

Everyone should know and accept their limits, and I am not medically fit 
to fly a plane. I would not pass any level of aviation medical, and, I 
know in myself, that I would be unsafe and a danger to others, to be in 
command of an aeroplane. I have seen videos of little, single person, 
aircraft, that can fly up to about five to ten metres above the ground, 
that I might be able to play with, but, anything much more, and I would 
be a danger to others.

So, playing with a free software flight simulator, is as close as I can 
get, to flying an aeroplane.

That is quite apart from the expense of being taught to fly, and, 
obtaining a pilot's licence, which would also be out of my reach, even 
if I was medically fit to do it.

We should all know and accept our limits, especially, if being unaware 
of, or,  ignoring, our limits, can harm others.

-- 
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
(UTC+0800)
..............