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Laser Strikes on Aircraft: A Few Seconds of Fun Can Put Hundreds of Lives at Risk

There are some things that look harmless from the ground but can become extremely dangerous when viewed from the cockpit of an aircraft. A laser pointer is one of them. For someone standing on the ground, pointing a laser at an aircraft flying overhead may appear to be a harmless prank, an experiment, a way of attracting attention or simply an act of curiosity. But inside the cockpit, particularly during takeoff, approach or landing, that apparently tiny beam can suddenly become a serious aviation-safety threat. The latest figures released by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) show that the problem is declining, but it remains far too common. On September 17, 2026, the FAA reported that pilots had reported 4,470 laser strikes in the United States during 2026, representing a 24 percent decrease from the same period the previous year. This is the third consecutive year in which reported laser strikes have declined. However, the FAA says the numbers remain too high...
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15 Years Journey of Using Flight Simulators - Microsoft Flight Simulator Steam Edition and X-Plane 11

 

Few years back, nearly 10 years ago, I purchased a Microsoft flight simulator steam edition. I dared to purchase it as it was within my budget. 

It cost me nearly INR 900, I was living in Anandpur Sahib at that time and the internet there was really slow. 

I ordered the game online, even though I had little idea of how it would work, and what this steam edition was all about. Till now, I was only aware that computer games are available on CDs and I didn't know that they can be downloaded from the internet. 

It took more than one day for me to download that game. The MSFS was 30 GB heavy and getting that much data from the interest back then and in a secluded place like Anandpur Sahib was something in itself.

I was actually 10 km inside in the interior of Anandpur Sahib and BSNL was the only service provider at that time.

Unfortunately, I did not realize that my laptop was not made for it, as there was no graphic card in it. My laptop was a basic office laptop from HP and it had an intel i3 processor with only 2 GB RAM.

It used to take quite a long time for the microsoft flight simulator to upload, and the game did not run smoothly.

This meant that I was not actually able to enjoy the flight simulator.

I was not earning that much, which has always been the case in my life, to purchase a higher end gaming laptop where the game can run smoothly.

There was nothing I could do. Still my desire to play Microsoft flight simulator was so much that I still used to run that slow moving game.

Eight to nine years later, my earning increased and so was the case with my wife, and I thought of purchasing a gaming laptop.

Even now, it was somehow beyond my reach, but I was able to manage it through monthly installments. 

A normal gaming laptop starts from INR 70k. I did not have that much money to spend it in one go.

After much search and juggling, I decided to buy a gaming laptop from Lenovo LOQ. Although, I wanted to purchase the MSi laptop but there was no standalone authorised dealer for the MSi.

I had purchased an all-in-one desktop from Lenovo nearly 10 years ago and it has been running smoothly ever since. So, I had faith in the Lenovo products and this was one of the reasons that influenced my decision to purchase a gaming laptop from this company.

The fact that the CPU of the computer is attached with the screen, was something now heard by us before. It was a completely new concept back then and we somehow took a risk in deciding to try out a new concept in the form of an all-in-one desktop. 

Hopefully, next time when I decide to buy another gaming laptop, MSi will have a standalone authorised dealer.

Anyways, it was one of my biggest purchases after purchasing a Honda Unicorn motorcycle. I will share a story about that too.

Finally, I uploaded the Microsoft Flight Simulator Steam edition on the brand new Lenovo gaming laptop.

The experience was much better than what I used to have. The flight simulator was running smoothly and after nearly a decade from purchasing the Microsoft flight simulator steam edition I was actually able to enjoy the game.

When I had decided to purchase MSFS, one reason for its purchase was that it cost less than other options available in the market.

At that time X-plane 10 and X-plane 11 were spreading their wings. Through comparison videos on YouTube I realised that X-plane simulators are better than MSFS, I do not support this idea though.

According to me, both the simulators are equally good.

When I was making the purchase decision between X-plane and MSFS, the former was costing around 3500 INR, but MSFS was just 799. The cost difference influenced my purchase decision here.

Nearly a month back, I was just juggling through the steam website when I saw that X-plane 11 was available for just 900 INR. It was the price after the Christmas discount.

My mouth watered instantly and I decided to make the purchase at once. But after a few seconds I decided to hold back, as I already had a flight simulator and I thought there was no need to buy another one.

But I was not able to hold myself back for long and just after one day, when I came back on the steam website the heavy discount on X-plane 11 was still there and I banged it this time.

This time I made the purchase sitting in my in-laws home at Chandigarh, the internet was fast here and within a few hours the new flight simulator x-plane 11 was in my system.

It has been one month since I have been using the x-plane 11. One big difference is that this simulator is more sensitive, and the pitch and roll control in this is through the mouse.

This way the plane is a bit difficult to control. I am still not completely aware about the control of this simulator and I am still exploring things.

In the Microsoft flight simulator steam edition, the pitch and roll control is through the arrow keys.

I am still getting used to controlling the pitch and roll through a mouse.

Last night I went through the flight school section that is there in the x-plane 11. There they tell you to take-off, land an airplane, aka Cessna C172. The good old all time favourite pilot training aircraft.

Interesting part was the training tutorial for VOR tracking. The demonstration provided to learn VOR tracking is good, and someone who is new to it or wants to practice after theoretical classes can garner good experience here.

The video that I saw last night did not detail much. 

These flight simulators, I must say, are good for providing practical exposure and come in handy before getting onto the actual airplane for training.


Location: 101P, 30A, Sector 30, Chandigarh, 160030, India

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