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After making our introductions, Nick waved to the Thrustmaster HOTAS rig. "Would you like to take a shot at landing the '29 on the carrier?" he asked. I had previously taken the Flanker team to task on this very web site about the Sukhoi being very easy to land, and decided that backing down would be the very essence of wussing out. I accepted his challenge, and wasted no time at embarrassing myself by dying in a hideous, violent, fiery manner while attempting to accomplish the second most basic function of flight- returning to earth. Twice. Carl tried his hand, and suffered a similar fate as my first try by smearing the MiG across the carrier's flight deck due to an excessive sink rate. This made me feel a bit better.

Fig. 6. Flanker 2.5 - Ship Gun Emplacements Engage

Nick was far more successful, completing a trap after only one bolter. He is well practiced at handling tricky aircraft - in his day job as Director of the Fighter Collection in the UK; he is in the envious position of having access to Europe's largest collection of WWII era fighter aircraft. Given his credentials, Carl and I have nothing to be ashamed of.

Fig. 7. Landing the Mig-29k

Suffice to say that the MiG-29K is slightly more challenging to fly, especially to land than its larger Sukhoi counterpart. The very different flight model and beautifully rendered new panel graphics remind you that this is not just a new skin, you are flying an entirely different aircraft.

Another excuse that Carl and I may use to soothe our failure-induced ego contusions is the fact that the aircraft carrier was moving. Yes, Flanker Faithful, it is possible in 2.5 to set waypoints for your naval task forces. Not only that, but the ships engage enemy naval units in spectacular anti-ship missile to anti-missile missile brawls that are awesome to behold. Setting up a task force to task force melee is a piece of cake in the Mission Editor, and what a show it makes! Flying in from a distance, missile plumes arc skyward and swoop down to skim at wave top level while targeted ships wildly maneuver and deploy countermeasures. Sometimes, it's fun to set the fighter on autopilot and just sit back and appreciate the fireworks - pretty amazing stuff. The people at Eagle Dynamics are true simulation craftsmen.

Fig. 8. Mig-29k Engaging the Enemy