FSim Space Shuttle Night Landing

Replay of my last landing with FSim Space Shuttle app. NOTE: My digital camera brightened the display; it's actually darker than this on the iPad. (Also clearer; my camera's video setting has a lower resolution than the iPad screen.) It's fun seeing the lights of the various towns as you fly over. Like a normal commercial aircraft, of course, but the shuttle makes such steep turns and comes in at such a steep angle of descent that you're really looking at the ground (in fact, I was a little distracted; that was a sloppy approach). Terms heard from flight control: "On the HAC" - On the heading alignment cone, a steep turn you make to help the shuttle line up and slow down "a little bit inside" - of that turn "On the 180/90" - 180 degrees, 90 degrees from runway "two and two" - there's two strips of indicator lights in front of the runway that help you line up. Two lights on each strip indicates you're coming in at 20 degrees (nose pitched down), the proper angle until you "flare" to pull up just before the runway. "pretty good overlays" - until the runway is clearly in sight, the Heads Up Display, those green lighted indicators, show a representation of where the runway is. Once you see the real thing, you turn off the overlay. "Declutter down" removes the angle indicator, speed tape (left) and altitude tape (right) so you can concentrate on steering the orbiter, keeping its circular icon (with three strokes indicating wings and tail) lined up with the suggested heading (a diamond). While playing Fsim, you normally just use the heads up display out the cockpit window, as real shuttle pilots do; the replay shows your last flight from various camera angles as well as cockpit view.