I'm pretty sure I had done what is called 'flying into IMC' which is frowned upon in real life due to the potential for loss of life.
Flight into IMC isn't bad - it happens every few minutes as IMC is Instrument Meteorological Conditions - anything from <3sm vis to rain, cloud, fog, etc. It's not the IMC but what type that makes it an issue and you don't even have to fly "into" it in some cases --- yours is one of those.
Weather radar was required in the 50's so large commercial transport aircraft crews could see "through" thunderstorms and if the radar was inop. a flight was required to remain visually clear of the storms. May 12, 1959.. a Capital Airlines Viscount crashed while maneuvering around a cell...
The aircraft probably reached an airspeed of 335 knots, which is 15 percent in excess of the Viscount never-exceed speed or about 5 percent in excess of VD, the maximum speed demonstrated in certification. At an altitude of approx. 5000 feet both horizontal stabilizers simultaneously failed downward separated. Following separation of the right and left stabilizers the aircraft pitched down violently so that all, four engine nacelles broke upward from combined inertia and gyroscopic loads. Immediately thereafter both wings were subjected to extreme downloads under which the right separated and the structural integrity of the left wing was destroyed. With the nacelles, right wing, and stabilizers gone, drag induced by the left wing yawed the fuselage violently to the left. Forces to the left tore off the vertical fin with portions of the fuselage attached, the latter already weakened when the left stabilizer stub tore away. During the subsequent gyrations the left wing broke up, its fuel cells were opened and the flash fire occurred. At the same time the remaining fuselage disintegrated. (metallurgical analysis showed the entire break-up sequence up to the loss of the tail fin took 1.5 seconds.)
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19590512-1
Yes, you can overstress an FS9 a/c the same way. I had an 'almost' in the RTWR a couple of years ago online, in front of 4 or 5 witnesses - a night approach into a black pit in Siberia, a few clouds as I approached, but as I turned final it turned into a thunderstorm. I saw a flash, some movement and next thing I was -- I dunno.. Probably 15 degrees from total inverted flight with the nose down (altimeter was unwinding awfully fast). I pulled through, saw a windscreen full of trees against black and managed to recover on instruments at about 200 ft... took 5 to clean the cockpit, re-orient myself and land (anticipating the turbulence this time). FS9 measures, handles turbulence in 'levels' - I've seen Lvl 4, been unable to use autopilot in Lvl 2 and don't want to find out if there is a Level 5.
I ended up getting out of there and made a beeline for the nearest airport (Sikes Airport in Luverne Alabama), greased the landing and parked my plane to wait out the storm. Now I know in real life this would have been the most prudent course of action, but has anyone ever crashed in FS2004 by flying into a thunderstorm? Has anyone been hit by virtual lightning, and if so what happens?
Actually the most prudent course would have been to tie the plane down at Jonesboro and go have a beer.. come back tomorrow, but...
Lightning in FS is benign except for the vision issue.. and mostly so in r/l. I watched a B737 get hit on short (50ft agl) final and it had no apparent effect - until, after landing, they discovered the 1" dia. hole in the fuselage right below the First Officer's seat. A/c was ferried out the next day to get the pressure hull repaired. Ferry flight was thru the mountains at 10,000 ft asl much to the delight of the crew.
Rob
