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Welcome to BENCHIU.COM! Downloads Links 
BenChiu.com moves to FlightAdventures.com I've been spending so much time with the FlightAdventures Virtual Pilot Center™ website, it just made sense to move my site to the FlightAdventures server as well. At least this way, when we update one site, we'll be essentially updating both sites at the same time.
A Hero Passes I'm saddened to report that Carl E. Hellerich, recently passed away. You may recall that Carl was the WWII B-17 USAAF Captain that I interviewed in my Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator: Inside Moves book a couple of years ago. Although I only spoke to Carl a few times and exchanged letters (real snail mail letters mind you) over the course of our interview, if I had to describe him, without hesitation, I would say Carl was a gentleman in every sense of the word. While talking to him about his accomplishments during the war I was always amazed about how humble he was about it all. I've had the privilege to speak to many WWII war veterans during my career and most are eager (some very eager!) to tell you their stories. Not Carl—it wasn't that he didn't want to talk about them (and he was very pleasant about all of my deep probing questions), it was just that he didn't see what all the fuss was about. His attitude was he did his job (he was Captain of the Lead Crew for a squadron of B-17's based in England), he was proud of that, but his other accomplishments such as raising a family over his 70+ years were more important in his eyes. The picture above is Carl getting Distinguished Flying Cross pinned to his chest by General Curtis LeMay. To give you an idea of how nonchalant he was about his heroism, Carl never told his family about it or even me during our talks. (We only found out about this and other accomplishments when his family was going through his personal belongings.) I can only believe he didn't tell me this because, like an idiot, I never asked if he had ever been decorated. Carl Hellerich was a great man, a father, a grandfather, an American hero. He'll be missed. God bless you, Carl.
Is the End of the Flight Sim Genre Near? "Over the last two years we've seen a steady decline in the number of PC flight simulations being brought to market..." Report Excerpt More Articles Back to the top of the page 
Exclusive Sneak Peek!
For anyone curious about what I've been up to since retiring from the game book biz, this picture should be a little hint. I've been writing this little beauty for FlightAdventures (my ninth book!!). We're not ready to reveal anything at the moment, but a big announcement should be following shortly. If anyone is even half as excited as I am about it all, well, I think things are going to change in the sim world a bit. Please stay tuned! Back to the top of the page 
AvSim.com reviews "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Official Strategies & Secrets"
Robert Kirkland—AvSim's Senior Managing Editor writes, "Sometimes there is a book that provides you with everything you expected and a lot more. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Official Strategies & Secrets is just such a book. What I expected was a book with much the same information that was contained in the help files and the original manual; what I got was a book that not only gave me information on flying all of the default aircraft but also a lot of lessons in flying technique and lots of illustrations that clarify the whole process..." Read the full review here… Shop for "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Official Strategies & Secrets" at Barnes and Noble.com Back to the top of the page 
simFlight.com reviews "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Official Strategies & Secrets"
Ernie Alston writes, "I really enjoyed the book - written in plain English, full of quality graphics and important information. It is well recommended to the novice and for the seasoned "pilot" who needs more than a user manual." Read the full review here… Shop for "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Official Strategies & Secrets" at Barnes and Noble.com Back to the top of the page 
New Chiu Interview (Number Two?) on simFlight.com
Evan H. probes into my personal life I'm really not sure why anyone would be interested in how and why I do things, but here it is. (Don't say you haven't been warned!) Read the interview. Back to the top of the page 
Ben Chiu Interviewed by SimChoice: the Online Flight Simulator Directory
Justin Snyder interviews another "aviation nut." Read the interview. Back to the top of the page
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Official Strategies & Secrets is finished!
I'm proud to say that with the help of a lot of great people (written by Microsoft Flight Simulator Product Planner, Bruce Williams (CFII), and Microsoft MVP, Bill Hoscheit, and Foreword by aviation authority, and fellow Certified Flight Instructor, Rod Machado), we've written the most advanced Flight Simulator book to date. My previous Flight Simulator books were geared for absolute newbie and intermediate virtual aviators. What makes Flight Simulator 2000 Official Strategies & Secrets different is it takes over where my other books left off. This book covers the advanced aviation concepts that allow you to fly Flight Simulator aircraft like they're flown in the real world—all explained in practical terms (no useless math or re-hashed material!). We cover real-world navigation techniques that will allow you to fly from Point A to Point B successfully regardless of whether Point B is across town or across the ocean. With the help of several other notable Private, Commercial, and Airline Transport Pilots we've written a book that will set a new standard for Flight Simulator books. Please remember that this book is published by Sybex Publishing, and NOT under the Inside Moves brand name from Microsoft Press. (Just look for my name on the cover if you forget which book is which.) We also provide hands-on introductions to Flight Simulator 2000's newest aircraft. So if devices such as cowl flaps, auto brakes, autothrottle, standby vacuum pumps, engine anti-ice, and synchrophasers have you baffled, this is the book for you. Of course all of this is presented in the same familiar user-friendly format and language found in my other books. So before you buy any Flight Simulator 2000 books, be sure to make a comparison. I think you'll find Flight Simulator 2000 Official Strategies & Secrets to be what you're looking for. You'll find this book at Electronics Boutique, Software Etc., Babbages, WalMart, and other fine stores. Shop for "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Official Strategies & Secrets" at Barnes and Noble.com. Back to the top of the page Errata It's been brought to my attention that some early version of my Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Official Strategies & Secrets book has erroneous headings in the DME arc tutorial on page 224. I'm not really sure what happened here, but the paragraph should correctly read: "At 13.0 DME from VCV (TRNDL), take the autopilot out of NAV mode and make a left turn to heading 325 degrees. Hold that heading until the CDI deflects/moves to the first index (the dot), then turn to heading 315 degrees and twist the OBS to 045 degrees..." Course headings in the chart should read: 325 315 305 295 285 275 265 I assume that most were able to figure out the proper headings from the explanation of the procedure on page 181 because no one has reported this earlier, but I thought the error should be documented. In any case, I'd like to offer my deepest apologies for any trouble this may have caused anyone. Back to the top of the page |
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