He configured the Airbus for landing. Flaps 3. Gear down. The hydraulic pumps whined in his headphones. On the glideslope now, he saw the runway threshold. The FSDG textures shimmered in the tropical heat. He could almost smell the jet fuel and frangipani.
But in the dark reflection of his monitor, before the screen faded to the debriefing page, he could have sworn he saw a silhouette standing in the virtual aisle of the Airbus cabin—a ghost of a cargo loader, perhaps, or a flight simmer from a previous save state. FSX P3D AEROSOFT FSDG Reunion Island FMEE
His destination: .
He was at 200 feet, in a valley, with a jammed slat and a phantom open cargo door. He configured the Airbus for landing
"Good morning, Réunion Approach. Speedbird 241, descending FL180, inbound FMEE with Mike," Markus said into his headset. The hydraulic pumps whined in his headphones
A red master caution light flashed.
Captain Markus Brandt wasn't a superstitious man. He flew 300-ton metal tubes for a living; his religion was the ECL (Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitor) and his prayer book was the QRH (Quick Reference Handbook). But as his Aerosoft Airbus A330-300 descended through the broken cloud layer over the Indian Ocean, a chill ran down his spine that had nothing to do with the cabin temperature.